Finding a closer for next season has to be a priority for Todd Golden
- Franz Beard
- Apr 2
- 7 min read
Of the eight games the Gators lost last season, seven were by a combined 25 points: Arizona (6), TCU (4), Duke (1), UConn (4), Missouri (2), Auburn (7) and Iowa (1). The other loss was to Vanderbilt (17). Arizona and UConn are in the Final Four and it’s possible they could meet for the national championship on Monday. Duke and Iowa made the Elite Eight. TCU and Missouri made the NCAA Tournament as did Vanderbilt. Auburn plays tonight in the NIT semifinals. Not a cheap loss to a bad team in the bunch.
When the Gators won the 2025 national championship, they were the undisputed kings of close call wins and comebacks. Last year’s team was unfazed by white knuckles circumstances in the final minutes of a game. Comebacks? They were the comeback kids. In the NCAA Tournament alone they came back from 10 with 7:47 to go to beat Texas Tech in the Elite Eight game in San Francisco. In the semifinals, they were down 12 in the second half to No.1 overall seed Auburn. In the championship game, Houston had the Gators by 12 and on the ropes in the second half. The Gators beat Texas Tech by five, Auburn by six and Houston by two. During the regular season, the Gators came from 14 down in the final minutes for a 1-point win over South Carolina. The Gators led that one by all of 43 seconds. In Athens, the Gators trailed Georgia by 25 points in the first half, but rallied to take the lead in the final two minutes only to give out of gas.
It could be argued that this year’s Florida team could have and should have beaten Arizona, TCU, Duke, UConn, Missouri and Iowa. Defeat was snatched from the jaws of victory in those six. The Gators probably could have won the Auburn game but they never seemed in synch the entire 40 minutes. Still, a shot here, a shot there, one or two fewer turnovers and a stop or two and that’s a win. Vandy? Forget about it. For reasons no one can pinpoint, the Gators were a no show that game.
So what was the difference? Why is it the 2025 national championship team was aces at clutch your pearls and take a deep breath time and this year’s team found creative ways to wilt when it mattered?
The best argument that can be made is the 2025 team had three guys – Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard and Alijah Martin – who not only wanted to take the shots that mattered but wanted to guard the guys on the other team who take the big shots when the clock was winding down toward all zeroes. Walt gets well-deserved credit for his shot making in big games, but he was a far better defender than anyone wants to give him credit for. Just ask Emanuel Sharp of Houston. Richard made the shot that beat South Carolina, but he also made huge defensive plays in the Auburn and Houston Final Four wins. His offense carried the Gators until they mounted the comeback against Houston. Martin was an in your face defender who had a habit of showing up where the ball was and turning it into much needed points. The dunk against UConn and the burst of speed dunk late against Auburn come to mind.
Those guys were unafraid of big moments, no matter which end of the court they were playing. That’s partly because what is in their DNA but also because experience taught them how to handle difficult late game situations. The hearts of Clayton, Richard and Martin might have felt ready to explode out the chest and stick to the nearest wall, but you would have never known it by outward appearance. And you would have never known it by late game performances.
Those three were closers, among the best we've seen in college basketball in a number of years. What the Gators lacked this year were closers.
Now, this is not to insinuate that any of the 2025-26 Gators lacked the demeanor it takes to do the things that win close games, but we can draw a few conclusions from the results: (1) It took awhile, perhaps too long, for the real chemistry between Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee to develop which proved costly in November and December when the Gators started the season 5-4; (2) there was never a go-to guy established for late game situations, evident in all the close call losses; and (3) with the exception of the first Vanderbilt game and the three Kentucky games every Florida win was decided by 10 or more points, which might have hurt when the games got tight.
Lee and Fland had some late game moments when they were superb, but Fland committed crucial turnovers late in the losses to Duke and UConn and his missed defensive assignment in the Iowa loss was critical. Lee had a miserable game shooting the ball against Arizona to start the season and he ended the season against Iowa when he elected to try to pass the ball instead of taking the last shot. The lasting memory of Lee is the Iowa game. It’s easy to say if given a second chance he would have taken the shot or tried to draw a foul, but there are no do-overs.
Lee has exhausted his eligibility and is headed for the pros. Fland will be back next year as the lead guard. He was a 24 percent 3-point shooter last season and for the Gators to challenge for SEC supremacy and to make a strong NCAA run next year, that has to improve. Urban Klavzar shot 40.6 percent from three but he’s too easy to double up if someone else isn’t a legitimate threat to make an outside shot. The Brown brothers – Isaiah and AJ – are capable shooters so that will help. AJ took a redshirt after his transfer from Ohio U where he shot 38.8 percent from three during the 2024-25 season. In high school, Alex Lloyd was an absolute sniper and CJ Ingram, who could wind up playing the Tommy Haugh role next year, showed late season that he has developed a good looking deep shot. His sample size – 16 threes – is small but he hit eight of them including five of his last seven attempts.
Golden likes a big, fast team that runs the floor. How big the Gators are will be determined by who, if any of the fearsome foursome of Haugh, Alex Condon, Rueben Chinyelu and Micah Handlogten return. It’s entirely possible that all four will be gone and it’s not out of the question that Condon, Chinyelu and Handlogten will be back. If two or more bigs are gone, expect Golden to dip into the portal for at least two in the 6-10 to 7-1 range. If Condon, Chinyelu and Handlogten come back he’ll probably take one from the portal to go with returnee Viktor Mikic and freshman Jones Lay.
