2025 has all the makings of being a special year for Florida Basketball. The Gators are 13-0 and are ranked 6th in the latest AP Poll as they get ready to embark upon SEC play on Saturday against Kentucky.
The Gators are in the top ten in the country in points per game and have the second-best scoring marking in America. The following are three keys that have enabled Florida to start the season undefeated.
Grand Theft Basketball
One of the points of emphasis for the Gators coming into the 2024/25 season was being more active on the defensive end. Last year, Tyrese Samuel led the Gators with 1.14 steals per game.
This year, the Gators have moved into the top 50 of steals per game, and it has been a team effort. Walter Clayton has upped his steals to 1.31 per game, and he is only third on the team. Will Richard and Alijah Martin are both north of 2 steals per game, and the end result is Florida is 8th in the country in opponent assists/turnover ratio, with opponents averaging 13 turnovers per game while averaging just nine assists per game.
Defend Downtown
Early in the Todd Golden Era, defensive rotations were a struggle at times. The end result was too many open three-point attempts that continued to burn the Gators.
So, going along with the uptick in steals, Florida has made it difficult for opponents to get anything easy from deep. Opponents are shooting just 26.6% from deep, the 2nd lowest rate against in the country.
Some Things Never Change
One hallmark of the Todd Golden Era has been size inside, and that hasn't changed for the 2024/25 season. Last year, Florida was one of the top offensive-rebounding teams in the country, and that has continued this year.
Florida is collecting the offensive rebound on 41% of their own misses. That is the 2nd best rate in the country.