GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida basketball team was left unsettled by what unfolded Monday night in the Nevada desert.

Taking on Arizona in Las Vegas for the season opener was certainly an ambitious challenge for the reigning NCAA champions, particularly so far from home. The Wildcats turned out to be a formidable opponent—likely even stronger than anticipated.

The Gators collectively expected to perform at a much higher level than they showed in the loss, and no one felt the disappointment more than junior forward Alex Condon, the preseason All-American who struggled in that outing.

Condon acknowledged as much on Thursday night, following his stellar showing in third-ranked UF’s 104-64 rout of North Florida at Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center during the team’s home opener.

"I definitely had a mindset that I just wanted to prove myself a little bit, get back to what I do," said Condon, who had 11 points, a career-worst six turnovers and fouled out in 29 minutes against UA. "The reason I was recruited was [for] my physicality and my rebounding, so just get back to that and keep it simple."

No one would ever confuse UNF with Arizona, but that wasn’t the focus Thursday night. The Gators entered determined to reclaim their championship confidence and swagger. Following the drop of the 2025 NCAA championship banner from the rafters to the delight of the O'Dome crowd, the undersized and outmatched Ospreys became the perfect backdrop for a bounce-back performance—led by a certain 6-foot-11 Australian.

Alex Condon delivered his 10th career double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds, adding four assists, two steals, and committing just one turnover in 26 minutes. He connected on eight of 12 shots from the field and converted nine of 10 free throws.

"I thought he was great," Golden said of Condon, noting his "big" from Down Under carried the right mindset after the previous game and in practice the day before. "He wasn't feeling sorry for himself and making excuses. He was, 'Just let me get back to it. Get back to what I know.' I thought he did a great job of letting the game come to him, being aggressive when he needed to and had, obviously, a very efficient night. … I mean this is an insane All-America level type of night. We were all disappointed with how Monday went, but I thought he answered the bell."



And Condon wasn’t the only one to step up.

Senior center Micah Handlogten (3) posted his second double-double in as many games with 17 points and 13 boards.

Senior center Micah Handlogten, now fully recovered from the broken leg that sidelined him for half of his junior season, added to the double-double tally with his second in as many games. The 7-1 reserve contributed 17 points and 13 rebounds—eight of them on the offensive glass—in just 18 minutes of play. Junior wing Thomas Haugh followed with 12 points, eight rebounds, and four assists, while transfer guards Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee each scored 10 points.

UF shot 49% overall but struggled again from long range, hitting only 6 of 32 attempts (18.8%) for a second straight poor showing from beyond the arc. Unlike the physical and aggressive Arizona squad faced three nights earlier, the cold perimeter shooting didn’t matter this time. The Gators dominated inside, converting 69% of their two-point attempts, including an 18-for-22 first half (81.8%) that fueled a 52-28 halftime lead. They also overwhelmed the Ospreys on the boards, 33-13, and outscored them 36-16 in the paint during the opening period.

"We knew we had the size advantage on them, so just go out there and be physical and play our game," Handlogten said. "A lot of teams are going to have to adapt to us, so we just got to play our game – and it works."

By the final buzzer, UF held a plus-40 edge on the glass (64-24, including a team-record 29 offensive rebounds) and a plus-44 margin in the paint (66-22), building a lead that stretched to 43 points with under two minutes remaining.



Every available Florida player saw action, including 7-9 walk-on redshirt freshman center Olivier Rioux—the tallest player in college basketball history—who made his collegiate debut after sitting out the previous season.

"It felt great. The support from everybody was amazing," said Rioux, who—much to the frustration of the Rowdy Reptiles—never touched the ball during his two minutes and nine seconds on the floor. "I'm very grateful."

Florida briefly fell behind 10-9 in the opening minutes, but Alex Condon’s traditional three-point play sparked a surge of 13 straight points. That momentum grew into a 31-5 run over more than 10 minutes, capped by a steal and emphatic 180-degree dunk from backup guard Isaiah Brown, who closed with nine points and a career-best eight rebounds.

Condon was already close to a double-double by halftime, tallying 15 points and eight rebounds.

The performance was far more in line with his expectations—and exactly the kind of leadership his team will rely on moving forward.

"There's no excuses now, it's my third year here," Condon said. "I just got to have the mindset that I'm a leader of this team. What I expect from the other guys, I got to expect for myself. No excuses."

Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu. Find his story archives here.