Blame it on the Boogie! Gators abuse 21st-ranked Vols, 91-67
- Franz Beard
- Jan 11
- 7 min read
For the first 16 minutes Saturday afternoon at the O-Dome, the Tennessee Vols were going toe-to-toe with the Florida Gators. Other than the fact the score was tied 26-26, the game had almost gone as if Rick Barnes had scripted it. It was hand-to-hand combat, tough and physical. About the only thing missing was Gordon Solie on the play-by-play.
“It was a good game, a close game, the kind of game you would expect and then the last four minutes of first half, just really poor basketball,” Barnes explained after the 21st-ranked Vols (11-5, 1-2 SEC) felt like litter in the tall grass on the side of the road, tossed aside 91-67 by Gators (11-5, 2-1 SEC) who finally played the complete game that Todd Golden has been waiting for patiently since the season began two months ago.
Poor basketball if you choose to view the outcome through creamsicle colored glasses, a work of art if you’re a Gator, and for that, you can blame it on the Boogie.
In those final four minutes of the first half when the Gators broke away on a 15-2 run, Boogie Fland became the dominant figure on both ends of the court. He scored, he defended, he intimidated, he passed and when the clock struck zero to mercifully bring the first half to a close, the Gators held a 41-28 lead. Starting with a stepback 3-pointer off a between the legs dribble that put the Gators ahead for good at 29-26 with 3:33 remaining in the half, Boogie Fland became Tennessee’s worst nightmare.
The battle damage assessment for that stretch had Boogie Fland’s fingerprints on everything. Of Florida’s 15 points to end the half, the only two Fland wasn’t responsible for came on a layup by Rueben Chinyelu. Fland’s second three came from the right wing off a nifty pass from Xaivian Lee that made it 34-28 with 1:44 left. Then came a steal, a crossover dribble and a layup that nearly sucked the oxygen out of the building. There was another steal. He turned this one into a pass for to Urban Klavzar, who stepped into a 25-foot three.
Finally, there was a drive into a pack of Vols with just under 50 seconds remaining. Fland was surrounded and then he wasn’t, so he finished with a Houdini-like banker that found the bottom of the net after eluding a swat by 6-8 Jaylen Carey. Just like that, the Gators were up by 13 points and there was a charge of electricity in the O-Dome like we haven’t seen since the last home game of the 2024-25 season.
The momentum carried over to the second half where Fland scored 11 points during a 19-7 run that pushed the Florida lead to 60-36 on Fland’s third 3-pointer of the game with 13:03 remaining. Florida’s offense was clearly an extension of defensive intensity that completely neutralized Tennessee’s leading scorer Ja’Kobi Gillespie and ran the Vols off the 3-point line. Gillespie, who scored 34 points in his last outing, managed only 12 against Florida’s 3-headed defensive rotation of Fland, Lee and Klavzar. Gillespie was able to squeeze off only 10 shots the entire game and was 2-6 from the 3-point line. For a successful comeback attempt, the Vols needed threes, but Florida defenders kept them from getting their feet set.
“Especially once we got out to a little bit of a lead, we made sure our guys understood how important it was to make them operate inside the three,” Golden said. “We didn't want to give them opportunities to get back in the ball game.”
Almost as an insult to the visiting Vols, the Gators cut Chinyelu loose in the second half where he scored 10 points and grabbed 10 of his 16 rebounds. The Vols tried Felix Okpara on Chinyelu one-on-one, but when that didn’t work, they tried doubling down and sometimes surrounding him.
None of that worked.
“I think he's growing into one of the best frontcourt players in the land,” Golden said. “And, you know, we talked a lot about this game specifically winning the battle of paint. They play two bigs, we play two bigs, both teams like to screen-assist in the lane. Both teams use their big as screeners a lot, and then both teams are relentlessly trying to create second-chance opportunities. So, you know, we challenged those guys to win that battle, and you know, Rue had 16 rebounds. Okpara had one. He dominated. You know, that stretch in the second half where we were able to get him some deep post catches over there on the right block, and just his patience and his ability to get to his left shoulder and find a way to finish, you know, that was kind of the backbreaker that allowed us to get an insurmountable lead.”
With Chinyelu leading the way, the Gators finished with a 41-30 rebounding advantage. The Gators forced Tennessee into 18 turnovers that were converted into 30 points. Florida’s 10 turnovers only resulted in eight UT points.
In earning their second win of the week over a ranked opponent, the Gators followed the same formula – intense defense on the perimeter that neutralizes the 3-point line and complete control of the backboards. In scoring the two wins, the Gators outrebounded Georgia and Tennessee by a combined 96-65 while keeping them from going into shooter’s comas from the 3-point line. Georgia and the Vols combined for only 34 3-point attempts (made 10).
Why the win over Tennessee had to feel like the best game the Gators have played this season had everything to do with the guard play. Fland (23 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals), Lee (10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists) and Klavzar (15 points) combined to shoot 16-31 overall from the field, 8-22 from the 3-point line.
