Todd Golden has done a ton to revitalize Florida Basketball into one of the premier programs in the country, and the Gators have the respect of just about everyone at this point. Florida takes on UConn, the two-time defending champs, and are still favored by 9.5 points to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2017.
But for as high-powered as Golden's rocket has been with the Gators in 2025, every round Florida advances during March Madness will be a first-time experience for Golden.
Florida Basketball: First Time For Everything
When Florida beat Norfolk State on Friday, it was the first time Golden has ever made it out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Golden never made it out as a player with Saint Mary's, as an assistant coach with Auburn and Columbia, or as the head coach with San Francisco.
Last year, Florida made March Madness but was bounced in the first round by Colorado.
The lack of tournament experience for Golden hasn't been a major backdrop, but it could become a topic of conversation this offseason, given Golden is going to experience things during this tournament he has literally never experienced.
Golden has admitted to having eye-opening experiences during his first two years in Gainesville. One of those moments was in 2022 when Florida was smacked 75-54 by UConn, and Golden said at a press conference yesterday that:
"It definitely opened my eyes to how much we needed to improve to be able to compete at the highest level. It provided a good -- not necessarily the blueprint, but our goal was to try to build something similar. I feel like we are in a really good spot right now three years in, in the sense of building a team that enjoys playing together that's really deep."
Last year, after giving up 102 points to Colorado in the NCAA Tournament, Golden knew he had to improve on the defensive side and told College GameDay earlier this year that:
"Obviously we had a really explosive offensive team last year, but we didn't guard well enough to advance well enough in the NCAA Tournament. We got that right this year. We guard pretty well."
On paper, Florida is as perfectly constructed in the modern era of college basketball as one could ask for, and the hope for Golden and the Gators is that there aren't some unforeseen lessons out there that they will need to address in the offseason.
Ignorance can be bliss, but sometimes knowledge can also be power.