Florida vs. Texas A&M: Four Keys for the Gators in a Showdown for SEC Supremacy
It doesn’t get much bigger than this in early February SEC basketball. Two teams, tied atop the standings, both playing solid ball, and one chance to break free from the pack.
No. 17 Florida (16-6, 7-2 SEC) heads to College Station on Saturday night to take on Texas A&M (17-5, 7-2 SEC) in a high-stakes clash that could decide who gets to sit alone at the top of the Southeastern Conference - at least for now.
Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. ET at Reed Arena, where the Gators haven’t won since 2020.
But this Florida team, under head coach Todd Golden, is coming in with momentum and a clear identity. The Aggies, led by first-year head coach Bucky McMillan, are a revamped group that’s been lighting it up from deep and playing with tempo.
“It’s gonna be a great game,” Golden said. “Two teams that I think are playing pretty well, and it should be a good battle to see who can control tempo and pace.”
Here’s what Florida needs to do to leave College Station with a win - and sole possession of first place in the SEC.
1. Run Them Off the Line
Texas A&M isn’t just good from three - they’re elite. The Aggies lead the SEC in 3-point percentage at 37.6% and rank second in scoring at 92 points per game. That’s a dangerous combination, and it starts with their perimeter duo: Rylan Griffen and Rubén Dominguez.
Griffen, a transfer from Kansas, is shooting a scorching 44.6% from deep - third-best in the conference - and averaging 11.5 points per game. He’s coming off a strong outing against Alabama, where he dropped 17 points and hit three of five from beyond the arc.
He’s no stranger to Florida either, having faced the Gators four times while at Alabama. But in those matchups, he only hit double digits once - a 10-point game where he shot just 2-for-11.
Florida’s defense has made him work before, and they’ll need to again.
Dominguez, a sophomore guard with pro experience in Europe, is averaging 12.4 points per game while hitting 42.8% from three - fifth in the SEC. He’s shown he can catch fire (just ask Manhattan, who watched him drop 30 points on 10-of-14 shooting from deep), but lately, he’s cooled off. In three of A&M’s last four games, Dominguez has failed to reach double figures, including a 1-point performance against Alabama.
Still, Florida can’t afford to let either of these guys get comfortable. The Gators are holding opponents to 71.4 points per game - third-best in the conference - and that defensive consistency will be key.
Golden put it plainly: “They’re going to make some threes. You’ve got to make sure that they earn every single one of them.
If we don’t guard the line, you're not going to win.”
2. Pound the Paint
While the Aggies live and die by the three, Florida’s offense is at its best when it gets downhill and attacks the rim. And that’s exactly what the Gators should do on Saturday.
Texas A&M doesn’t have a true rim protector - not a single player averaging at least one block per game - which opens the door for Florida to dominate inside. We saw it work against Alabama, where the Gators racked up 72 points in the paint. That’s not just a number - that’s a blueprint.
Alex Condon has been the poster boy for this approach. The Aussie big man tied his season-high with 25 points against Alabama, and he did it by staying in his lane - just one three-point attempt all game. That performance earned him SEC Player of the Week honors.
“Coach Hartman came to me and said, ‘The 3-point shot is just not falling, but don’t worry about it. Don’t let it affect what you do well,’” Condon said. “So, that’s what I focused on, getting to my spot in the paint and facilitating for the other guys around me.”
If Florida avoids the trap of trying to match A&M three for three and instead plays to its strengths inside, they’ll be in good shape.
3. Win the Turnover Battle
Florida’s win over Alabama didn’t just come down to scoring - it came down to control. The Gators were +16 in turnovers and +25 in points off those miscues. That kind of margin is game-changing.
Boogie Fland was the defensive catalyst, tying a program record with eight steals - a mark that hadn’t been hit since Clifford Lett did it back in 1991. Fland, who transferred in from Arkansas, leads the team with two steals per game and has a knack for reading passing lanes and disrupting rhythm.
“He has really good hands,” said junior guard Urban Klavžar. “He knows when someone is going to pass the ball.
He just steals the ball and tips it. He’s really good at reading those passes and just picking your dribble.”
That said, Texas A&M isn’t careless with the ball. The Aggies lead the SEC in assists (19.9 per game) and are second in takeaways (8.9 per game). They love to press full-court and make you earn every inch of space.
“They press quite a lot,” Klavžar said. “We just have to be mentally and physically tough, especially mentally, to get over that half-court and start off.”
Florida will need to be sharp with the ball, break the press with poise, and continue to create turnovers on the other end. If they do, they can tilt the possession game in their favor once again.
4. Lean on the Bench - Smartly
Depth could be a swing factor in this one. Texas A&M runs deep - an 11-man rotation that spreads the scoring around and keeps legs fresh. While they don’t have a go-to bench scorer, they get consistent contributions from multiple reserves.
Florida, on the other hand, runs a tighter eight-man rotation. That’s meant heavy minutes for starters like Thomas Haugh, Condon, and Fland - all averaging over 30 minutes a night. But the Gators have still found some spark off the bench, particularly in Klavžar.
The Slovenian sharpshooter has scored in double figures in seven of his last eight games. He poured in 18 points against LSU on Jan. 20, hitting five threes on 6-of-11 shooting. His ability to stretch the floor gives Florida a different look when he checks in.
With a midweek bye giving the Gators some much-needed rest, they should be fresher heading into Saturday. But if the bench can’t match A&M’s depth, especially late in the second half, it could become a factor.
“The bench is important for everything,” Klavžar said. “We’re trying to be aggressive coming in and help the team.”
The Bottom Line
This is the kind of game that tests everything - your depth, your discipline, your identity. Florida has the tools to win: a tough defense, a physical interior presence, and playmakers who can flip a game on both ends of the floor. But they’ll need to execute with precision against an A&M team that can catch fire from deep and grind you down with pressure.
If the Gators defend the arc, own the paint, take care of the ball, and get quality minutes from their bench, they’ll walk out of Reed Arena not just with a win, but with the SEC lead in hand.
Let the battle for the top begin.