Kentucky's bluebloods have been surpassed by the newblood Gators

Rueben Chinyelu is a good reason why Florida may repeat as national champs (Photo by Chris Spears)

Those same experts who thought the Gators (24-6, 15-2 SEC) should be skewered and roasted on a rotisserie back in December have certainly changed their tune. They now think 5^th-ranked Florida is playing as well or better than any team in the country and may win a second straight NCAA championship. It is certainly possible. The Gator Boyz got hot last year, won the SEC Tournament then left six teams in their wake to win Florida’s first national championship since 2007. This year’s version of the Gator Boyz might be even hotter.

What makes the possibility of a repeat championship so intriguing is that it would make the Gators the only team other than UCLA to have two repeat championship runs in school history. UCLA first did it in 1964-65 and from 1967-73 John Wooden’s Bruins won seven straight NCAA championships, a feat that could be deemed the impossible dream these days and times. Florida won it back-to-back in 2006-07 with the exact same starting lineup both years – Al Horford, Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer, Taurean Green and Lee Humphrey. This year’s Florida team has had to rebuild after losing Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard to the NBA, but Todd Golden has reloaded his backcourt and changed the focus to what’s up front where the foursome of Tommy Haugh, Alex Condon, Big Freaky Rueben Chinyelu and Micah Handlogten compose the nation’s best and most dominant front court.

Ever since the backcourt duo of Xaivian Lee and Boogie Fland found their mojo and their shot, the Gators have won 10 straight games, all but one by 13 or more points. The Gators have scored 100 points in their last two games while winning by more than 30 in each game. It is the first time that has happened in the Southeastern Conference since Kentucky did it in 1971. In the last two games the Gators have outrebounded Arkansas and Mississippi State 104-47.

If the Gators can sustain their current momentum, they are certainly capable of winning out which would make them only the fourth team since the John Wooden era at UCLA to go back-to-back. Duke did it in 1991-92, Florida did it in 2006-07 and UConn most recently in 2023-24. Since 1999, UConn has won five national championships while Florida is tied with Duke and North Carolina with three each.

This means the Florida program is living in the oxygen mask level of college basketball but since the Gators’ sustained success took so long to achieve you’ll never hear them mentioned as one of the bluebloods. College basketball’s blueblood list is UCLA (11 NCAA titles), Kentucky (8), North Carolina (6), Duke (5), Kansas (5), Indiana (5), UConn (5), Villanova (3) and Michigan State (2). Florida didn’t have a full-time basketball coach until Norm Sloan (1960) and didn’t even win a Southeastern Conference championship until 1989, so yes, Florida’s success is recent.

Since 1999, however, the Gators have elbowed their way into the rarified air division of the college game. You could say Florida has surpassed Kentucky as the No. 1 basketball program in the SEC. Since 1999, Florida has won three NCAA championships to one for Kentucky. The Gators have made the Final Four five times to Kentucky’s four. Kentucky has gotten to more Elite Eight games (UK 10, UF 9) but national championships are the true measure and Florida has more. Since 1999, the only other SEC teams that have made the Final Four are Texas (2003 in the Big 12), South Carolina (2017) and Alabama (2024).

You can’t call the Gators bluebloods because it took so long to elbow their way to the top, nor can you call UConn a blueblood since the Huskies had never made the Final Four until they won their first NCAA title in 1999. So, UConn and the Gators may not be bluebloods, but they certainly are top of the newbloods food chain. Most of the top bracketologists have the Gators going to the South Region in the NCAA Tournament as the No. 2 seed. The No. 1? UConn. So, we have the possibility of a showdown for newbloods superiority on our hands.

In four years, Todd Golden has proven to be as good or better than any basketball coach in the country. He has taken over a program that was spinning its wheels at the NIT/barely NCAA level and turned it into a true powerhouse. He’s 40 years old and already has an NCAA championship. Billy Donovan was 41 when he got his first one. Dean Smith was 54, John Wooden 53, Mike Kryzyzewski 44, Bill Self 46, Tom Izzo 44 and Dan Hurley 50.

Golden has been so good at roster construction and in-game adjustments but he has proven this year that he is as good as it gets when bringing a team along while building tremendous momentum. The Gators were 5-4 after losing to UConn at Madison Square Garden back in December. That’s when so many experts wrote them off. Well, they were wrong because the Gators are 19-2 since then and playing at a level that makes them the team nobody with good sense wants to play.

