Florida Basketball Hits Reset After Auburn Loss, Eyes Bounce-Back at South Carolina
After a tough home loss to Auburn, Florida head coach Todd Golden isn’t sounding the alarm - but he’s not brushing it off either. The Gators’ five-game win streak came to a halt at the O’Connell Center, where they’d previously rattled off 16 straight victories. And while Auburn certainly brought the heat, Golden believes the Gators did plenty of damage to themselves.
“We’re really consistent in our approach,” Golden said. “Our guys are ready to go, and they compete the right way.
We’re not gonna change up too much of what we do. We just can’t let it happen again.”
That “it” Golden’s referring to? A sluggish first half that saw Florida fall behind 43-28 by halftime - a deficit they couldn’t overcome in a 76-67 loss. The Gators were out-rebounded 19-13 in the first half by an Auburn team that flipped the script on the nation’s top rebounding squad.
For a team that’s made its living on second-chance points and interior dominance, that’s a gut punch.
Florida enters the week at 14-6 overall and 5-2 in SEC play, still very much in the thick of things. But the Auburn loss was a reminder: this group can’t afford to come out flat, especially with its ongoing struggles from beyond the arc.
Let’s be clear - this team has a clear identity. They crash the boards with purpose, led by the high-flying, 6-foot-9 Tommy Haugh, who’s quietly putting together an All-America-caliber season.
Haugh is one of just four SEC players ranked top 15 in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 17.4 points and 6.7 boards a night. He’s been the engine for Florida’s plus-15.4 rebounding margin - tops in the country.
But the Gators are still searching for answers from deep. They’re shooting just 28.5% from 3-point range, which ranks near the bottom nationally - and dead last among power conference teams. That lack of perimeter punch puts even more pressure on their bigs to dominate the paint, and on their defense to keep games within reach.
One player in particular feeling the weight of that shooting slump is junior forward Alex Condon. The 6-foot-11, 230-pound preseason All-America pick has struggled to find rhythm from deep, hitting just 14.3% (6-of-42) on the season.
Against Auburn, the Tigers dared him to shoot, sagging off and letting him fire away. He missed both attempts and finished with just one point and four turnovers.
Golden acknowledged the mental toll that kind of defensive strategy can take.
“When somebody’s not guarding you, I think it can kind of mess with you a little bit,” he said. “I need to do a better job of giving him the right plan when that happens.”
Condon spent the offseason working on his outside shot, hoping to showcase a more versatile offensive game and boost his NBA draft stock. Last year, he hit threes at a 32.8% clip - not elite, but respectable enough to keep defenses honest. If he can get back to that level, it could change the complexion of Florida’s offense in a hurry.
Still, 20 games into the season, this team knows who it is - and who it wants to be. There have been moments of brilliance, including a stretch of five straight Quad 1 wins that reminded everyone why Florida opened the year ranked No. 3 in the country.
Golden remains bullish on the group’s potential.
“I think this team’s in a good spot,” he said. “There’s obviously a game or two that we wish we would have won. We’ve proven over the last three or four weeks that we can win a lot of games against really good teams.”
The challenge now is consistency. With a trip to South Carolina up next - a team that’s struggled in SEC play - Florida has a chance to reset and get back to doing what it does best: dominate the glass, defend with energy, and let Haugh lead the way.
“This team still has a high ceiling,” Golden said. “And we’ve got to make sure we continue to have a high floor.”
Translation: the Gators don’t need to reinvent themselves. They just need to bring their A-game every night - especially with March creeping closer.