With two-thirds of the SEC schedule in the rearview, Florida is doing more than just holding its own - the 14th-ranked Gators are looking every bit the team to beat in the conference.
Winners in 10 of their last 11, Florida is riding a wave of momentum into Tuesday’s home matchup against South Carolina. It’s the second meeting between the two programs this season, and if the first one was any indication - a 95-48 dismantling of the Gamecocks in Columbia - the Gators are in a strong position to keep rolling.
Florida (19-6, 10-2 SEC) is coming off a statement win, a wire-to-wire 92-83 victory over No. 25 Kentucky.
And while the final score might suggest a tight contest, the Gators were in control for most of the game. Every time the Wildcats made a push, Florida had an answer - including a late Kentucky run that cut it to five with under a minute to go.
One of the biggest sparks came from junior guard Urban Klavzar, who came off the bench and delivered a timely scoring burst just when the Gators needed it. With Kentucky threatening to close the gap in the second half - trimming the lead to 56-51 - Klavzar stepped in and poured in eight points in just over four minutes. That surge stretched the lead to 72-58 and effectively shut down Kentucky’s comeback bid.
Klavzar, a native of Domzale, Slovenia, has quietly become a key piece for a Florida team eyeing back-to-back national titles. The biggest question surrounding this squad isn’t talent - it’s consistency in the backcourt. And Klavzar is doing his part to answer that.
“We’ve been putting in the extra work,” Klavzar said after the win. “All the guards - we’ve been getting shots up together, and that chemistry, that confidence, it’s starting to show.”
It showed in his stat line: 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 5-of-11 from deep. He knocked down two clutch threes - one against a Kentucky zone breakdown, another off a late defensive switch - and finished just one point shy of his season high, which came back in November against TCU.
Klavzar is averaging 10.1 points per game and leads the team in three-point percentage at 39.1% (54-for-138). No other Gator is close.
Isaiah Brown, another reserve guard, is at 36.4% from long range, while Thomas Haugh - Florida’s leading scorer at 17.5 points per game - hits 33.8%. Xaivian Lee, who averages 11.4 points, is at 27%.
That kind of efficiency from Klavzar adds a dangerous layer to a Florida offense that already has plenty of scoring options. And with the Gators sitting atop the SEC standings, every contribution counts.
As for South Carolina (11-14, 2-10), it’s been a rough stretch. The Gamecocks have dropped six straight and nine of their last 10, including an 89-75 loss at Alabama over the weekend. Head coach Lamont Paris’ team is now tied with LSU at the bottom of the conference standings.
South Carolina’s lone SEC wins came against LSU on Jan. 6 and Oklahoma a month ago - an 85-76 victory that now feels like a distant memory.
Against Alabama, the Gamecocks got a tale of two halves from leading scorer Meechie Johnson. The junior guard was quiet early, scoring just two points on 1-of-4 shooting before halftime. But he came alive in the second, going 7-of-13 from the field and looking more like the player South Carolina leans on.
“He just wasn’t aggressive in the first half,” Paris said. “But in the second, he was the guy we know - the guy we need.”
Johnson leads the Gamecocks in points (16.7), assists (4.2), and steals (1.3), and he’s shooting 33.1% from deep (45-for-136). He’s the engine of this team, and when he’s on, South Carolina can at least keep things competitive.
Around him, Mike Sharavjamts is averaging 10.9 points and leads the team with 5.5 rebounds per game. Kobe Knox and Elijah Strong are both putting up 10.5 points a night.
But for a team that’s struggling to find rhythm - especially on the defensive end - a trip to Gainesville to face a surging Florida squad is a tall task. The Gators are clicking, the bench is producing, and the confidence is building. If Klavzar and the backcourt continue trending upward, Florida’s not just a threat in the SEC - they’re starting to look like a real problem for anyone with postseason aspirations.