Here are seven reasons why Florida can win it all and become just the first team other than UCLA to have two repeat national championships.

1. Defense: Both kenpom.com and barttorvik.com have the Gators ranked No. 4 nationally in defense. The Gators rarely get outscored in the paint and they’re exceptional at running teams off the 3-point line while making them shoot difficult mid-range shots. The bigs can defend on the perimeter and are quick enough to get back in the paint to be intimidators. What makes them so exceptional, however, is their ability to rebound the basketball. The Gators force a lot of one-and-done possessions which makes it very tough to beat them.

2. Transition: Nobody in the country gets the ball off the defensive glass and gets it up the court faster than the Gators, who score a ton of layups and dunks simply by beating the other team down the court. When Fland and Lee are in the game, the Gators have the fastest backcourt in the nation. The Gator exhaust opponents because they run the floor so well.

3. The 8-man rotation: Florida has an exceptional 8-man rotation of four bigs and four perimeter guys. The bigs are long, mobile and good at both ends of the floor. The knock on the perimeter guys is they couldn’t shoot well. That’s changed. Lee is shooting 38.7 percent from three during Florida’s winning streak. Fland has gone 7-14 since breaking his shooting slump. Urban Klavzar (Lethal Weapon III) is 43-96 (44.7 percent) shooting threes in SEC play and Isaiah Brown is hitting 39 percent. So much for the theory they can’t shoot. Oh, and now opponents have CJ Ingram to be concerned with. He’s tall and long like Brown, can hit the three and defend all positions on the perimeter.

4. You can’t press Florida: Teams that fall behind and try to get back in the game with full court pressure play right into Florida’s hands. Both Fland and Lee are extraordinary ball handlers and too quick off the dribble. The Gators have the two best press release guys in the country in Condon and Haugh, who can handle and pass the ball like guards after getting the inbounds pass. Press the Gators and they will turn it into points at the other end of the court.

5. Connected: That is how John Calipari described the Gators after absorbing a 34-point loss while giving up 117 points. As well as the 2025 Gators were connected and truly playing the game for each other, this team might be even more so. They really don’t care who scores the most or who grabs the headlines. They play for each other and the goal is to win the game.

6. Todd Golden: Nobody makes in-game or halftime adjustments better. Nobody is better at roster construction. Look at his front court. Condon and Haugh were lightly recruited. Chinyelu started his career at Washington State of all places and Handlogten at Marshall. That tells you not that many people thought that much of them when they were first eligible. Haugh will be an All-American and a lottery pick. Condon and Chinyelu could play their way into the first round. Golden saw something in them that not a lot of people did. That’s another reason why he is a truly elite coach and one more reason why Florida could repeat.

7. Tampa: Barring an upset of epic proportions, Florida will start the NCAA Tournament in Tampa. This will be a home court atmosphere that should make the arena loud and intimidating. That should help propel the Gators to the second weekend, needing only four more games to make it two straight national titles.

Saturday’s SEC games

No. 4 FLORIDA (24-6, 15-2 SEC) at Kentucky (19-11, 9-8 SEC)

Auburn (16-14, 6-11 SEC) at No. 16 Alabama (22-8, 12-5 SEC)

No. 20 Arkansas (22-8, 12-5 SEC) at Missouri (20-10, 9-7 SEC)

No. 24 Vanderbilt (23-7, 10-7 SEC) at No. 23 Tennessee (21-9, 11-6 SEC)

Texas A&M (20-10, 10-7 SEC) at LSU (15-15, 3-14 SEC)

Georgia (21-9, 9-8 SEC) at Mississippi State (13-17, 5-12 SEC)

Oklahoma (16-14, 6-11 SEC) at Texas (18-12, 9-8 SEC)

South Carolina (12-18, 3-14 SEC) at Ole Miss (12-18, 4-13 SEC)

SEC in Joe Lunardi (ESPN) bracketology

East: 1. Duke; 2. Michigan State; 3. Iowa State; 4. Gonzaga (SEC: 5. Tennessee)

South: 1. UConn; 2. FLORIDA; 3. Purdue; 4. Texas Tech (SEC: 5. Arkansas; 9. Georgia; 11. Texas A&M)

