The Handlogten Effect On Florida Men’s Basketball

The No. 3 team in the nation just got deeper.

Micah Handlogten, the 7-foot-1, 235-pound center, returned to the court for the Florida Gators in an 88-67 blowout against South Carolina (10-15, 0-12 SEC) on Saturday in the O’Connell Center. His last game was almost a year ago in the SEC Tournament championship game against Auburn when he broke his left leg.

“I’m definitely a little bit out of shape, I got kind of tired, ” Handlogten said. “I’m just glad we could go out there and get the dub. That’s why I came back, I wanted to win.”

Handlogten’s return jeopardizes his medical redshirt for this season, which could cost him a year of eligibility.

His addition to the rotation brings the Gators (21-3, 8-3) even more height and versatility in the post. His return was like he never left, finishing with five assists, three points and three rebounds in 20 minutes of play.

“Micah is a big reason as to why this program is where it is right now,” Florida coach Todd Golden said. “He’s impactful. He made winning plays. It is great to have him back out there.”

Micah Handlogten makes his return to the floor for the #Gators after 11 months away. pic.twitter.com/PUeqOnHEE8

— Graham Hall (@GrahamHall) February 16, 2025

Defensive Impact

Handlogten is an elite rim protector and post defender, posting two blocks and two steals in Saturday night’s contest. His presence in the paint made Gamecock guards have to finish over him when they drove to the hoop.

Collin Murray-Boyles is one of the best centers in the SEC and is a projected NBA first-round pick. Handlogten drew the assignment of guarding Murray-Boyles when he was in the game. Murray-Boyles finished with 12 points and a plus/minus of -19. Handlogten gave up little ground when Gamecock bigs tried to post him and used his seven-foot wingspan to make it tough to finish over him.

Offensive Timidness

The only field goal Handlogten attempted was an and-1 hook shot late in the shot clock. After flexing his muscles, the O-Dome erupted.

The one major question mark with Handlogten down the road is his scoring ability. He looked timid offensively, often passing the ball immediately after touching it instead of trying to establish position in the post. Perhaps it was a combination of not playing in a game for 11 months and having four other legitimate scoring options when he is on the floor, but Handlogten could have been a lot more aggressive. As seen with Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu, when Florida’s bigs are too much to handle down low and attracting help, that opens the perimeter.

On the other hand, with Thomas Haugh and Denzel Aberdeen, who both had career highs in scoring against South Carolina, shooting the ball with extreme confidence, Handlogten may not have to rely on his ability to score and impact the game in other ways.

“I just went out there and tried to play my game, although I didn’t have any offensive rebounds which I’m a little upset about,” Handlogten said. “I got some stats I should work on. That’s what we have practice for so we will get after it.”

Regardless of offensive production, Florida is gaining an elite rebounder, defender and teammate as March gets closer. Handlogten could very well be the spark that ignites a championship flame.

Rotational Adjustments

With Handlogten now suiting up, the Gators have 10 players who have earned minutes with stellar performances this year. With the absence of Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Alex Condon this season, Urban Klavzar stepped up and showed that he can give you a 3-pointer whenever he is on the floor. Sam Alexis was out in Saturday’s game with a ankle injury, but he is usually in the front-court mix. His minutes could drop with Handlogten now in the conversation, especially after struggling to rebound against Mississippi State last Tuesday.

With so much depth, Golden made it clear that he will not rotate all 10 players.

“The reality is that every game calls for different circumstances and different decisions,” Golden said. “It’s hard to play 10. I have never really done it before. I don’t anticipate really doing it right now unless we feel like we need to.”

Too much depth — not a bad problem to have.

see you again in the o’dome on Tuesday 👀#GoGators pic.twitter.com/LdgtbTiUNH

— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) February 16, 2025