Lockdown defense makes for an easy win for Florida Basketball against Grambling State

Given the backdrop of the Title IX investigation into Florida Basketball head coach Todd Golden, there was some intrigue as to whether or not the Gators would be distracted against Grambling State. After all, the Tigers just took Ole Miss to the wire, and Monday night had all the ingredients for a trap game.

But any drama for the Gators on the court was quickly put to rest as Florida smothered Grambling State en route to an 86-62 victory that moved Florida to 3-0 on the season.

Florida Basketball: Defense Wins

The offensive output for Florida was as it had been in their first two games of the season, but it was also a much more balanced output. Of the eight Gators who played at least 19 minutes, all had at least eight points but none had more than the 14 points Rueben Chinyelu contributed.

The transfer from Washington State had the highlight of the night with a slam dunk on a fast break in the second half.

However, perhaps more important for Florida was their effort on the defensive side, which was a point of emphasis in the offseason. After giving up 83 points in their opener against USF, Florida has now given up just 60 and 62 points in the past two games.

Against Grambling State, Florida held the Tigers to just four assists and negated their three-point shooting as the Tigers went just 2-16. Will Richard had five steals on the night, while Alijah Martin and Chinyelu both had two.

Golden did speak on the ongoing investigation after game, simply saying:

"I just want to start by saying, I kind of expressed my statement on Saturday, and obviously would love to be able to give you more, but that's all I can give in this moment. And so any questions in regards to the ongoing inquiry, I'm just referring to my statement on Saturday, and I apologize that I can't comment any more than that."

Florida will take on FSU next on Friday.