Florida basketball’s preseason hardware says plenty about how dangerous this team can be. It also points straight at the one issue that could decide how far the Gators go.
Thomas Haugh was named SEC Preseason Player of the Year, and Florida landed three players on the Preseason All-SEC Team: Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu. With the Gators set to open next week in Tampa against Miami, the recognition only reinforces how loaded this roster looks on paper.
The frontcourt is the obvious headliner. Florida’s literal Big Three gives opponents nightmares and has helped raise the team’s floor.
When the Gators face a team that can’t handle their size, or if foul trouble hits early, they can make games feel over fast. That was part of what made them so tough night to night last season.
But the same size that overwhelms most teams can be neutralized by the right opponent. Florida learned that in its shocking loss to Iowa, when a scrappy team found a way to blunt the Gators’ edge and put pressure on the guards. That game still hangs over a roster that enters the season ranked No. 1 nationally.
What stands out now is who did not show up on the SEC preseason team. None of Florida’s guards made it.
That doesn’t make the backcourt a disaster, but it does keep the spotlight there. Boogie Fland and Denzel Aberdeen are solid pieces, yet they are not automatic elite guards. Urban Klavzar can score off the bench, something he showed in Florida’s exhibition win over Stetson, but he still has to prove he can create offense on his own.
Florida’s exhibition loss to Baylor did not change the big-picture view all that much. Shooting 4-29 from three is not something the Gators should expect to repeat. Still, the game did underline a concern that wasn’t exactly shocking: the guards had trouble.
Against the SEC, this roster should have a clear path to another regular season title. The bigger question is whether it has enough behind its frontline strength to take the next step and get back to the Final Four.
In Other News...
Florida Just Made Its Biggest Offensive Decision Before Georgia
Aaron Philo is back in the spotlight at the right time for Florida, and the Gators have made their call for the Georgia game. After Philo was sidelined by injury and Tramell Jones Jr. stepped in to lead a recent upset win, the quarterback situation had become one of the biggest questions hanging over the week. Now the job goes back to Philo, who helped fuel Floridas strong start to the season before the setback.
The timing matters because Georgia brings the kind of defense that can expose even small flaws in an offense. Florida is banking on Philos return to steady the group against the top-ranked unit on the schedule, while Jones surge has only added intrigue to the decision. For a rivalry game with plenty at stake, the Gators are choosing the quarterback they believe gives them the best chance to match Georgias pressure and keep the offense moving. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Heads Into Georgia With One Huge Question Still Unanswered
Floridas trip to Georgia comes with the usual rivalry pressure, but there is a bigger football question hanging over the Gators as they try to sort out a season that has gone from impressive to baffling and back again. Joel Klatt pointed to that week-to-week inconsistency, noting that Florida has paired significant wins with puzzling losses while still showing enough talent to make this one feel live.
The matchup also puts the spotlight on how Florida wants to play it, because the ability to run the ball and lean on a strong defensive line could go a long way toward keeping the game on script. Even so, the quarterback picture remains unsettled, with no starter announced and Tramell Jones and Aaron Philo both listed as questionable, leaving one of the teams most important decisions open as kickoff approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Florida May Be Getting A Massive Boost Right Before Georgia
Floridas passing game has been searching for consistency while the receiver room works through injuries to Eric Singleton Jr. and Vernell Brown III, a hit that has shown up in the offenses overall effectiveness over the last few games. The two bring different traits to the field, and when both are available, the group gives the Gators more options in how they can attack downfield and on the perimeter.
As Georgia looms, there is at least some reason for optimism that the receiving corps could be getting closer to full strength at just the right time. If that trend holds, it could open up more of the game plan Florida has been unable to fully lean on lately, with the real question being how quickly those pieces can be worked back into rhythm before the rivalry game arrives. [Read more 🡒]