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Three Things From Courtside: Two Nays and a Yay in Florida's Rocky Start Against Baylor

Writer: Chris Spears
Chris Spears
20 hours ago
3 min read

Jacksonville, Fla. | Oct. 18, 2026

There are nights when the basketball seems as big as a beach ball and everything finds the bottom of the net. Sunday afternoon in Jacksonville wasn't one of those nights for the Florida Gators.

Sitting courtside at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, I watched Florida stumble through a frustrating 82-76 overtime exhibition loss to Baylor. And while exhibition games don't count in the standings, they can tell you plenty about what needs fixing before the real season begins.

Here are three things that caught my attention. Two nays and, thankfully, one yay.

A Florida guard dribbles with Todd Golden watching courtside. Photo by Chris Spears, GatorBait Media

A Florida guard dribbles with Todd Golden watching courtside. Photo by Chris Spears, GatorBait Media

1. Somebody Please Find the Three-Point Line! 👎

Denzel Aberdeen surveys the floor against Baylor. Photo by Chris Spears, GatorBait Media

Denzel Aberdeen surveys the floor against Baylor. Photo by Chris Spears, GatorBait Media

Florida attempted 29 three-pointers Sunday afternoon. Twenty-five missed.

That's 13.8% from downtown, which is about as cold as a January morning in Gainesville.

The offensive rhythm was missing for long stretches. Shots weren't falling, possessions looked uncomfortable, and the Gators sometimes appeared to be searching for answers that weren't coming.

Denzel Aberdeen finished 0-for-10 from beyond the arc, while Urban Klavzar went 0-for-5. Two players Florida will need offensively combined to miss all 15 of their three-point attempts.

You don't need a clipboard or a coaching whistle to recognize that won't win many basketball games.

2. Baylor Had Answers Florida Couldn't Find 👎

Todd Golden watches the action from courtside. Photo by Chris Spears, GatorBait Media

Todd Golden watches the action from courtside. Photo by Chris Spears, GatorBait Media

Here's a statistic that ought to get everyone's attention.

Baylor's bench outscored Florida's bench 33-3.

That's not a typo.

Meanwhile, Baylor's Kayden Mingo put on quite a show, scoring 31 points, including nine in overtime.

Florida also missed 13 free throws, finishing 22-for-35 from the stripe. In a six-point overtime loss, those are points that can come back to haunt you.

Good teams find ways to win when their stars struggle. Great teams have somebody else ready to step forward.

Sunday, Baylor had those answers. Florida is still looking for them.

3. The Gators Still Have Some Fight in Them 👍

Florida and Baylor players battle for rebounding position. Photo by Chris Spears, GatorBait Media

Florida and Baylor players battle for rebounding position. Photo by Chris Spears, GatorBait Media

Now, here's something I liked.

Despite a miserable shooting afternoon, Florida refused to go quietly.

Trailing by three in the final 20 seconds of regulation, Aberdeen made one of two free throws. The Gators then forced a backcourt turnover, and Aberdeen knocked down a baseline jumper with just 0.8 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime.

That's the kind of determination you want to see, even when the shots aren't falling.

Thomas Haugh led Florida with 19 points, while Rueben Chinyelu pulled down 15 rebounds. Florida won the rebounding battle 46-41, including an impressive 26 offensive boards.

The effort was there. The execution? Well, that's another conversation.

And maybe that's the encouraging part. Shooting can improve. Effort has to be part of your identity.

My Final Thought From Courtside

Nobody is handing out championship trophies in October, and nobody should be pushing the panic button after an exhibition.

But here's what I've learned about basketball: The scoreboard tells you who won. Sometimes the way a team loses tells you much more.

Florida showed heart, fought until the final seconds, and gave us reasons to believe there's something worth building on.

But the shooting, offensive chemistry, and bench production need attention.

The good news? It's only October.

The bad news? November isn't very far away.

And from where I was sitting courtside Sunday afternoon, there's still plenty of work to do before these Gators are ready for the spotlight.

Chris Spears | GatorBait Media

Reporting from courtside, Jacksonville, Fla.

Go Gators! 🐊🏀

Courtside action, the Florida bench and the postgame news conference from the Oct. 18 exhibition in Jacksonville. All 16 photographs by Chris Spears, GatorBait Media. Tap a photo to explore the gallery.

Photo by Chris Spears, GatorBait Media.

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