The Tip-Off
* Florida visits Arkansas on the heels of the Gators’ first regular season win over a #1 team in program history, as UF’s defense powered a 73-43 blowout win over Tennessee on Tuesday.
* The Gators have averaged 93.5 points in their two road games this season, posting 87 in a win at Florida State and 100 in last weekend’s shootout loss at Kentucky.
* Walter Clayton Jr. has made a 3-pointer in 38 straight games, the third-longest such streak in UF history, trailing Michael Frazier II (41) in 2014 and 2015 and Lee Humphrey (39) in the 2006-07 season.
* The Gators took last season’s meeting in Gainesville but look to snap a two-game series skid in Fayetteville, last winning at Arkansas in a 57-51 defensive battle in 2019 led by 18 points from KeVaughn Allen.
* Florida’s 30-point win vs. #1 Tennessee marked the third-largest win vs. a #1 team in men’s college basketball history and the largest since UCLA’s 1968 Final Four win vs. Houston.
* UF’s +12.9 rebounding margin ranks second nationally (Illinois, +13.3). The Gators have been +15 or better six times, +20 or better four times. UF outrebounded Tennessee, 56-37, on Tuesday.
* Florida’s +22.3 scoring margin this season also ranks as the second-highest in the nation (Houston, +22.4). Thirteen of the Gators’ 14 wins this season have come by 13 points or more.
2024-25 at a Glance
* Florida earned its third all-time win vs. #1 and first in a regular season game with a 73-43 rout of top-ranked Tennessee. The Gators allowed just 12 field goals, the fewest by a #1 team in the shot clock era, while Alijah Martin led Florida with 18 points, Denzel Aberdeen added 16 off the bench, and Alex Condon posted a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.
* Walter Clayton Jr. matched a career high with 33 points and Alijah Martin added 26 as the Gators fell short in their SEC opener at #10 Kentucky, 106-100. Clayton knocked down six 3-pointers while Martin hit five as the Gators reached the century mark for the first time in series history.
* Florida posted an undefeated 13-0 nonconference record, and the start marked the Gators’ second-best in program history along with the team’s 17-0 start in 2005-06. The Gators were one of the nation’s final three undefeated teams along with Oklahoma, which had its first loss the same day as UF, and Tennessee, which had its first loss vs. the Gators.
* Will Richard’s 22 points vs. North Carolina included an offensive rebound and putback to break an 84-all tie in the final minute, part of UF’s 8-0 run to finish off the victory. Alijah Martin added 19 points, and Alex Condon’s 10 rebounds helped the Gators post a +10 advantage on the boards.
* Florida posted a dominant 83-66 neutral-site win vs. Arizona State that included a +20 rebounding margin and an Alijah Martin double-double (15 points, 11 rebounds).
* The Gators’ 87 points in the SEC-ACC Challenge win vs. Virginia marked the third-most allowed by the Cavaliers over the past decade. Walter Clayton Jr. led UF with 27 points, while Alex Condon (19), Alijah Martin (16) and Denzel Aberdeen (12) all tallied double figures.
* Florida used a 27-0 run to bury Wichita State en route to the Gators’ ESPN Events Invitational championship, eventually outscoring the Shockers 67-22 over a 24-minute stretch.
* UF put together an extended 31-8 stretch vs. Wake Forest, capped by a 10-0 run to open the second half, as Walter Clayton’s 21 points led four double-digit scorers in the victory.
* Florida’s +18 rebounding advantage pushed the Gators past Florida State for the fourth straight win vs. the Seminoles. Walter Clayton Jr. led the attack with 25 points, while Alijah Martin added 17.
