Jan. 10, 2026, 2:32 p.m. ET
Florida basketball ran the Tennessee Volunteers out of the O’Connell Center on Saturday, winning, 91-67, to move to 2-1 in conference play.
In many ways, this was the most complete game of the season for the Gators. Six players reached double figures, led by Boogie Fland (23 points) and Rueben Chineylu (17) — more on both below. The Gators dropped 91 points on a slow-paced and physical Tennessee squad that doesn’t give up that kind of scoring, even on the road.
Thomas Haugh didn’t need to play hero ball, settling for 13 points on 2-for-7 shooting — and five steals — and Alex Condon also had a quieter day, with 11 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. Most importantly, the guards finally hit some shots. The trio of Fland, Xaivian Lee and Urban Klavzar went 8-for-22 (36.4%) from deep, sparking a big run in the middle eight minutes to bury the Vols.
It’s the kind of game that gets folks around the SEC believing in the Gators again, all but erasing a heartbreaking loss to Missouri from recent memory. The road doesn’t get easier from here, with back-to-back road games against Oklahoma and Vanderbilt coming up, but Todd Golden’s squad should have a lot more confidence going into those games now.
Through the first 15 minutes of Saturday’s game, Florida fans had to sit on the edge of their seat hoping for the basketball team to avoid another implosion. Tennessee dictated the pace and kept the game tied until the 3:51 remaining mark. To that point, the largest lead of the game was by five, and Florida blew that in a hurry.
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Then, everything changed. Boogie Fland hit a 3-pointer and opened the floodgates for the Gators. Florida ended the half on a 15-2 run, allowing just two makes from the free-throw line and scoring four times in the final 105 seconds. Transition ball is where Florida excels, and once the Gators got hot, they never slowed down.
Florida built on a 13-point halftime lead with a 7-2 run out of the break. Fland continued to pile on — more on that below — and the lead ballooned to 25 at one point. Florida ended up winning by 24, finishing the game on an 8-2 run for good measure. Golden was rightfully pumped in the waning moments of a big win for his program.
Boogie Fland pulls a reverse Samson
For those unfamiliar, the biblical story of Samson teaches about the human struggle of lust and a man whose immense power originates from his hair. Samson is captured, has his hair cut and loses his strength after marrying another woman. In the end, Samson grows his hair back while imprisoned and gets revenge, trading his life in the process.
Why am I telling you this? Because Boogie Fland got a haircut on Wednesday and gave one of his best performances as a Florida Gator against Tennessee on Saturday. As a result, I present the reverse Samson theory. Fland came to Florida as a former four-star recruit and flashy SEC guard whose freshman year was slowed by injury. The desire to return to form was always there, but he pushed the envelope a bit too much early on as a Gator. There’s your lust allegory.
Fland entered Saturday averaging 10.8 points per game and third on the team with 26 turnovers, not to mention his .190 3-point percentage on 63 attempts. The talent is there — and Fland’s 48 assists deserve a mention — but he wasn’t playing up to the level that Florida expected when they pursued him in the transfer portal.
Ditching the dreads helped. Call it superstition. Call it a coincidence. Call it a total reset. Fland looked like a completely different player on Saturday, earning “All-America” chatter from the broadcast crew midway through the second half.
Fland led all scorers with 23 points on 9-for-13 shooting and a 3-for-6 day from beyond the arc. He added five assists and four steals, leading to a plus-minus of 25 over 31 minutes. There’s your redemption angle.
If Fland can play with this level of confidence for the rest of the year, Florida is a Final Four team.
Florida wins the battle on the boards
Florida’s game relies on strong rebounding, just as Tennessee’s does. There was a feeling coming into this game that whichever team won the offensive rebound battle would come out on top. Florida nearly doubled up Tennessee on the offensive glass, 12-6, and won the overall boards battle, 41-30. A double-digit margin is dominant in this type of frontcourt battle.
Rueben Chinyelu returned to form, notching his eighth double-double of the year. It had been a tough go for Florida’s starting center, who grabbed 12 rebounds total over the past two games after averaging just under 11 through the first 13. Chinyelu finished this one with 17 points and 16 total rebounds, including 10 and 10 in the second half. At one point, he scored eight straight points for the Gators, taking advantage of a size mismatch and showing some nice touch around the rim.
Chinyelu is well-regarded as one of the best rebounders in Division I basketball, but he’ll earn a reputation as one of the best overall big men in the country with that kind of scoring touch.
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