Arizona freshman forward Koa Peat (10) shoots over the outstretched defense of UF 7-1 center Micah Handlogten on his way to 30 points and a 93-87 upset win for the Wildcats Monday night. (Photo: Maddie Washburn/UAA Communications)
No. 10 Florida vs. Florida State
- When: Tuesday, 7 p.m. (ET)
- Where: Exactech Arena/O'Connell Center / Gainesville, Fla.
- Records: Florida (1-1) / Florida State (2-0)
- Series/Last meeting: Florida leads 47-29. The Gators have won four straight, most recently an 87-74 victory at Tallahassee on Nov. 15, 2024. In that one, senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. poured in 25 points on eight of 15 shooting, with four 3-pointers, while backcourt mate Alijah Martin added 17 points and six rebounds. UF dominated FSU on the glass, 47-29, with sophomore forward Alex Condon leading the way with a game-high 12 rebounds.
- *TV: SEC Network (Roy Philpott and Richard Hendrix)
- Radio: Gator Sports Network from LEARFIELD / Stations list
- (with Sean Kelley, Lee Humphrey and Steve Egan)
- Ticket info
Projected Starters
Florida point guard Boogie Fland
| Florida | Position | Height / Weight | Class | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Condon | F | 6-11 / 230 | Junior | 18.0 pts / 9.0 reb |
| Rueben Chinyelu | C | 6-10 / 255 | Junior | 6.0 pts / 5.0 reb |
| Thomas Haugh | F | 6-9 / 215 | Junior | 19.5 pts / 6.0 reb |
| Xaivian Lee | G | 6-4 / 185 | Senior | 12.0 pts / 4.5 reb / 4.5 ast |
| Boogie Fland | G | 6-3 / 185 | Sophomore | 9.5 pts / 3.0 reb / 3.0 ast |
| Florida State | Position | Height / Weight | Class | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chauncey Wiggins | F | 6-10 / 225 | Senior | 17.0 pts / 5.0 reb |
| Alex Steen | F | 6-9 / 230 | Senior | 10.5 pts / 7.0 reb |
| Lajae Jones | F | 6-7 / 220 | Senior | 19.0 pts / 6.5 reb |
| Kobe MaGee | G | 6-5 / 207 | Senior | 12.5 pts / 4.0 reb |
| Robert McCray V | G | 6-4 / 188 | Senior | 12.0 pts / 5.0 reb / 11.0 ast |
The Setup
Gators forward Alex Condon
Florida fans still recall the frustration of Florida State’s seven-game winning streak in the rivalry from 2014-20—the longest run by either program since the series began in 1951. Now, the Gators have flipped the script, winning four straight and going 3-0 under Coach Todd Golden, with momentum to make it five as FSU adjusts to life after the offseason retirement of Leonard Hamilton, who closed his legendary tenure with 23 seasons, 460 victories, and eight NCAA Tournament appearances.
Taking over is Luke Loucks, a former standout walk-on for "Coach Ham" who went on to spend nine years as an NBA assistant before returning to lead the Seminoles.
UF dropped seven spots in the Associated Press Top 25 poll after its high-profile 93-87 season-opening loss to 13th-ranked Arizona in Las Vegas, but quickly rebounded with a dominant 104-64 win over North Florida in Thursday’s home opener. Meanwhile, Florida State launched the Loucks era with back-to-back 100-point outings, most recently a 101-64 rout of Alcorn State on Friday.
Tale of the Tape
UF guard Xaivian Lee
| Florida | Statistics | Florida State |
|---|---|---|
| 95.5 | Scoring | 104.5 |
| 0.464 | Field-goal percentage | 0.514 |
| 0.22 | 3-point percentage | 0.403 |
| 78.5 | Scoring defense | 70 |
| 0.402 | Field-goal percentage defense | 0.422 |
| 0.273 | 3-point percentage defense | 0.321 |
| 5th | KenPom.com overall ranking | 78th |
| 6th | KenPom.com offensive efficiency | 67th |
| 8th | KenPom.com defensive efficiency | 97th |
| 12th | KenPom.com adjusted tempo | 59th |
| N/A | NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) ranking | N/A |
| N/A | Overall strength of schedule ranking | N/A |
The Breakdown
Florida center Micah Handlogton (3)
The Gators: They did what was expected in their last outing, hammering UNF, but Coach Todd Golden and his troops will feel a lot better if they can put together an elite performance against a high-major opponent just eight days after getting beaten up against an excellent team at Las Vegas. UF got knocked around in the paint that night, so bodying up against the Seminoles will be a prerequisite. ... Through two games, Florida is one of the nation's worst 3-point shooting teams at 22% (that's 335th nationally), but the Gators are making 62% of shots from the 2-point area. Point guard Boogie Fland is averaging a mere 3.0 assists, but that number is a reflection of the team's poor outside shooting. Fland, for his part, has drawn praise from the coaches for his running of the offense. Plus, he's played 57 minutes without a turnover. Fland, like the rest of his teammates, has been cold from the floor, missing all five of his 3s. ... Forward scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a bounce-back performance against the Ospreys. He'll face a lot more size against FSU, but the same can be said about the Seminoles, who also will have to deal with 7-1 backup center Micah Handlogten (14.0 ppg, 12.5 rpg) and starting center Rueben Chinyelu, who has been mostly quiet early in the season. ... Thomas Haugh is shooting 50% from the floor, but just 3-for-10 from the arc in his first couple games playing the "3" spot. ... Guard Xaivian Lee leads the team in 3-point makes with five, but he's just 5-for-18 from distance (26%) and only 32% overall. ... Freshmen CJ Ingram and Alex Lloyd both hit 3s in their home collegiate debuts against UNF.
