Florida Gators

Kevin Hovde helped lead the Gators to the 2025 national championship and wrapped his tenure at UF upon becoming the Columbia head coach. Hovde coordinated the Gators’ offense while at UF, including the top two scoring seasons in program history.

The Gators third national championship in program history and first in 18 years capped a 36-4 record in the 2024-25 season. Florida also earned its fifth SEC Tournament title and sixth Final Four appearance, both the team’s first since 2014.

The championships all came as part of a memorable 12-game win streak to end the season that began March 1. The 12-game run to close the season included nine top-25 wins, a total that eclipsed any full-season total in program history. Eight of the nine ranked wins in that run were vs. teams in the top 12, and UF finished the season with a program-record 12 top-25 wins.

The Gators’ run to the title tied for the toughest path all-time for a #1-seed (1993 North Carolina) and the third-toughest in NCAA Tournament history. Florida’s epic run featured four comeback wins, including rallying from 12 points down in the national championship game, closing the game on a 35-21 run over the final 16 minutes. The resilient Gators rallied from nine down in the Final Four to defeat top-seeded Auburn, from nine back with 3:00 to play in the Elite Eight vs. Texas Tech and from six down with nine minutes remaining in the second round vs. UConn.

The Gators entered the NCAA Tournament with a No. 1 seed for just the third time in program history, joining the 2007 and 2014 squads as top-seed earners. Florida used the SEC Tournament to get hot, posting a dominant run becoming the first team to knock off three straight ranked opponents to win the event. The Gators averaged 95.0 points per game vs. #21 Missouri, #5 Alabama and #8 Tennessee, including an SEC Tournament-record 104 points in the semifinal win vs. Alabama.

Florida’s 27 regular season wins marked the second-most in program history (29, 2013-14), and the Gators posted a 14-4 record in an SEC that ranked among the best conferences in college basketball history. UF’s 13-0 start to the season was the team’s second-best start in program history, as the Gators navigated its nonconference slate undefeated (17-0, 2005-06).

Florida had the nation’s second-ranked offensive efficiency in 2024-25 and 12th in 2023-24. The Gators averaged 85.6 points per game in 2023-24 and 84.8 points in 2024-25, the top two scoring averages in program history.

Florida finished the season 8-2 in top-10 matchups, including wins in the final seven, after entering the season 6-16 all-time in such matchups. UF also doubled its all-time wins vs. the #1 team, routing top-ranked Tennessee in Gainesville and picking up a road win at Auburn.

The 73-43 win over the Vols was the largest defeat of a #1 team since UCLA’s 32-point win vs. Houston in the 1968 Final Four and the third-largest against a top-ranked team all-time. The Gators bounced back from an early 10-point deficit at Auburn, outscoring the Tigers 43-23 over the final 14 minutes of the first half and eventually leading by as many as 21. The pair of #1 wins were Florida’s first ever in regular season play. Coupled with the Auburn win, the Gators’ road win at #7 Alabama gave UF multiple top-10 road wins in a season for the first time.

The Gators’ +15.2 scoring margin for the season led the SEC and was the third-highest in program history, while UF led the nation and set program records in points (3,391), field goals (1,182) and rebounds (1,673), also setting the UF record in 3-point field goals (390). The Gators’ 84.8 points per game were also the second-highest ever at Florida, only behind the 2023-24 mark of 85.6.

In 2024-25, the Gators had their first ever first-team All-American in Walter Clayton Jr., who added Final Four and NCAA West Region Most Outstanding Player and SEC Tournament MVP honors. Will Richard – the first commit to Todd Golden, Hovde and the new coaching staff in 2022 – earned Final Four and SEC Tournament All-Tournament Team honors, leading the Gators with 18 points and eight rebounds in the national championship game.

Clayton added first-team All-SEC recognition, while Alex Condon garnered third-team honors. The senior trio of Clayton, Alijah Martin and Richard were the highest-scoring trio in Florida history during the season, and Clayton posted a Florida-record 713 points.

Hovde, who has worked alongside Todd Golden for 10 seasons, helped the Gators back to the NCAA Tournament in 2024. UF posted 24 wins in 2023-24, its most since 2016-17, and advanced to the SEC Tournament championship game for the first time since 2014.

The Gators tallied four top-25 wins in 2023-24 and had their highest-scoring team in program history with 85.7 points per game, ranking in the top 10 nationally in scoring offense, rebounds per game, offensive rebounds per game and offensive rebounding percentage.

Florida’s overtime win at 10th-ranked Kentucky marked Florida’s first top-10 road win since 2003 and the 12th all-time win at Kentucky. Florida backed up the win at Kentucky with a home victory over #12 Auburn, an 81-65 rout that UF led by as many as 29. The Gators closed their home season in style with a 105-87 win vs. #16 Alabama, the most points UF has ever scored in regulation vs. a ranked opponent. Just 10 days later, Florida blitzed 18th-ranked Alabama, 102-88, in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.

In UF’s first SEC Tournament semifinal since 2019, the Gators battled back from 18 points down to defeat Texas A&M, marking the fifth-largest comeback in team history and earning the first trip to the SEC Tournament championship game since 2014.

