Florida Gators’ shooting stays cold despite pull-away win over George Washington in Sunrise

Basketball

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Image Credit: UAA

The No. 18 Florida Gators returned to their winning ways on Saturday at the 2025 Orange Bowl Basketball Classic; however, it was hardly as smooth a performance as it should have been in Sunrise, Florida, completing an 80-70 win over the George Washington Revolutionaries.

An ice-cold shooting effort in the first half was rectified by focusing on paint dominance over the latter 20 minutes. While the Gators added another notch to their win column, their inconsistent play did not change despite a serious downgrade in opponent.

Let’s take a look at what went down as Florida improved to 6-4 on the season with some Fastbreak Takeaways.

It was over when … three consecutive driving dunks by junior forward Thomas Haugh (two) and sophomore guard Boogie Fland pushed Florida back ahead 18 points with 7 minutes remaining after George Washington had cut into a 20-point deficit with a 9-0 stretch. The Gators opened the second half on an 11-0 run with a focus on dominating the paint, using a subsequent 8-2 spurt to take that decisive advantage with 12:30 remaining. (UF fouled GW on consecutive 3-point shots inside the final 30 seconds, aiding the shorter margin of victory.)

First half focus: Florida trailed midway through the period having committed four early turnovers, while a 4 of 19 mark from downtown led to an overall dearth of scoring across the first 20 minutes. The Gators did hunker down and take higher-percentage shots closer to the break, though, using an 8-0 run to eventually build a 6-point lead. The Revs sliced that in half at the buzzer with UF doing itself no favors by leaving six points at the free-throw line (4 of 10).       

Exceptional efforts: Senior G Xaivian Lee pieced together his most efficient game of the season, scoring a team-high 24 points on 4 of 8 shooting from downtown with six rebounds and two steals, though he negated four assists with three turnovers. Haugh remained consistent with 19 points on 8 of 15 shooting with seven boards. The duo combined for 53.8% of UF’s scoring in Sunrise.

While junior F Alex Condon again struggled to find the bottom of the net with 5 points and only hit 1 of 6 gimmies, he was the strongest contributor in other phases, grabbing nine rebounds and dishing seven dimes with a block and steal, though he similarly committed three giveaways.

Still struggling: Fland found his groove a bit in the second half with 12 points and five assists, but he was completely ineffective in the opening stanza and finished 0 of 5 from deep. Condon (0 of 2) and junior G Urban Klavžar (0 of 3) also got blanked from beyond the arc. Fland is now shooting 21.3% from long range this season after knocking in 34.0% as a true freshman, while Condon is hitting just 11.1% of his 3-point tries after draining 32.8% in his sophomore campaign.

Odds & ends: Florida improved to 3-2 all-time against George Washington … the Gators are now 20-4 when participating in the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic … seven of 10 games played this season have been away from home

What it means: While seeing the George Washington name may lead one to believe Florida played a cupcake on Saturday, the Revs are actually 82nd in KenPom’s ratings, making them the eighth top 100 team that UF has faced in nonconference play. So while the Gators’ win was expected, it was hardly a throwaway experience at a neutral site.

Still, Florida’s shooting struggles have been a concern since the start of the season. Now 10 games into the campaign with SEC play approaching, its inability to score from long range should be a flashing red light for Golden. It appears obvious to any observer that the Gators will not improve from beyond the arc, considering they have now shot below 30% in seven games and no better than 36.4% in any contest.

What’s next? Florida gets a reprieve from the road and top-level opponents when it hosts Saint Francis and Colgate in a pair of home games next week. The Gators will first tip off Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. ET in a game that will air live nationally on SEC Network.