Florida Basketball completed a sweep of in-state rivals over the past week when it escaped against FSU before cruising past Miami on Sunday. The Gators are now 3-1 on the season and are ranked No. 10 for the second week in a row.
And while there are still some sore spots Florida would like to clean up, the play of Thomas Haugh was massive this past week to keep Florida's head above water.
Thomas Haugh wins SEC Player of the Week
The SEC announced that Thomas Haugh has won SEC Player of the Week for Week 2 of the season.
In their press release, the SEC noted that Haugh won the award for:
"Averaging 18.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in wins over Florida State and versus Miami (FL). He posted his first double-double of the season and the fifth of his career against Florida State with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Haugh then notched his fourth straight double-digit scoring game against Miami with 17 points."
After largely being a role player last season, when Florida relied on a three-guard rotation with a forward and a center, Haugh has stepped into the starting lineup this year playing the 3 spot.
While Florida's guards have continued to struggle, particularly with shooting from deep, Haugh has been steady on both ends of the court and appears to have fully unlocked an all-around game that NBA scouts are going to love.
There had been some speculation that Haugh could have been drafted after last season, but he opted to return for his junior year, and it is paying dividends early on.
Florida has a mostly non-eventful week lined up as the only game the Gators have on their schedule is against Merrimack on Friday. From there, the Gators will take almost another week off before they play on Thanksgiving Day against TCU in San Diego.