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Domen Petrovic gives Florida’s loaded frontcourt a different kind of weapon

Florida’s newest bench contributor brings something its Big Three can use
ByBenjamin Henderson
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Nov 2, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Florida Gators forward Domen Petrovic (19) and Florida Gators guard Boogie Fland (0) talk during the first half against the Miami Hurricanes at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
Nov 2, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Florida Gators forward Domen Petrovic (19) and Florida Gators guard Boogie Fland (0) talk during the first half against the Miami Hurricanes at Benchmark International Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Opening night was a gritty one for Florida. The Gators had to grind out a 77-67 win over Miami to move to 1-0 on the season.

Most of the familiar faces for Florida were present in the win, but there was one newcomer who provided a huge spark off the bench, and Todd Golden was impressed.

Todd Golden was impressed by Domen Petrovic

Florida landed 6’9” forward Domen Petrovic back in May out of Slovenia. He had previously been teammates with Urban Klavzar at the FIBA U20 EuroBasket tournament in 2024, and most recently was playing on GGD Sencur in Slovenia.

As is the case with any European prospect, it’s always to tough to project how they are going to fare once they arrive in America for NCAA play. Petrovic wasn’t used in the exhibition loss to Baylor, and he played 12 minutes in the win over Stetson, scoring two points.

But on Monday it was Petrovic who was trusted as the 8th man in the rotation. He responded with two three-pointers and three rebounds in 10 minutes of action. Afterward, Golden was pleased with his effort:

“He's just a really good player. We're fortunate this year; we have a lot of really good players. That was the benefit of the exhibition season. I know he didn't play a lot, but we tried some different lineups in practice, and we really liked what we were seeing with the combination of two of the three with Tommy, Condo, and Rueben, and then letting him play a little bit. 

Especially when Rueben was out of the game, we thought they kept us a little bigger. I thought he fought hard on the glass. Won a couple of 50-50 balls. Obviously, he gives us an element of a 6-9 shooter that can really stretch the floor. And the way he shot it with confidence tonight was a big lift for us.”

Essentially, Petrovic appears set to take the rotational role that Micah Handlogten had last year. The difference is that Petrovic has far more three-point shooting ability, but trades that off with not being quite the build of a true center, so his defensive role is going to be different.

But if Florida can get 10-15 minutes nightly from Petrovic just like they did on Monday, Golden’s rotation for his big men might have been solved one game into the 2026-27 season.

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