GAINESVILLE, Fla.– The Florida Gators are in the win column for the first time in the 2025-26 season.
Celebrating last season’s national championship by officially unveiling the banner inside Exactech Arena, the Gators downed UNF, 104-64, on Thursday behind a 25-point, 10-rebound effort from junior forward Alex Condon and a 17-point, 13-rebound effort from Micah Handlogten off the bench.
“I think just we didn’t play our game last week or things didn’t go our way, and I definitely had a mindset today that I just wanted to prove myself a little bit, get back to what I do,” Condon said. “I think the reason why I was recruited was my physicality and my rebounding, so just get back to that and keep it simple.”
It was Condon’s first double-double since last year’s SEC Tournament Quarterfinal against Ole Miss and Handlogten’s second-straight game with a double-double.
“I felt great about it. I think a lot of it goes to the game plan as a whole,” Handlogten said. “We knew we had the size advantage on them, so just go out there and be physical and just play our game. A lot of teams are going to have to adapt to us and so we just gotta play our game and it works.”
All over the rim pic.twitter.com/yG1qZ4lc49
— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) November 7, 2025
Haugh added 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Florida out-rebounded UNF 64-24 as a result of their efforts.
“It’s satisfying but I don’t want to say, it’s expected, but it’s what we need to be if we want to be really good,” Golden said. “When we play teams that don’t have the depth or the size and physicality and front line that we do we have to impose our will. I thought our guys did a good job of that.”
Florida controlled the game for the most part, leading for 38:21 of game time and only trailing once, as UNF took an 8-7 lead with 16:30 left in the first half. Florida went on a 17-2 run from there to take back control of the game.
While Condon, Haugh and Handlogten provided nice performances, the Gators’ guards struggled from downtown.
Florida shot 6-for-32 from 3-point territory as a team, including a 0-for-4 mark off the bench from Urban Klavzar and an 0-for-3 mark from Boogie Fland. Fland finished his first home game with the Gators scoring 10 points.
“We did not shoot it well,” Golden said. “Obviously a lot of threes are usually catch and shoots that turn into assists. We didn’t get a lot of those but we were still able to have a one and a half assist to turnover. Again really pleased overall with the effort and the way our guys played.”
FIRST career 3️⃣ for lloyd!!
📺 SEC Network+ pic.twitter.com/Ehk86gJQO2
— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) November 7, 2025
Alex Lloyd, making his UF debut, as well as Xaivian Lee and Isaiah Brown were the only Gators guards to connect from deep with Lloyd hitting one in a four-point performance and Lee (10 points) shooting 2-for-8 from deep in his home debut.
Brown added nine points and nine rebounds off the bench.
Championship Banner Unveiled
Prior to Thursday’s game, Florida unveiled its national championship banner from last year’s title, marking the third men’s basketball national championship banner in program history.
“It was a great kind of cap to last year. And then we had moved on quite a while ago, but this was kind of the last thing to take place, and it was surreal to be honest,” Golden said. “Just just sitting there, getting ready for the starting lineups, and they dropped the national championship banner. It kind of takes you back to San Antonio and a lot of thoughts run through your head, but it was awesome, man. And my hope is that, you know, as we continue on, you know, running this program that it won’t be the last one that we’ll hang.”
#Gators 2024-25 National Championship banner unveiled pic.twitter.com/ggofFG4rNi
— Cam Parker (@camparker25) November 7, 2025
Olivier Rioux Makes History
Redshirt freshman center Olivier Rioux, the world’s tallest teenage at 7-foot-9, made his long-awaited debut in the win, playing the final two minutes but recording no stats.
With his appearance, Rioux is now the tallest player to ever play Division One basketball.
Olivier Rioux, the world’s tallest teenager, makes his #Gators debut pic.twitter.com/nszYImBzw3
— Cam Parker (@camparker25) November 7, 2025
Next Up
Florida (1-1, 0-0 SEC) remains at home for a matchup on Tuesday against Florida State. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. with television coverage on SEC Network.
