Florida vs. Virginia score, takeaways: No. 13 Gators off to best start in 19 years with SEC-ACC Challenge win

Basketball

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Image Credit: UAA

The last time Florida Gators basketball started a season 9-0, the Oh-Fours led the program to its first national championship. No. 13 Florida certainly appears to be following in the footsteps of that 2005-06 squad after completing an 87-69 trouncing of the Virginia Cavaliers in the 2024 SEC-ACC Challenge.

This Gators squad is actually accomplishing something that team did not. While the 2005-06 group beat two ranked opponents (in its first four games) on its way to winning 17 straight at the start of that season, Florida this year has won all nine of its games by double figures. No team has been close to UF.

How long this run will continue remains to be seen, but the ceiling and expectation level has certainly been raised for head coach Todd Golden’s team going forward. Let’s take a look at what went down Wednesday night at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida.

It was over when … senior point guard Walter Clayton Jr. was fouled on a triple, converting the basket and ensuing free throw for a 4-point play, before exploding for a fastbreak layup to push the Gators ahead by a game-high 20 points with less than 8 minutes to play. Florida answered every Virginia basket with a pair of its own in the early going of the second half as it used a personal 6-0 run from sophomore center Alex Condon to build a 15-point lead with 12 minutes to play. UF barely budged off that 20-point lead it mounted, again holding it with 19 seconds remaining before a late UVa bucket.

First half focus: Florida trailed 13-4 through the first few minutes simply unable to find the bottom of the basket … and then its momentum turned on a dime. After going back and forth with UVa, suddenly UF found its stroke exploding on an 20-2 extended run during which it scored 15 straight points and held the visitors without a point for 6:35. That turned a 9-point deficit into a 9-point advantage, reversing the Gators’ fortunes. Though UF led by as many as 10 points with 4:38 until the break, it closed the opening 20 minutes with a 4-point advantage.

Exceptional efforts: Clayton remained the straw that stirs the drink for the Gators, which are basically unstoppable when he’s hot. He finished with a game-high 27 points on 5 of 12 shooting from long range with 4 assists and 3 rebounds. Junior guard Denzell Aberdeen was quiet in the second half but immense keeping Florida in the game early finishing with 12 points on 4 of 5 shooting. Redshirt senior G Alijah Martin continues to be the greatest difference maker the Gators put on the court, unlocking the true potential of Golden’s offense. Martin scored 16 points with 5 boards. Condon’s personal 6-0 run was part of an 19-point scoring effort, which was bolstered late in the second half; he added a game-high 8 rebounds. Clayton, Condon and Martin combined to score 43 of UF’s 48 second-half points.

Odds & ends: Florida improved to 3-2 all-time against Virginia … UF has started a season 9-0 for the third time in program history … the Gators protected the ball winning the turnover battle 6-15 with 20 points off those giveaways; this despite getting beaten on the boards (30-34) and in second-chance scoring (10-22) … Florida improved to 39-9 under Golden when leading at halftime, 46-5 when leading with 5 minutes left, 44-6 when shooting the same or better than an opponent from the field and 16-4 when shooting better than 40% from 3-point range

What it means: The Gator boys are hot right now; there’s really no other way to put it. Florida is winning by 21.6 points per game. It can score inside and outside. The Gators rebound, share the basketball and capitalize on turnovers. There are scoring and defending guards, capable big men, multi-talented wings and a coach in Golden who has the entire operation humming. There’s nearly three full months left in the regular season and much tougher competition ahead. Florida is set to play seven teams in this week’s top 25 (some multiple times) and three of the top four teams in the nation. If it shows up to those games like it has the first nine, there’s no telling what this group can accomplish.

What’s next? After playing two games during Thanksgiving only to turn around and jump into the SEC-ACC Challenge, the Gators will get 10 days off before playing the first of two neutral-site showdowns. First up is Arizona State on Saturday, Dec. 14 in Atlanta at the 2024 Holiday Hoopsgiving