Records: Florida 27-4, 14-4 SEC; Ole Miss 21-10, 10-8 SEC
Next Up: Friday, March 14, 7 p.m. EST, vs. LSU/Mississippi State/Missouri, SEC Network
Notable
* Senior Night in Gainesville saw Walter Clayton Jr. go off one last time in the O’Dome, leading the Florida attack with 23 points and eight assists while Alex Condon had another monster performance, rolling up 17 points and 15 rebounds.
* Also playing their last game at home, Alijah Martin scored 13 points and Will Richard added 10.
* Florida’s 14-0 run early in the second half opened up a 17-point lead, and the Gators led by as many as 22.
* The Gators’ 27 regular season wins are the second-most in program history, trailing only the 29-win regular season in 2013-14. Fourteen SEC wins also ties for second-most in Florida history (18 in 2013-14, 14 in 2012-13 and 2016-17).
* Florida won nine of its final 10 regular season games and finishes the season in sole possession of second place in the SEC. The Gators were picked sixth in the preseason media poll.
* UF dominated the interior, shooting 17-for-25 (.680) from 2-point range while holding Ole Miss to 15-for-45 (.333).
* Paired with his 27 points and 10 rebounds in Wednesday’s win at Alabama, Condon finishes the week averaging 22 points and 12.5 rebounds.
* Condon nearly had a double-double at halftime, going for eight points and 10 boards in the first half.
* Condon had seven rebounds in the first five minutes of the game.
* The Gators posted a double-digit rebounding margin for the second straight game, going +12 (48-36) tonight after a +15 showing (50-35) Wednesday at Alabama.
* Florida recorded eight sellouts this season, and tonight’s crowd of 11,191 marked the second-highest since the O’Connell Center’s 2016 renovation.
* Clayton, Martin and Richard and Florida’s senior managers before tonight’s game.
* Saturday marked Todd Golden’s 100th game as Florida’s head coach. The Gators’ 67 wins under Golden are the team’s most all-time through a head coach’s first 100 games:
* 67, Todd Golden
* 65, Mike White
* 62, Tommy Bartlett & Sam McAllister
* 58, Billy Donovan
* Todd Golden was one of six SEC coaching hires in 2022. In the three seasons since, Florida is 10 or more games better in SEC play than any of the other teams that also brought in a new coach in 2022:
* Florida: 34-20 (.630)
* Mississippi State: 24-30 (.444)
* Missouri: 21-33 (.389)
* Georgia: 20-34 (.370)
* South Carolina: 19-35 (.352)
* LSU: 14-40 (.259)
Head Coach Todd Golden
Opening Statement…
“Just incredibly proud of our program. Obviously, a great regular season, 27 wins. To go 14-4 in the league and to finish the regular season the way we did today, just can’t say enough about the job our players did this year and that my staff was able to do from start to finish. As we just talked about with our players in the locker room, I want them to be very proud of the effort and the success we’ve had to this point, but we have a lot of work left to do and a lot of things left to still accomplish and we’ll get back together on Monday, have a great week of practice and get ready to play next Friday in Nashville.”
On the difficulty of winning in the SEC and how this team has been able to win 14 games…
“Yeah, we just have a really good team. I think our guys did a really nice job all year. Our four losses obviously came within SEC play and not allowing one [loss] to turn into two. We did a very good job after losses kind of getting back on track and playing well and not having any lulls. Our guys did a really good job preparing, being coachable, allowing our coaches to scout well and hold them accountable all throughout the season. I think our success is a direct result of the players in our program and the staff that we have here.”
On each senior’s impact on the Florida Gators…
“Yeah absolutely. I mean all three of those guys have been so impactful to the success that we’ve had, not only this year but last year. All three, in different ways.
“I’ve talked about it a lot, but Will… When we first got down here, we didn’t know anybody, and we were flying around trying to figure out who we were going to add to the program. The last stop on that first tour that coach Kevin Hovde and Jonathan Safir and I had was in Nashville to go see a Belmont transfer named Will Richard. The funny thing is, out of the six guys that we saw on that trip, he was the only guy that ended up coming to Florida. When we first met with him, we’re like, ‘Dude, this guy seems awesome. It just seems like our kind of guy, great attitude, great eye contact, just super mature. If we can get this guy, I think it’d be a really good start.’ And he came down on a visit and committed and we got to meet Al and Helen and spend some time with them, and we were like, ‘If we can get guys like this, we’re gonna be in good shape here, you know?’ And so, I can’t say enough about him.
“Walt, when you’re trying to turn a program and you’re trying to get this program back to what’s it’s been you need to hit on some big-time recruits who change the trajectory of your program and Walter is obviously that. And we had to battle St. John’s and try to talk him into coming home and thank goodness his family lives close to here and he’s a family guy and he loves his family, and winning that battle was huge for us. He was fantastic all year for us last year and I think we can all agree the jump that he’s made this year in his senior year, moving on the ball, and you know, in my humble estimation being the best point guard in America has been huge for our team this year.”
“Alijah, you know, he probably, he could’ve gone anywhere. Everybody knew he was a winner, leader, competitor, he had Final Four experience, and when we were able to get him to jump in last spring, we were like, ‘All right, we feel like [we have] a really, really tough physical, mature, backcourt that we can play with and see what happens.
“Obviously, we won’t have any of those guys next year, but we’re going to enjoy them as long as we have them this year and see. We’ve gotta try to play nine more games. That’s the goal right now.”
Senior G Walter Clayton Jr.
On the emotions he experienced exiting Billy Donovan Court for the final time…
“Emotions were high, obviously, being here two years, I’ve basically made family here. It’ll always be a family here, the coaching staff, all of the fans, there’s a lot of love. Glad we could get it done, definitely a lot of emotions. I appreciate everybody.”
On playing for the Gators as a Florida native…
“It means everything to me. I’m willing to argue with anybody about this – Florida is the best state, produces the best athletes… It’s been great to come back home, my family, they’re closer so they can drive up here and see me play… I appreciate Florida for welcoming me with open arms, allowing me to be myself these past few years.”
Sophomore F/C Alex Condon
On playing with Walter Clayton Jr. and Will Richard…
“It’s been pivotal in my development. I think they played a large role last year… They’re awesome leaders and they are crucial for this team’s success. They’re great friends, too. I love these boys.”
Senior G Will Richard
On the progress that the program has made since he joined the team as a freshman…
“It’s been night and day, that’s what makes it so special, seeing how we’ve grown from that first year to now and how we’ve completely changed things around. It makes it so much fun to be a part of this program, seeing how much things have changed and how it’s been for the better.”
On whether the team is focused on getting a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament…
“We don’t really pay much attention to that; we’re just trying to go out and win every game. It’s the start of a whole new season, so we’re going to go out there and attack every game at a high level no matter what seed we are.”