Fland was 9-13 from the field and 3-6 from the 3-point line. He has been playing good defense and doing a good job distributing the ball, but the ability to make shots had been the missing link, not just for Fland, but the entire team. If he is able to make threes, it will open things up on the perimeter for everyone. When he’s making shots, there is no sloughing off to help out on other shooters nor is it profitable to sag into the paint and dare him to take threes.
If the Gators are able to sustain the shooting moving forward, they will have a chance to become the dominant team in the SEC for the second straight year.
“As I've said to you guys, when we start making some shots, we're gonna be able to run away from some people,” Golden said. “We were able to do that today.”
Game notes: Six Gators scored in double figures – Fland (23), Chinyelu (17), Klavzar (15), Tommy Haugh (13), Alex Condon (11) and Lee (10) … The Gators have won 15 straight games in the O-Dome, the 10thlongest streak in school history and longest since 2012-14 when the Gators won 33 straight … Golden has won 20 games against top 25-ranked opponents in four seasons, tying Mike White for second on Florida’s all-time list. White got 20 top 25 wins in seven seasons. Billy Donovan holds the UF record with 64 over 19 seasons ... Next up for the Gators is Oklahoma Tuesday night.
SEC BASKETBALL
Saturday’s games
No. 11 Vanderbilt (16-0, 3-0 SEC) 84, LSU (12-4, 0-3 SEC) 73: Tyler Tanner scored 20 points to lead Vandy, which had five players score in double figures. Tyler Nickel had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Commodores. LSU was led by Max Mackinnon, who scored 27.
Texas (10-6, 1-2 SEC) 92, No. 13 Alabama (11-5, 1-2 SEC) 88: The Longhorns got their first SEC win, stunning 13th-ranked Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Jordan Pope led the Longhorns with 28 points. Labaron Philon Jr. scored 21 to lead Alabama.
Auburn (10-6, 1-2 SEC) 95, No. 15 Arkansas (12-4, 2-1 SEC) 73: Behind 32 points by Keyshawn Hall, Auburn blew the doors off Arkansas, handing the Razorbacks their first SEC loss. Darius Acuff Jr. led Arkansas with 19 points.
No. 18 Georgia (14-2, 2-1 SEC) 75, South Carolina (10-6, 1-2 SEC) 70: Georgia clamped down defensively in the last five minutes to ease past South Carolina in Columbia. Kanon Catchings led Georgia with 20 points while South Carolina was led by Mike Sharavjamts with 18.
Texas A&M (13-3, 3-0 SEC) 83, Oklahoma (11-5, 1-2 SEC) 76: Rashaun Agee with 16 points and 12 rebounds led the Aggies, who won despite being outrebounded by Oklahoma 43-32. Nigel Pack scored 24 for Oklahoma.
Ole Miss (9-7, 1-2 SEC) 76, Missouri (12-4, 2-1 SEC) 69: AJ Storr came off the bench to light up Mizzou for 26 points, handing the Tigers their first SEC loss. Mark Mitchell scored 20 to lead Missouri.
Kentucky (10-6, 1-2 SEC) 92, Mississippi State (10-6, 2-1 SEC) 68: Kentucky avoided an 0-3 start in SEC play by running away from Mississippi State in the second half when the Wildcats outscored the Bulldogs 48-29. Otega Oweh scored 22 to lead Kentucky while Josh Hubbard led Mississippi State with 20.
Tuesday’s games
FLORIDA (11-5, 2-1 SEC) at Oklahoma (11-5, 1-2 SEC)
No. 13 Alabama (11-5, 1-2 SEC) at Mississippi State (10-6, 2-1 SEC)
Texas A&M (13-3, 3-0 SEC) at No. 21 Tennessee (11-5, 1-2 SEC)
Wednesday’s games
No. 11 Vanderbilt (16-0, 3-0 SEC) at Texas (9-6, 0-2 SEC)
South Carolina (10-6, 1-2 SEC) at No. 15 Arkansas (12-4, 2-1 SEC)
Ole Miss (9-7, 1-2 SEC) at No. 18 Georgia (14-2, 2-1 SEC)
Auburn (10-6, 1-2 SEC) at Missouri (12-4, 2-1 SEC)
Kentucky (SEC) at LSU (12-4, 0-3 SEC)
At least for one game, it was great to see our guards perform like they can play the game.
Fland seems to see the court a lot better without all those dreads hanging down in his face. Xavian, the barber's chair is open. Fland was outstanding yesterday. Let's hope this is the beginning of a trend and not a one off. With Haugh and Klavzar already hitting 3s, if Lee and Fland can continue improving like they have the Gators will be a real force. And speaking of being a force, Chinyelu has taken his game to another level and is having fun doing it.
Our young coach in 3 1/5 years has matched our just prior coach’s 20 wins over ranked teams spread over 7 years. Todd Golden is on the fastest pace in winning in our basketball history, which basically boils down to Billy Donovan, Stormin’ Norman Sloan, Mike White and Lon Kruger. These Golden Gator Boyz are hot again and yesterday looked the part of another championship team.