Upcoming stretch a reminder of last season

Ruben Chinyelu has turned into a defensive force as well as an offensive force beyond the rim.

By Carlton Reese

GatorBait Media

Gator fans hoping for history to repeat itself should all be paying close attention to the upcoming stretch run which could be a harbinger of Florida’s fate.

During last season’s championship run, Florida faced several critical stretches in which it passed with flying colors, the most notable series of games taking place at about this same time of the year. Following a blowout loss at Tennessee, the Gators returned home to face a mediocre Vanderbilt before road games at No.1 Auburn and No.22 Mississippi State. They had dropped to 5-3 in conference and despite a No.6 ranking there were still lingering doubts if this Florida team was ready for a title run. Failing on the road against two ranked opponents would set Florida up in the middle of the SEC, as a national contender afterthought and, most importantly, with a psychological inferiority complex ill-conducive to long postseason runs.

After handling Vanderbilt in the most modest of ways, Florida rolled the top-ranked Tigers on their own floor then repeated the feat in Starkville. Those three games positioned Florida for a title run not just in the standings or in seed assurances, but also in cementing that psychological edge of confidence where the Gators knew they could take on any team at any place and at any time, and that if they played to expectations no one could beat them.

Before that stretch in Florida’s schedule, the Gators were a great team coming into its own and thrusting itself into the national conversation. After that stretch, the Gators were the favorite to win it all.

Here we are in 2026 and though the record and ranking are not at the same level as a year ago, the feeling of sitting on that cusp of national favorite rings excitingly similar.

Florida’s backcourt is not as good as last season’s and none will ever be, but it is greatly improved to the point where it is more than just a solid unit – it is one that can hold its own defensively and win the turnover wars while occasionally sinking the critical shot. The frontcourt, last season the best in the country, is even better this time around and by a fairly wide margin.

The exploits of Thomas Haugh have been well-documented as he is poised for the SEC Player of the Year crown. Alex Condon, at one point in his career the bulwark of the unit, has shown recently that he can still dominate teams at both ends of the court. Then there’s Rueben Chinyelu, who may be the most all-around improved player on the team, if not the conference. His defensive exhibition against Alabama was a clinic that should be a must-study for any future big man, and his shooting from mid-range and the foul line are actually reliable, making him a threat beyond close range.

This is what the Gators take to College Station Saturday: a team that is scaring the hell out of everybody in the conference. Successful navigation at Texas A&M, at Georgia, then at home against Kentucky will get those national pundits noting Florida again as a real possibility to repeat as national champion. This only if the Gators make it through this current stretch unscathed.

The Aggies present the biggest hurdle despite their loss in Tuscaloosa Wednesday night, and after what happened last year in Athens, the Gators have no excuse for not being focused against the Bulldogs this time around. As for Kentucky, no one knows more than coach Golden that if you’re not properly prepared for Big Blue when it comes rolling into town, you’re going down.

Texas A&M brings a style of play few have been able to master this season: smothering defense baseline to baseline, high speed transition offense, and loads of three-point gunning. It’s the closest thing these days to Nolan Richardson’s “40 Minutes of Hell.” Thankfully, the Gators have been able to adapt to just about any style of play and either match it or squelch it. Six weeks ago, when Florida was allowing open three-point shots with genteel civility, the Gators would have had no answers for the Aggies. Recently, though, Florida looks quite adept at challenging those long jumpers and forcing errant attempts which should work in the Gators’ favor Saturday. If they go to sleep on the perimeter, it could be a long night where Florida will need to match that perimeter shooting, which it can’t.

If this game becomes a track meet the way A&M would like, Florida can play that style and win – just not easily. If Florida defends the perimeter and makes this a half-court game, the Gators will rout the Aggies. In such a case, Florida is set up to make that run through a critical stretch where no one is left wondering anymore the ceiling of this team. Though A&M is not ranked No.1 the way Auburn was last year, the stakes are still the same. The Aggies have been riding atop the SEC all year and the winner can legitimately lay claim to the best in conference no matter what the standings say.

The Gators have played this entire season with the target on their back, just as every defending national champion must – they receive their opponent’s best shot every time they take the court and the next three games will be testimony. Get through them and just like last year, you will start to hear Jay Bilas and all the other national pundits giving in to the notion that once again Florida is the team to beat. Falter and Golden will get the opportunity to once again break out that disrespect card that has served him so well in the past.