Midwest: 1. Michigan; 2. Houston; 3. Nebraska; 4. Virginia (SEC: 5. Vanderbilt; 10. Texas)

West: 1. Arizona; 2. Illinois; 3. Kansas; 4. Alabama (SEC: 6. Kentucky; 9. Missouri)

SEC in CBS bracketology

East: 1. Duke; 2. Illinois; 3. Iowa State; 4. Alabama (SEC: 5. Vanderbilt; 7. Georgia; 11. Texas A&M)

South: 1. UConn; 2. FLORIDA; 3. Purdue; 4. Texas Tech (SEC: 5. Tennessee)

West: 1. Arizona; 2. Michigan State; 3. Gonzaga; 4. Kansas (SEC: 5. Arkansas; 9. Texas; 11. Missouri)

Midwest: 1. Michigan; 2. Houston; 3. Virginia; Nebraska (SEC: 7. Kentucky)

WORST TO FIRST IN THE SEC

16. South Carolina (12-18, 3-14 SEC): Buzzards are circling the basketball complex in Columbia. The only thing that might save Lamont Paris is the buyout.

15. LSU (15-15, 3-14 SEC): If Matt McMahon is still LSU’s head coach this time next week then he should send Christmas presents to Brian Kelly and Lane Kiffin. The cost of buying out Kelly and hiring Kiffin might make spending buyout money for McMahon just a little bit too rich at the moment.

14. Ole Miss (13-17, 4-13 SEC): There is good news and bad news in Oxford. The good news is that Chris Beard and his $6 million contract will stay another year. The bad news is that Chris Beard will be back.

13. Mississippi State (13-17, 5-12 SEC): The faithful would be ever so happy if Chris Jans went somewhere else to coach but they’re not going to pony up the $7.5 million it would take to buy him out.

12. Oklahoma (16-14, 6-11 SEC): The Sooners are hot and assured of a non-losing season. They might even win Saturday and then get past the first round of the SEC Tournament, which would get them into the NIT. Will that be enough to save Porter Moser’s job?

11. Auburn (16-14, 7-10 SEC): Auburn is capable of beating Alabama Saturday and then advancing to the SEC quarterfinals. Of course, the Tigers are also capable of losing to Bama and then getting clocked in their first SEC Tournament game.

10. Texas (18-12, 9-8 SEC): History says Sean Miller will win big at Texas. He will get a mulligan this year because the Longhorns will make the NCAA Tournament. These same people, however, showed Rick Barnes the door after 402 wins and 15 NCAA appearances in 16 years.

9. Missouri (20-10, 10-7 SEC): The Tigers are capable of beating every team in the league. They’re also capable of losing to all of them. They’ll make the NCAA field seeded somewhere between nine and 11.

8. Kentucky (19-11, 9-8 SEC): Folks in Lexington aren’t happy. They ponied up $22 million for a roster that can win the SEC and go to the Final Four. The Mildcats will be fortunate to make it to the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament and the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.  

7. Texas A&M (20-10, 10-7 SEC): The Aggies are too short and don’t have enough talent but Bucky Ball is hard to prepare for. With the right draw in the NCAA Tournament, they could even make it to the Sweet Sixteen.

6. Georgia (21-9, 9-8 SEC): The Bulldogs are hot and if they’re making shots, they are dangerous. They are inching up the brackets.

5. Vanderbilt (23-7, 9-7 SEC): If Duke Miles can return to his pre-injury level the Commodores are capable of beating nearly every team in the SEC and getting to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament.

4. Tennessee (21-9, 11-6 SEC): If Nate Ament is healthy, the Vols can make a run. If he isn’t, they will be one and done in Nashville and might make it to the second game of the NCAA Tournament.

3. Alabama (22-8, 12-5 SEC): Bama sure can score points. Bama also is the worst defensive team in the SEC. Change Bama’s names to the matadors! Ole!

2. Arkansas (22-8, 12-5 SEC): The Razorbacks score like Bama but they have some inside size. If they hit shots and their three bigs stay out of foul trouble, they are truly dangerous and capable of making it to the Elite Eight.

1. FLORIDA (24-6, 15-2 SEC): There isn’t a team in the SEC as good as Florida. There might not be a team in the country as good as the Gators.