SETUP: 

Second-ranked Florida and Oklahoma square off in an SEC matchup between programs trending in opposite directions. The Gators, riding a four-game winning streak and climbing to their highest Associated Press ranking in a decade, are fresh off an 88–67 victory over South Carolina. That contest marked Florida’s first against a team outside the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) top 50 since facing the Gamecocks on the road seven games earlier. Meanwhile, Oklahoma has dropped four straight and five of its last six, most recently falling 82–79 at home to LSU, which entered with just one league win. Florida currently shares third place in the SEC standings with Texas A&M, while Oklahoma sits 14th, third from the bottom.

SERIES:

Oklahoma holds a 3–2 edge in the all-time series, winning the last three meetings. Those victories include two neutral-site matchups and one on its home floor. The most recent clash came on Dec. 20, 2022, at the inaugural Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte, N.C., where the Sooners capitalized on Florida’s cold second-half shooting to secure a 62–53 win. OU guard Grant Sherfield led all scorers with 22 points, hitting four of six from deep, while center Tanner Groves added a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds. Florida led 31–29 at halftime but shot just 32 percent in the second half and went 0-for-9 from three (2-for-22 overall). Forward Colin Castleton paced UF with 22 points and eight rebounds, but lacked perimeter support.

ETC:

This matchup marks Oklahoma’s first-ever trip to Gainesville. The two schools had agreed to a home-and-home series years ago, with the Sooners scheduled to visit first. However, OU requested delays, and the COVID-19 pandemic further disrupted plans. Florida eventually fulfilled its commitment with a trip to Norman in 2021, where the Gators lost 74–67, but the return game never materialized. The contract was dissolved after Oklahoma announced its move to the SEC.

Tale of the Tape

Florida’s four-game winning streak has come despite a string of injuries that forced Coach Todd Golden to shuffle his starting lineup three different times after opening the season with the same five for 21 straight games. The numbers show little drop-off: the Gators have shot 53.2 percent overall and 43.2 percent from three-point range during that stretch, while recording 85 assists and 51 made threes. That averages out to 21.3 assists and 12.8 triples per game—production that wins consistently. Defensively, they’ve held opponents to 44.8 percent shooting overall and just 30.0 percent from deep, keeping them firmly in the conversation for a potential No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Sophomore forward Alex Condon (10.6 ppg, 7.8 rpg) and backup forward Sam Alexis (4.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg) will miss their second straight game with ankle injuries. However, the late-season addition of 7-foot-1 junior center Micah Handlogten has helped ease frontcourt concerns. Handlogten, who started 32 games last season and ranked among the SEC’s top rebounders, debuted against South Carolina with two points, three rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and two steals in 20 minutes. He admitted to being winded and not yet in peak condition, but the strength staff is working to get him up to speed.

The South Carolina game spotlighted guard Denzel Aberdeen and forward Thomas Haugh, both recent bench players who stepped into starting roles and delivered career nights. Aberdeen scored a game-high 22 points, hitting five threes, while adding three assists, a steal, and no turnovers in 30 minutes. He’s averaged 16.3 points and made 11 threes across his four starts. Haugh, filling in for his close friend Condon, posted 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting (3-of-6 from deep), with six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block in 31 minutes. With Condon and Alexis expected back eventually, Florida is building not just depth, but elite depth in real time.

Point guard Walter Clayton Jr., who scored 19 points in consecutive road wins at No. 1 Auburn and No. 22 Mississippi State, finished with 10 against South Carolina but nearly matched his career-high in assists with eight, while adding four rebounds. Since returning from an ankle sprain, he’s averaged 7.6 assists over three games.

Alijah Martin, sidelined with a hip pointer during the big road wins, returned against USC to score 11 points (4-of-7 shooting, 3-of-5 from deep), with two rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block in 24 minutes. Golden kept him on the floor late to help regain conditioning, and Martin could rejoin the starting lineup against Oklahoma—a move that reflects Florida’s depth rather than any knock on Aberdeen.

Center Rueben Chinyelu added his second straight 10-point, six-rebound performance, shooting 5-of-6 from the field. His energy and effort in the post will only strengthen the team once Condon, Alexis, and a more seasoned Handlogten are all available.

Golden noted after the USC game that he wanted to give sophomore guard Urban Klavzar (3.3 ppg) more minutes, but the flow didn’t allow it. Klavzar still logged eight minutes and hit a three-pointer, marking his third straight game with a make. He’s now 7-of-10 from deep in SEC play.

The Sooners 

Forward Brycen Goodine, a transfer from Fairfield who previously played at Providence and Syracuse, has taken only 25 shots inside the arc but 99 from three-point range, where he’s hitting at a 44.4 percent clip—ranking 53rd nationally. In two matchups against Texas A&M, Goodine exploded for 34 and 24 points, going 14-of-20 from deep, though the Sooners dropped both contests. Florida will need to keep close tabs on him.

Sam Goodwin, who starts alongside Goodine in the frontcourt, hasn’t attempted a three-pointer this season but ranks 12th nationally in offensive rebounding percentage at 16.5, making him a force on the glass.

Guard Duke Miles, now at his third program after stints at Troy and High Point, has been a highly efficient scorer, converting 59 percent of his two-point attempts and 44 percent from beyond the arc.



Among Oklahoma’s reserves is forward Mohamed Wague (2.7 ppg), a transfer from Alabama. He drew the ire of Florida fans last season after an incident in Tuscaloosa when he intentionally elbowed Alex Condon during a scramble for a loose ball.

Numbers of Note

• 1.000 — Porter Moser’s perfect winning percentage against Florida, built on a 3–0 record. He defeated the Gators once while coaching Loyola-Chicago and twice since taking over at Oklahoma.
• 9.0 — Thomas Haugh’s rebounding average across his last six outings, totaling 54 boards during that span.
• 17.3 — Haugh’s scoring average over his most recent three games, shooting 53.3 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from beyond the arc.
• 1922 — Missouri’s 66–22 win over Oklahoma, a lopsided result that lingered in history until Florida delivered OU’s worst home defeat in 95 years. That came in 2017 at the Noble Center in Norman, when the Gators rolled 84–52 in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Sophomore forward Kevarrius Hayes came off the bench to post career highs of 20 points and nine rebounds, while blocking three shots and altering several more. Florida’s defense held the Sooners to 27.7 percent shooting overall and just 1-for-16 from three.
• 2017 — The year Moser brought Loyola-Chicago to Gainesville and left with a 65–59 win over the fifth-ranked Gators on Dec. 6. Florida had just lost to rival Florida State two nights earlier and struggled again, while Rambler forward Aundre Jackson scored 23 points on 10-of-12 shooting, including 3-for-3 from deep. Loyola went on to win 32 games that season and, as a No. 11 seed, upset Miami, Tennessee, Nevada, and Kansas State before falling to Michigan in the Final Four.

Bottom Line

Defend the O'Dome. Defend the ranking. Defend the quest for high postseasons seeds.