2026 was a reminder of just how brutal March Madness can be. Florida entered the tournament riding high and seemed destined for a return trip to the Final Four before a shocking upset to Iowa ended their season in the 2nd round.
That loss is going to be a backdrop for Florida for the entire 2026-27 season, and while Todd Golden isn’t using the loss as motivation this year, there is a hidden positive from last season’s loss.
Todd Golden ready to try and make a deep run in 2027
Appearing at the SEC Basketball Tipoff ‘27, Golden was asked whether or not Florida’s loss last season is motivation or if he has put it in the rearview mirror. The way Golden put it, it’s nuanced:
“I don't necessarily think we needed that loss to create motivation. At the same time I think we've done a good job of taking the positives out of it, which transparently I'm not sure we get Tommy, Rueben and Condo back if we make a deep run last year. I think those guys are ready to move on.
That bad taste in their mouth provided an opportunity to get this group together for one last try, which is amazing, a great spin off the way last year ended.
I think we're doing a good job kind of using that as a learning experience. I didn't coach well enough in the tournament game. I don't think our players competed to their best. We have an opportunity to try to get it right this year.
It's really, really hard to win at a high level. I think just because we get these guys back, it doesn't guarantee that we're going to make the Final Four. But we have a better chance. I think we understand that having this group together for one last run is a special opportunity, and we're doing everything we can to not let it slip or not take as full advantage of it as we should.”
Florida loaded up for 2026-27
This isn’t the first time that Golden has alluded to the fact that he doesn’t think everyone would have come back to Gainesville had Florida made it back to the Final Four last season. Modern-day NIL money doesn’t hurt either, but this group might have felt like they had nothing else to prove.
It is important to note that while the bulk of Florida’s current roster all had a role with the 2025 national title, it was the guards in 2025 that powered the Gators as much as anything. Last season was when the big men for the Gators stepped up, and they looked unstoppable until Iowa neutralized them.
So while Gator fans would have preferred another run to the Final Four, getting this group back is a nice consolation prize.
There is no reason to believe this group won’t be a No. 1 seed come March, with or without extra motivation. The real key is going to be what happens when March rolls around and whether or not the Gators learned their lesson.
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