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The No. 20 Florida Gators men’s basketball team dominated Monday in the O’Connell Center in beating a competitive Grambling State team, 86-62.
Gators W.#GoGators | Presented by @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/DLl3v4bIBE
— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) November 12, 2024
The game had a lot going on. It was the second home game of the season for the Gators (3-0). It was the first game Todd Golden coached since news of the Title IX investigation broke last week. And this game was against a Grambling State team (1-2) which made it to the NCAA Tournament last year and was coming off of a two-point loss to No. 24 Ole Miss.
Sharing Ball
The Gators looked really solid.
They had five players score in double figures, Alex Condon, Rueben Chinyelu, Will Richard, Walter Clayton Jr. and Sam Alexis. FAU transfer Alijah Martin and Thomas Haugh chipped in with nine points each. The Gators shared the wealth and played unselfishly behind the teams 13 assists.
“This team is super unselfish and they play for each other … when you have that ability to spread it out, it makes you a lot more effective,” Golden said.
Grambling State never even had the opportunity to get lead. The Gators led for 38 minutes and the biggest lead was 28 points in the second half.
On Boards, On Line
The Gators were all over the boards.
As the clock ran down in the first half, Florida had nine offensive rebounds to Grambling State’s one. The Gators finished with 17 offensive rebounds, the most this season.
Condon has been playing with so much more maturity and confidence in his second year. Condon has been averaging 15.3 points for the Gators and had a season-high 23 points against Jacksonville on Thursday.
back to back slam jams #GoGators | SECN+ pic.twitter.com/Xf6XlMcpXs
— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) November 12, 2024
Against the Tigers, Condon led the way by grabbing four offensive rebounds. The rebounding battle was won early and the Gators ending up outrebounding the Tigers 45-24.
“The guys did a great job of setting the tone that way. Controlling the game in the way we did, with the emphasis on the glass was really good as well,” Golden said.
One thing the Gators will do is get to the line.
In the past three games, the Gators have been to the foul line 84 times, resulting in 62 points. Their opponents have had only 37 visits to the line. Florida has been playing physical, forcing teams to foul.
Defensive Energy
Grambling State had a hard time getting to the rim. As soon as the ball traveled down low the Gators were on it.
The Gators struggled in perimeter defense last season and ranked 327th out of 351 Division I teams in scoring defense. Golden has focused on improving the team’s defense this season and it shows.
Florida kept Grambling State at 16.7% from the 3. Friday against Ole Miss, Grambling State shot 47.4% from the perimeter.
“Defensively we are getting better, I feel like we guarded the 3-point line the best we have all year,” Golden said.
The Gators did a phenomenal job of breaking the Grambling State zone. The Tigers jumped out into a 2-3 zone which the Gators unraveled perfectly. Condon would drive in, bringing a defender down, allowing Clayton Jr. to sneak to the corner for a 3.
#1 with the long ball ☄️ pic.twitter.com/J61oY5kf61
— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) November 12, 2024
The Tigers switched to man in the second half, but a patient offense from the Gators found opportunities to score in all positions on the court.
Up Next
The Gators are confident and in control as they head to Tallahassee to face FSU (2-0) at 6 p.m. Friday (ACC Network and ESPN 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF).
