Senior guards Will Richard (left) and Walter Clayton Jr. have helped lead the fifth-ranked Gators to a 12-0 record that marks the second-best start in program history.
Gators' Goal: 'Don't Let Up'
Saturday, December 28, 2024 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
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By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No team wants to hit a rock when its on a roll, but the holiday semester break is built annually into the college basketball calendar. The high-balling, unbeaten Florida Gators left town Dec. 21 and came back Thursday night with a clear understanding of their mission.
"Don't be content, don't let up," senior guard Will Richard said of the team's collective mindset after navigating the pre-holiday schedule without a loss – including a 99-45 shellacking of North Florida last time out – and reporting back to commence building on the second-best start to a season in program history. "Coming off a break, it's easy to relax, having gone home and now getting back. But [Southeastern Conference] play is coming up, so we need to be focused and ready. We need even more focus than before to accomplish the things we want to accomplish."
The long-term 2024-25 goals for the fifth-ranked Gators (12-0), who resume play Sunday afternoon against Stetson (2-10) at Exactech Arena/O'Connell, are as ambitious as one might expect for one of only four remaining Division I teams without a loss. The team operated in a very business-like manner when it returned to campus for a short practice Thursday night, followed by a high-intensity one Friday at the O'Dome.
[Read senior writer Chris Harry's "Pregame Stuff" setup here]
UF went hard again Saturday, as it brushed up and fine tuned in anticipation of its first game in eight days. By virtually all metrics, the Hatters are one of the worst teams in the country, so this particular opponent must be nameless and faceless – the Gators' main concern is themselves – in the final game before the SEC meat-grinder commences Jan. 4 with a showdown at No. 10 Kentucky.
Back on the floor, Florida did not look rusty or like a team coming off a four-day break, which speaks to the Gators' collective maturity.
"Christmas break is tricky. It's a much-needed and good opportunity for the guys to get some rest at a key time of year, but at the same time you don't see them for a couple days while they're off with friends and family," UF coach Todd Golden said Friday. "We were in a good rhythm with our team – how we were playing and our camaraderie – but when you don't see them for a few days you just get some different voices. I don't anticipate it being an issue with this group."
Gators coach Todd Golden (center) and his staff have done an exemplary job in keeping the team focused and respectful of their opponents on the way to the program's longest winning streak in 11 seasons.
UF, after that 54-point wasting of UNF, ranks as the No. 6 team in the nation in offensive efficiency, as well as the No. 16 team in defensive efficiency, per KenPom.com analytics. That's the first time in Golden's three seasons the Gators have been in the top 20 in both categories. They're one of just six teams that can currently make that claim – along with No. 1 Tennessee, No. 2 Auburn, No. 3 Iowa State, No. 4 Duke and No. 15 Houston – and Golden has his sights set on improving those numbers.
Unfortunately for the Hatters (316th in offense, 354th in defense), they're in the way.
"The key for us is to capture the same joy and unselfishness that we had for the first 12 games of the season," Golden said.
What awaits on the other side of the Hatters is a SEC slate that not only will start with dates against three ranked opponents (including the home league opener versus the top-ranked Volunteers), but will fan out into what may very well be 18 games in the deepest, toughest, most talented conference in – get this – college basketball history.
More on that later … after Stetson.
"The coaches stress to us to treat every game like it's a national championship," Richard said. "For us, just prepare the same way, go out and compete and play our level of basketball, no matter the competition."
Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu
