The Tip-Off
* Florida hosts another marquee SEC matchup as the Gators welcome Texas A&M and ESPN’s College GameDay to town and look to rebound from a road loss at Georgia on Tuesday. Prior to Tuesday’s setback, Florida had put together a six-game winning streak, its longest in SEC play since 2017. UF leads the nation with 17.3 fastbreak points per game.
* The Gators and Aggies played a memorable SEC Tournament semifinal in their last meeting, as Florida rallied from 18 points down to win, 95-90, for the fifth-largest comeback in program history. Denzel Aberdeen had his breakout game with 20 points off the bench to help overcome Wade Taylor IV’s 30-point performance.
* Walter Clayton Jr. is having a two-season run that ranks among the all-time best in Florida history. At 1,095 points as a Gator, he is seeking to become the seventh player in program history to score 1,100 points over two seasons. At 168 3-point field goals, he looks to become the sixth Gator to hit 170 over two seasons (see page 9). Clayton has also made a 3-pointer in 50 consecutive appearances. Clayton has bested Michael Frazier II’s previous UF record of 41 straight, set in 2014 and 2015.
* Will Richard scored a career-high 30 points at Georgia on Tuesday. Richard, Clayton and Alijah Martin became the first trio in Florida history to all post a 30-point outing in a single season.
* The Gators have used five different starting lineups this season. After playing with the same starting five for the first 21 games, the Gators have used four new lineups over the last seven games as three usual starters missed time with injuries.
* Florida’s six times hosting College GameDay place the Gators among the show’s top five most frequent hosts, alongside Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky and Kansas.
2024-25 Highlights at a Glance
* The Gators set a program record with five straight games with five players scoring in double figures from Feb. 8-22. Denzel Aberdeen, Rueben Chinyelu, Thomas Haugh and Urban Klavzar all had career-high scoring performances during this time.
* Florida earned its first all-time road win at a #1 team at Auburn, as Walter Clayton Jr.’s 19 points led five Gators in double figures. Alex Condon had 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Thomas Haugh scored 16 off the bench. The Gators became the fifth team all-time to post wins vs. two different #1 teams in a season.
* UF won at Mississippi State to earn ranked road wins in back-to-back games for the first time in program history. Already without Alijah Martin, Florida lost Alex Condon to injury 30 seconds into the contest, and Florida’s super-subs responded. Denzel Aberdeen poured in 20 points, while Thomas Haugh stuffed the box score with 16 points, nine rebounds, a career-best eight assists, two blocked shots and two steals.
* Denzel Aberdeen (22 points) and Thomas Haugh (20 points) went for career highs in the win vs. South Carolina.
* UF got a total team effort to beat Vanderbilt, led by Will Richard’s 21 and Alex Condon’s 19. Denzel Aberdeen made his first career start, and Urban Klavzar hit a pair of clutch 3-pointers to spark the decisive run.
* Florida posted a 30-point win vs. Georgia, fueled by a first half that included 11 steals, which helped lead to 18-for-27 shooting (7-for-14 3FG).
* Will Richard’s driving layup with 4.8 seconds left at South Carolina gave Florida its winning margin, as well as its first lead of the game to cap off a rally from 14 points down with 12 minutes to play.
* 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. Alijah Martin led Florida with 18 points, Denzel Aberdeen added 16, and Alex Condon posted a double-double (12/12).
* 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 went 4-0 against ACC opponents.
