The Florida Gators men's basketball team had been riding high, stringing together five straight wins in SEC play. But that momentum hit a speed bump on Saturday with a tough nine-point loss to Auburn - a game that not only snapped their streak but also nudged them down three spots in the latest AP Top 25, from No. 16 to No. 19.
Still, there’s plenty to like about what Todd Golden’s squad is building in Gainesville. Just look at what they did earlier in the week against LSU. Florida dominated that matchup, 79-61, and the story of the night - once again - was Rueben Chinyelu.
The 6-foot-11 center continues to be a force in the paint. Chinyelu poured in 15 points and grabbed 21 rebounds, tying the O’Connell Center record for boards in a game for the second time this season.
That kind of presence on the glass is rare, and Chinyelu is making it look routine. He’s now posted four straight double-doubles, the first Gator to do that since David Lee back in 2005.
And here’s the kicker: Florida is 11-0 this season when Chinyelu records a double-double. That’s not just a stat - that’s a trend with teeth.
Urban Klavžar caught fire from deep against LSU, finishing with a game-high 18 points on five made threes. Boogie Fland and Alex Condon chipped in with 10 points each, rounding out a balanced effort that checked all the boxes for Golden.
“Really systematic win for our program,” Golden said afterward. “Could’ve been prettier - we didn’t shoot it great from the line - but we defended, we rebounded, and we took care of the basketball. Those are the things we stress all the time.”
Golden also gave Klavžar his due for some clutch second-half shooting that helped Florida pull away. And he didn’t shy away from crediting LSU’s athleticism and physicality, noting how his team wore them down over the full 40 minutes.
But just a few days later, the Gators ran into an Auburn team that flipped the script. Florida found itself in a 14-point hole early and trailed by as many as 18 in the second half.
And yet, to their credit, they didn’t fold. The Gators clawed all the way back to tie the game with over nine minutes left, putting themselves in position to steal one from the defending national champs.
That’s when the wheels came off.
Florida went more than seven minutes without a field goal after tying it up - a brutal drought at the worst possible time. Auburn took advantage and walked out of the O’Dome with its first win in Gainesville in 30 years.
Thomas Haugh did everything he could to keep Florida in it. The sophomore forward matched his career high with 27 points and added 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. It was his eighth 20-point performance of the year - a sign that his offensive game is evolving at just the right time.
Klavžar stayed consistent off the bench, scoring 12 and knocking down two more threes. That marked his 10th straight game with a made three and his 10th double-digit scoring effort of the season.
Golden didn’t sugarcoat the loss.
“Disappointed - anytime you lose, you’re disappointed,” he said. “We’d been playing pretty well, and I don’t think we played great today.
Auburn took the fight to us. That’s something we usually pride ourselves on - throwing the first punch.
But they were quicker to balls, more physical, and beat us on the glass.”
The Gators were minus-six on the boards at halftime, and Golden pointed to Auburn’s Keyshawn Hall as a major problem in the first half. Florida also struggled to defend the three and gave up too many free looks - issues that can’t be ignored heading into a critical stretch of SEC play.
“This is a long season,” Golden added. “And it starts with me.
The moment you feel like you’re on the right track, you get punched in the mouth. That’s what happened to us today.”
The good news? Florida has a chance to bounce back quickly.
They’ll hit the road for a Wednesday night showdown with South Carolina before returning home to host Alabama on Sunday. With Chinyelu anchoring the paint, Haugh finding his rhythm, and Klavžar providing a spark off the bench, the Gators have the pieces - it’s just about putting them together consistently.
This group has shown flashes of being a serious threat in the SEC. Now it’s about turning those flashes into a full 40-minute product.