If you want an idea of how long it has been since Florida won the regular-season title in the SEC, Boogie Fland was seven years old, and Todd Golden was still an assistant at Columbia. In 2014, the last time Florida won the SEC, the Gators marched all the way to the Final Four.
Fast forward to 2026, with the backdrop of Fland having to take on his old team, Florida is finally back in a prime spot to win the SEC.
Florida looking to clinch a share of the SEC on Saturday
With three games to play, Florida has a two-game lead in the SEC over Alabama and Arkansas. A win tonight would clinch the top seed in the SEC Tournament, given Florida’s head-to-head win over Alabama, and would clinch a share of the regular season title.
It is somewhat ironic when we look back at last year’s team and all that they accomplished, that Florida wasn’t the regular-season champion in the SEC in 2025. That went to Auburn. But among the reasons why Florida has stayed afloat while Auburn had its one shining moment when it knocked off the Gators earlier this year has been the rise of Fland throughout the season.
Fland spent last year at Arkansas but had his season cut short due to a thumb injury he suffered against Florida. Many thought he was off to the NBA Draft, but he surprised many when he hit the transfer portal and landed at Florida instead.
But during the nonconference portion of the season, many Gator fans were left looking around going, “Are we sure we got the right guy?” While he was playing hard on the defense end, he looked tentative on offense and seemed more interested in being a passenger than a driver. When he did shoot, it was a safe bet to assume it wasn’t going in.
As has been well documented, Fland cut his hair ahead of the Tennessee game, and he immediately popped off for 23 points. Even when his three pointers weren’t falling, he was still an active presence on defense, highlighted by his eight steal afternnon against Alabama.
In the last two games, Fland’s shooting has started to come around. Against Texas, when Thomas Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu were struggling, he was 7-10 shooting for 22 points.
There are reasons to believe Fland could have an off game tonight, given that he is facing his old team. Golden on Friday isn’t sold by that narrative:
"That's not something he nor I need to be thinking about going into the game. It's not about Boogie. It's not about his match-up with Arkansas. I don't want him going into the game worrying specifically about anything about him. It needs to be what can we do to give ourselves the best chance to beat Arkansas."
If Fland has another night on Saturday as he did against Texas, he can help Florida party like it’s 2014 all over again.