The Ospreys: This season marks the first since 2008-09 without Matt Driscoll on the sidelines. Driscoll, who compiled a 248-264 record with one NCAA Tournament appearance over 16 years, departed after last season to become associate head coach at Kansas State. The program promoted longtime assistant Bobby Kennen to his first collegiate head coaching role, following his earlier stint leading Williston (Fla.) High in the late 1990s. … Expect Kennen’s teams to continue a version of the “Birds of Trey” 3-point-heavy system that defined UNF under Driscoll. Over the past six seasons, the Ospreys ranked among the nation’s leaders in 3-point attempts, with 54% of their shots coming from beyond the arc in 2024-25. … UNF returns no starters from last year’s squad, which finished 15-17 despite early-season wins over South Carolina and Georgia Tech. … Point guard Kamrin Oriol, who averaged 21 minutes off the bench, is the team’s most experienced returnee. … Starting forward Dalton Gayman enters his sixth collegiate season and fifth different school, with none of his prior stops at the Division I level. His career includes stints at Purdue Southwest, Drury, Arkansas-Fort Smith (all Division II), plus one season at State Fair Community College in Missouri. … UNF’s average margin of defeat in the series against Florida stands at 33.9 points, with the lone single-digit contest a 77-69 loss at the O'Dome on Nov. 14, 2013 — the season opener of a campaign that ended with the Gators reaching the 2014 Final Four.
Numbers of Note
Arizona freshman forward Koa Peat (right) goes up and over Florida counterpart Alex Condon on his way to 30-point breakout performance in Monday night's season opener between two ranked teams.
The Seminoles: Florida State, which finished 17-15 last season and missed the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive year, entered a full rebuild under new head coach Luke Loucks. He brought in seven transfers after most of the potential returnees departed through the portal.
Through two games, all five starters are averaging double figures, led by guard LaJae Jones, who is shooting an impressive 75% from both the field and beyond the arc. Each of FSU’s starters is currently shooting above 50%, though the Seminoles have yet to face a front line—or overall defense—as imposing as Florida’s.
Point guard Robert McCray V, a Jacksonville native, made a splash in his debut by recording a school-record 17 assists against Alcorn, surpassing the previous mark of 16 set 53 years ago by Otto Petty. He has committed only five turnovers across the first two games.
Reserve freshman guard Cam Miles, from Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy, is averaging 7.5 points and already looks like a promising building block for the program’s future.
Coach Luke Loucks
Luke Loucks (left) in his FSU playing days alongside longtime Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton.
- 15 — Loucks scored 15 points, along with four rebounds and four assists, in his final game as a player against the Gators. Florida won that matchup 82-64 in Gainesville on Dec. 22, 2011. Florida State went on to capture the ACC Tournament title that season and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
- 56th — Florida State currently ranks 56th nationally in 3-point shooting. While it’s still a small sample size, the Seminoles are shooting 18% better from beyond the arc than the Gators.
- 87.5 — Micah Handlogten’s field-goal percentage through two games, hitting 12 of 14 attempts. He also leads the SEC in rebounding, including 7.0 offensive boards per game. His 29.7 offensive-rebounding percentage ranks fifth in the nation.
Bottom Line
This matchup serves as Part I of a two-game stretch over the next five days against two of the state’s marquee programs. Up next is a neutral-site clash Sunday in Jacksonville against rebuilding Miami, marking Florida’s third contest in four outings to open the season against power-conference opponents.
Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu. Find his story archives here.
