Florida basketball primer: Everything you need to know as champion Gators tip off 2025-26 season

Image Credit: UAA

The dawn of the 2025-26 college basketball season sees the Florida Gators in a familiar yet position: on top of the sport. Reigning national champions for a third time in program history, the Gators ran through one of the most difficult NCAA Tournaments the sport has ever seen on their way to regaining ground they once commanded in the college basketball hierarchy.

While Florida did lose its three star players from its title run — guards Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard and Alijah Martin have all begun their professional careers — necessitating an entire overhaul of the backcourt, the Gators return a highly contributing front court that has a ton of potential to lead the program in Year 4 under head coach Todd Golden, who received a fresh six-year, $40.5 million contract in the offseason.

Florida recruited extremely well out of the transfer portal, matching top-tier acquisitions with young prospects to create a squad that, top-to-bottom, may not measure up with the championship-winning unit of a year ago as the season begins but may well gel similarly by the time the 2026 NCAA Tournament rolls around.

The Gators enter 2025-26 ranked No. 3 in the Preseason AP Top 25, receiving eight first-place votes. It is their highest placement before a season’s first edition of the poll in 19 years (2007, the last time UF came off a national championship). Only Purdue and Houston, the latter being the team Florida defeated to win the national title, are ranked higher.

Florida opens the campaign on Monday, Nov. 3, when it faces No. 13 Arizona in the 2025 Hall of Fame Series in Las Vegas. UF will also play No. 4 UConn, No. 6 Duke, No. 9 Kentucky (twice), No. 14 Arkansas, No. 15 Alabama, No. 18 Tennessee and No. 20 Auburn, giving it eight games against preseason top 25 opponents.

The Gators have also been projected by the coaches and media to win the SEC in 2026. Junior forward Alex Condon has received Preseason All-America and Preseason All-SEC first team selections, while junior F Thomas Haugh and sophomore transfer guard Boogie Fland (Arkansas) have received other preseason honorifics.

“It’s a new team,” Golden said. “We have a great kind of comfort blanket [with] the returning frontcourt, and we have our new guys on the perimeter. They’ve played pretty well so far, but Monday night’s a new challenge. I’ve never been under the lights with those guys yet, so we’ll see what that looks like.”

Before the opening tip-off arrives, let’s take a look at the reigning champion Florida basketball team.

Reloading …

Boogie Fland, sophomore (Arkansas): Just days after withdrawing from the 2025 NBA Draft, Fland decided to continue his college career at Florida. As a freshman last season, he was the Razorbacks’ second-leading scorer and top distributor (and arguably their best on-ball defender), averaging 13.5 points and 5.1 assists while shooting 38% from the field and 34% from beyond the arc. The former four-star prospect (No. 22 overall) and McDonald’s All-America selection was considered the No. 8 overall player and top combo guard in the transfer portal, according to 247Sports. (He is expected to earn nearly $2 million in NIL, per CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander.)

Fland underwent successful sports hernia surgery on July 3. He has been unable to work out with the team for an extended period but returned to practice when fall camp began in September. Golden said over the summer that Fland could have played through the hernia, but given the extended time off, getting it handled in the offseason was the better decision for him in the long term. He did not play in UF’s secret scrimmage victory over Illinois out of precaution but scored with ease in the second such game against FIU. Fland will start at point guard.

Xaivian Lee, senior (Princeton): One of the most coveted players in the transfer portal, the native of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, averaged 16.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists in his final season as the Tigers’ leading scorer and floor general. The 6-foot-4, 180-pounder shot 44% from the field, 37% from beyond the arc and 79% from the free throw line. Like Fland, Lee tested the NBA Draft process but was always more likely to come back to school. Princeton finished third in the Ivy League last season, with Lee a unanimous selection to the conference’s first team for the second straight year.

Lee is the only player in Princeton history to register a triple-double and holds the program record for most assists in a season (165), and while he is known for doing a good job securing the rock while leading the offensive effort, that will not be his only role at UF. It was initially believed that Lee would directly step in for Clayton as the primary floor general and commanding presence in the Gators’ backcourt; however, with Fland taking that role, Lee will primarily play off the ball, though he will take on point duties with regularity in a shared role with Fland. Lee will start at shooting guard.

AJ Brown, redshirt junior (Ohio): The older brother of sophomore G Isaiah Brown decided to join the program for the remainder of his career. AJ Brown started 29 games for the Bobcats last season, averaging 13.2 points on 47% shooting while hitting 39% of his attempts from beyond the arc and 82% from the free-throw line. He will largely serve as a reserve competing with his brother and a true freshman standout for opportunities on the wing. Brown underwent shoulder surgery in the offseason and returned to the court in September.

Alex Kovatchev, redshirt sophomore guard (Sacramento State): With 16 starts over two years, Kovatchev was primarily a reserve, averaging 5.4 points and 3.8 rebounds with shooting numbers that left plenty of room for improvement. He will largely be a depth and developmental player.

