With just a few weeks left in SEC play, Florida is making a strong case as the top team in the conference-and they’re doing it with authority. Winners of 10 of their last 11, the 12th-ranked Gators are rolling into Tuesday’s home matchup against South Carolina with momentum, chemistry, and a deep rotation that’s starting to click in all the right ways.
Florida (19-6, 10-2 SEC) tightened its grip on first place with a wire-to-wire 92-83 win over then-No. 25 Kentucky, a game that showcased just how dangerous this group can be when it’s firing on all cylinders.
The Wildcats made a few pushes, including a late surge that cut the deficit to five in the final minute, but the Gators never really lost control. Every Kentucky run was met with a counterpunch-and often, a dagger from deep.
One of the biggest storylines from that win? The emergence of junior guard Urban Klavzar, who came off the bench and lit it up during a key second-half stretch. With Kentucky closing the gap to 56-51, Klavzar scored eight points in just over four minutes, stretching the lead back to 72-58 and effectively shutting the door on any comeback hopes.
Klavzar, a native of Domžale, Slovenia, has carved out a valuable role for the defending national champs. While Florida’s frontcourt has been consistent all season, the backcourt has faced more scrutiny, especially when it comes to perimeter shooting. But Klavzar has stepped up-both in production and leadership.
“I feel like we started to work together a little more, like shooting-wise, working out together with all the guards,” Klavzar said. “That gives you some more confidence, some more chemistry. That helps.”
It’s showing. Against Kentucky, he hit 7 of 13 shots overall and went 5-for-11 from beyond the arc, finishing with 19 points-just one shy of his season high.
The timing of his buckets mattered too: one came off a Kentucky zone breakdown, another after a late defensive switch. In other words, he wasn’t just making shots-he was making the right shots at the right time.
For the season, Klavzar is averaging 10.1 points per game and is shooting 39.1% from deep (54-for-138), the best mark on the team. That kind of efficiency has been a difference-maker, especially when you look at the rest of Florida’s perimeter threats.
Reserve guard Isaiah Brown is hitting 36.4% from three, while forward Thomas Haugh-Florida’s leading scorer at 17.5 points per game-is at 33.8%. Xaivian Lee, another key piece in the rotation, is shooting just 27% from long range.
Florida has already seen South Carolina once this season, and it wasn’t close. The Gators dominated the Gamecocks 95-48 on Jan. 28, handing them their worst loss of the year. Haugh led the way with 18 points in that one, and the Gators controlled every aspect of the game.
South Carolina (11-14, 2-10 SEC) hasn’t found much traction since then. Saturday’s 89-75 loss at Alabama was the Gamecocks’ sixth straight defeat and their ninth in the last 10 games. Head coach Lamont Paris is still searching for answers as his team sits tied for last in the conference with LSU.
The bright spot for South Carolina remains Meechie Johnson. The junior guard leads the team in scoring (16.7 points), assists (4.2), and steals (1.3), and while he had a quiet first half against Alabama-scoring just two points on 1-of-4 shooting-he bounced back with a strong second half, finishing 7-for-13 from the field.
“He was just not aggressive in the first half, and was very aggressive in the second half,” Paris said. “So whatever was happening with him, that changed in the second half, and he was the guy we’ve grown to love and expect to play well.”
Around Johnson, the Gamecocks have a few other contributors, including Mike Sharavjamts (10.9 points, team-high 5.5 rebounds), Kobe Knox (10.5 points), and Elijah Strong (10.5 points). But the consistency just hasn’t been there, especially against top-tier competition.
Tuesday’s rematch in Gainesville offers Florida a chance to keep its foot on the gas and continue building toward a strong postseason push. For South Carolina, it’s about finding something to build on-a spark, a rhythm, anything to stop the slide.
But if the Gators keep playing the way they did against Kentucky, especially with role players like Klavzar stepping into the spotlight, they’re going to be a tough out for anyone in the SEC-and beyond.