But whether it’s a big team that can pound away in the paint or one that is perimeter driven, Golden has to find guys who want to take and can make the last shot. It is imperative to find one or more closers.
COACHING STUFF
Consensus opinion was LSU broke the bank when it fired football coach Brian Kelly and poached Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss. Apparently, LSU has money no one knew about because in hiring Will Wade away from North Carolina State, the boosters are on the hook for $200 million in contract obligations.
Wade was fired with cause by LSU four years ago but after four years of the basketball program spinning its wheels, Matt McMahon was fired and Wade was re-hired. It should be noted that all the things Wade was fired for are now legal. This is why we say NIL stands for now it’s legal.
North Carolina State was quick replacing Wade with Justin Gainey, the top assistant for Rick Barnes at Tennessee.
McMahon was the only SEC coach who was fired but there is an outside possibility that the Vanderbilt job will open if North Carolina can’t land Tommy Lloyd (Arizona), Dusty May (Michigan) or Billy Donovan (Chicago Bulls). Mike Byington is considered the backup plan if UNC whiffs on the three top targets. His Vanderbilt buyout won’t break the UNC bank and he’s familiar with the state since he played collegiately at UNC-Wilmington. Smart money is on Donovan.
Bill Self has announced he will be back at Kansas for 2026-27. Self has had some heart issues in recent years so it was thought he might call it a career.
Keep an eye on Arizona State, which lured Randy Bennett away from Saint Mary’s. Bennett has some health issues of his own, but says he will be back on the job soon. His health issues could influence the transfer decisions of Paulius Murauskas, 7-3 Andrew McKeever and freshman stud Dillan Shaw.
The way too early coaches hot seat for next year starts with Mark Pope at Kentucky. Another season with 10 or more losses or failing to get to the second NCAA weekend will make him a goner. Lamont Paris at South Carolina has a foot out the door already. Steven Pearl and Auburn play in the NIT semifinals tonight. He can buy a lot of good will with the AU faithful if he wins the tournament.
SEC IN THE PORTAL
Florida
Olivier Rioux (7-9, 305, RFR)
Georgia
Jeremiah Wilkinson (6-1, 185, SO); Dylan James (6-9, 235, JR); Somto Cyril (6-11, 260, SO); Jackson McVey (7-1, 240, FR)
Kentucky
Jaland Lowe (6-2, 170, JR)
LSU
Dedan Thomas Jr. (6-1, 178, JR); Jalen Reed (6-10, 230, SR); Mazi Mosley (6-5, 169, FR); Matt Gilhool (6-11, 213, FR)
Mississippi State
Jamarion Davis-Fleming (6-10, 240, FR)
Missouri
Anthony Robinson II (6-2, 175, JR); Sebastian Mack (6-3, 195, JR)
Ole Miss
Eduardo Klafke (6-5, 190, SO); Ilias Kamardine (6-5, 185, FR); South Carolina
Eli Ellis (6-6, 192, FR); Elijah Strong (6-8, 225, JR); EJ Walker (6-7, 253, FR)
Tennessee
Tyler Lundblade (6-5, 195, SR, from Belmont)
FINAL FOUR
Michigan vs. Arizona: Michigan is tall, deep and plays great defense. Arizona is every bit as tall, plays great defense and has more quality coming off the bench. Michigan can’t win unless it bombs away from three. Arizona can win with or without making a ton of threes. I think Arizona’s Braden Burries and Tobe Awaka coming off the bench as the difference makers. Michigan is favored by 1.5 points but I like Arizona for the win.
Illinois vs. UConn: The Illini have the tallest team in the country and they come at you in waves, but do they have anyone who can handle Tarris Ross, who has gone beast mode for the tournament? UConn has the discipline and head coach Dan Hurley brings championship DNA. The Illini are 1.5-point favorites. I like UConn to win this one.
Great article !!! Frenz’s analysis of the guard situation was spot on.
You have to wonder if the Gators in hindsight regret letting Denzel Aberdeen leave.
He contributed on the championship run and could’ve been a difference maker this year.
As for North Carolina, my eyes have been on Mark Byington since it was apparent Hubert Davis was on his way out. The situation is ripe for Billy Donovan at a place where men’s basketball reigns. “Carolina” needs Billy far more than he needs the Tar Heels job. The Bulls are always spinning their wheels. I can easily envision Billy in Chapel Hill and have believed for many years it would be his best landing place if ever he decided to exit the NBA for college.
Thanks for uplifting the importance of Will Richard. He along with Alijah Martin gladly complemented the explosive Walter Clayton, Jr. isaiah Brown possesses similar talent, skill and tenacity to play at a comparable level. Hopefully Boogie makes a big step forward as a clutch shooter. CJ Ingram, though, as well as Alex Lloyd are going to be vital. We’ll hold our breath until we know the future of Condon, Chinyelu and Handlogden.
Apropos of points you made in this column, Franz, I’m praying for two things: that UConn loses to someone – anyone – in humiliating fashion and Billy Donovan stays in the pros. I can’t imagine him coaching anywhere but Florida.
But, if he does come back to college, I also hope and pray that it isn’t to someone we are likely to see on court except perhaps every once in a while in the tournament. And please, not to North Carolina!
In his 1st year TG found those gems in the portal. Last year he totally whiffed. We lost thse games because of poor shooting and very poor ball handling by the guards. We had way too many (for lack of a better term) 3 and outs in those games.