Welcome back …

Alex Condon, junior forward/center: Despite initially testing the NBA Draft waters, Condon ultimately made the right decision to return to the Gators. Averaging 10.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists as a 35-game starter last season, he was Florida’s most consistent and impactful frontcourt player until an ankle injury briefly sidelined him. He was not the same player upon returning and struggled in the NCAA Tournament, combining to make seven baskets while committing 10 turnovers and 10 fouls in the last three games.

A player who was regularly posting double-doubles, he averaged 7.2 points and 5.7 rebounds in March Madness — well below his regular-season numbers — as competition and pressure increased. He shot 49% from the field and 33% from 3-point last season but only 60% from the charity stripe. Condon did come alive in the national title game with 12 points and seven boards, but evaluators ensured he knew that one additional year of seasoning would put him on the right path toward becoming a professional. Condon will start at forward in the traditional power spot.

Rueben Chinyelu, junior center: Chinyelu started every game for the Gators last season, posting 6.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and nearly a block per contest while averaging 60% from the field and 58% from the charity stripe. Though he was considered raw as an NBA prospect, he similarly tested the waters only to be told he needed to improve offensively. Chinyelu will start at center.

Thomas Haugh, junior forward: There was no question that Haugh was returning to Florida, but after spending the 2024-25 season as the primary frontcourt backup, his role will increase drastically after he came on late in the campaign. Haugh stepped up massively when Condon went down and largely outplayed him through the end of the season, especially in the NCAA Tournament, where he averaged 11.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.2 blocks. Though he did not receive as many preseason accolades as his classmate and friend, Haugh’s talent and contribution level should not be discounted entering the 2025-26 campaign. Having him on the hardwood as a regular presence gives the Gators arguably the best (and biggest) frontcourt in the nation. Haugh will start at forward in more of a wing role.

Contributors …

Micah Handlogten, senior center: In the singular most unselfish move of the 2024-25 college basketball season, Handlogten chose to cash in a year of eligibility when Condon went down to ensure Florida had enough pieces in the frontcourt to contend for a national title. It worked. His 10.7 minutes per game in the NCAA Tournament were crucial, and while his efficiency around the basket had its peaks and valleys, he grabbed 4.2 rebounds per game. Handlogten, who was sidelined most of last season after breaking his leg in the 2023 SEC Tournament, will see plenty of run this year as the primary reserve for Chinyelu and Condon.

Urban Klavžar, junior guard: More opportunities should come Klavžar’s way off the bench with Aberdeen having departed as the 34% 3-point shooter is said to have improved his stroke in the offseason. Expect Klavžar to be the first backcourt player in the game when Fland or Lee check out.

Isaiah Brown, sophomore guard: Making 19 appearances as a true freshman, the former four-star prospect totalled 36 points and 18 rebounds in limited action given the depth and talent ahead of him in the Gators’ backcourt. Isaiah will likely be competing with brother AJ for minutes at wing, but that familiarity should undoubtedly help as he continues to develop.

New faces …

CJ Ingram, freshman guard/forward: The No. 19 overall recruit in the Class of 2025, CJ is a two-sport athlete who is indeed the son of Florida legendary tight end Cornelius Ingram. His ceiling as a basketball player was always much higher, as CJ is a physical, athletic wing who excels as a two-way player who can both create his own shot and work inside an offense. While he is one of the younger players in his class, early returns from practice have been positive, and Ingram is expected to see regular court time as perhaps the primary reserve at Haugh’s wing spot, depending how the eight- or nine-man rotation works out.

Alex Lloyd, freshman guard/forward: The No. 41 player in the Class of 2025, Lloyd has a similarly tough road to seeing regular playing time, but he’s likely to gain additional opportunities as the season progresses and he continues developing in practice.

---

The Gators lost Kevin Hovde and John Andrzejek in the offseason as Golden’s former assistants were hired away as head coaches at Columbia and Campbell, respectively. Hovde’s offensive duties will largely be handled by Golden himself with other assistants and staffers contributing, according to UF. The defensive responsibilites under Andrzejek will be handled by Golden’s new assistants. Associate head coaches Carlin Hartman and Korey McCray, along with assistant coach Taurean Green (player development), remain on staff.

Jonathan Safir, assistant coach: Safir has been at Florida since joining Golden’s inaugural staff, serving as director of basketball strategy and analytics for the last three seasons. He was promoted into this role, his first on-court duties since joining the coaching profession, as the most junior assistant.

Dave Klatsky, assistant coach: Spending the last three seasons as head coach at NYU, Klatsky stepped down in role but up in potential by joining the Gators. He previously served as an assistant at the Stevens Institute of Technology and Colgate (2011-22) where he worked for long-tenured coach Matt Langel.

Kevin Olsen, director of basketball strategy and analytics: While you may see him regularly on the sideline, Olsen is not an on-court coach but rather taking the responsibilities previously held by Safir. He initially came over with Golden from San Francisco as video coordinator at Florida before returning to the program as an assistant coach for the last two years.