The Gators’ success grew directly out of the coaching staff’s evaluation and recruiting efforts in 2023, as four incoming transfers were regular starters, including three All-SEC players in Walter Clayton Jr., Zyon Pullin and Tyrese Samuel along with Micah Handlogten, who was one of the nation’s top offensive rebounders. Unranked freshmen Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh provided valuable frontcourt minutes, with Condon earning SEC All-Freshman recognition.

Clayton and Pullin became Florida’s first duo of All-SEC guards in 11 years and Florida’s #8 scoring duo over the past 50 seasons. Clayton, Pullin and Samuel became the first trio in Florida history to all score 500 points in a season. Samuel, who earned AP All-SEC honors, posted 11 double-doubles, the most by a Gator since Al Horford’s 16 in 2006-07. Handlogten (108) and Samuel (102) put up the #2 and #3 offensive rebounding totals in school history, respectively, and became the first Florida teammates to post 100 offensive rebounds in a season.

Seven different players combined for 38 total 20-point performances, including eight games with multiple 20-point scorers and one game (the road win at Kentucky) with three 20-point scorers. Those eight games with multiple 20-point scorers match Florida’s total such games over the previous six seasons.

Pullin, who earned first-team All-SEC honors, posted a Florida-record 3.77 assist-to-turnover ratio, a number that also ranked #1 among all SEC players during the 2000s.

Clayton earned SEC All-Tournament Team honors, averaging 18.5 points as the Gators played four games in four days. The Lake Wales native followed that up with 33 points in the NCAA Tournament game vs. Colorado, including 26 in the second half and the Gators’ final 16 points of the game.

Samuel stuffed the stat sheet with 22 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots in the win at Kentucky, becoming the first player in the nation since Tim Duncan to post that line in a top-10 road win.

Alex Condon, UF’s leading shot-blocker, also became the first Gator in the 2000s to grab 10 offensive rebounds in a game (at Ole Miss) and became the first Florida freshman in the 2000s to post multiple 15-rebound games.

In Hovde’s first season at Florida, the Gators notched a win vs. #2 Tennessee, matching the highest-ranked win both in regular season win and at home win in Florida history. The Gators also topped #20 Missouri and defeated rival Florida State in Tallahassee, as the Gators staged a 19-point comeback – fourth-largest in program history – to earn the team’s first road win in the series since 2012.

Individually, Colin Castleton earned first-team All-SEC and All-Defensive Team honors and was named USA Today’s SEC Defensive Player of the Year. Castleton set a Florida record and ranked third in the nation with 3.0 blocked shots per game before suffering a season-ending broken hand on Feb. 15. Riley Kugel earned SEC All-Freshman honors in 2022-23, as his 12.6 points per game in SEC play marked the most by a Gator freshman in more than a decade (Bradley Beal, 2011-12).

The Gators found an identity on the defensive side of the ball, climbing into the top 10 in KenPom’s defensive efficiency ratings during the course of the season prior to Castleton’s injury. The Gators’ 5.18 blocked shots per game ranked eighth in the nation.

Hovde came to Florida after most recently helping Richmond to the second round of the NCAA Tournament following an Atlantic 10 Tournament championship.

The Spiders posted 24 wins, including the first-round NCAA Tournament upset of Iowa. The regular season was highlighted by wins vs. St. Bonaventure and Northern Iowa, while the A-10 Tournament run included victories over VCU, Dayton and Davidson. Richmond scoring and rebounding leader Tyler Burton (16.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg) earned second-team all-conference honors, while Jacob Gilyard (13.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg) was named to the third team.

Hovde (pronounced HUV-dee) joined the Richmond staff as an assistant coach in May 2021, returning to his alma mater after five seasons at the University of San Francisco, where he served as the team’s associate coach on Golden’s staff from 2019 to 2021. He helped the Dons to a 22-12 record in 2019-20 and a win over fourth-ranked Virginia on November 27, 2020 – the program’s first win over a top-five opponent in 39 years. From 2016-17 to 2018-19, the Dons posted three consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time in more than 35 years.

Prior to San Francisco, Hovde was on the staff at Columbia for five seasons, two alongside Golden. He joined the program as the director of basketball operations in 2011 and was promoted to assistant coach the following season. In 2015-16, his final season at Columbia, the Lions finished 25-10, setting a school record for wins, and won the postseason CollegeInsider.com Tournament.

Hovde first joined the Spiders in 2006 out of Unionville High in Kennett Square, Pa. as part of Chris Mooney’s first recruiting class at Richmond. He appeared in 99 games over four seasons, scoring 195 total points. As a senior in 2011, Hovde, Mooney, and the Spiders won the Atlantic 10 and advanced to the NCAA’s Sweet 16.

Hovde met his wife Jackie while at Columbia. She graduated from Columbia in 2009 and was a two-sport letterwinner in field hockey and basketball. They have two daughters, Lyla and Penny.

 

Kevin Hovde Timeline

Florida	2022-present	Assistant Coach
Richmond	2021-22	Assistant Coach
San Francisco	2019-21	Associate Head Coach
San Francisco	2016-19	Assistant Coach
Columbia	2012-16	Assistant Coach
Columbia	2011-12	Director of Basketball Operations
Richmond	2006-11	Student-Athlete