GAINESVILLE, Fla. \u2013 Florida coach Todd Golden was last to climb the ladder. He made the final few cuts, pulled down the net, waved it around and then tossed it into the air.<\/p>\n
It could have been smoother. Maybe it was to be expected since it\u2019s been nearly 11 months since Golden and his Gators cut down nets while celebrating a national championship<\/a> in San Antonio.<\/p>\n Golden should get more chances to perfect his form in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n No. 7<\/a> Florida closed out an unbeaten February with its ninth consecutive victory Saturday night, a 111-77 drubbing of 20th-ranked Arkansas<\/a> that the team hopes will improve its chances of landing a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.<\/p>\n The Gators pounded the Razorbacks in the paint, outscored them from long range and clinched at least a share of the Southeastern Conference title. They partied on Billy Donovan Court with hats and T-shirts and then unveiled a banner commemorating their eighth league crown.<\/p>\n \u201cJust a great night for our program,\u201d Golden said.<\/p>\n It was special because it was the only championship missing from Florida\u2019s resume in the past calendar year. Auburn won the league in 2025 before Golden\u2019s guys got hot and swept everything down the stretch.<\/p>\n The Gators (23-6, 14-2 SEC) are taking shape even earlier this time around.<\/p>\n \u201cLove it. Didn\u2019t lose in February, got to try not to lose in March, either,\u201d Golden quipped.<\/p>\n Florida finished Saturday night\u2019s beatdown \u2014 which matched the worst loss in Arkansas coach John Calipari’s career<\/a> \u2014 with seven players in double figures, becoming the second SEC team to accomplish the scoring feat against a ranked opponent in the last 30 years.<\/p>\n Equally impressive: the Gators have won six in a row against ranked teams and scored at least 90 points in each of those. It\u2019s the second-longest such streak in college basketball history, only trailing the mark shared by UNLV and Loyola-Marymount, both set in the 1989-90 season.<\/p>\n It\u2019s been a significant turnaround<\/a> for a team that started the season 5-4, including close losses to Arizona, Duke and UConn, and was dropped from the AP Top 25 by the end of December.<\/p>\n It simply took time for Florida to get everyone on the same page after Golden had to replace arguably the best backcourt in school history along with two of his main assistants. Golden even felt the need to make subtle changes to the team\u2019s offensive approach, essentially asking guard Boogie Fland<\/a> and point forward Alex Condon to take fewer 3-pointers.<\/p>\n Now, though, the Gators know who they are and are pummeling everyone in their path. During the nine-game winning streak, Florida\u2019s average margin of victory is 22 points.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you know your identity and you know who you are, nobody can take that from you,\u201d center Rueben Chinyelu said. \u201cI think we understood that in the beginning of the season when it wasn\u2019t going our way. Because you know in life you\u2019re going to get adversity. It comes in different ways. \u2026 Just know who you are and don\u2019t get lost in that moment.\u201d<\/p>\n Florida will try not to get caught up in its latest championship.<\/p>\n The Gators can clinch the outright league title with a win at home against Mississippi State (13-16, 5-11) on Tuesday. They could cut down more nets at the SEC Tournament in Nashville, at a regional final and eventually the Final Four again.<\/p>\n So they\u2019re counting on this one being a warmup or a walkthrough.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like in the scale of things, it\u2019s a small accomplishment for us this year,\u201d Condon said. \u201cThis is the smallest one that we wanted to achieve. We got it done. It\u2019s good. But now onto the next thing, SEC Tournament, and closing out the season the right way.<\/p>\n \u201cWe really want that 1 seed.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here<\/a>. AP college basketball: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll<\/a> and https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/college-basketball<\/a><\/p>\n Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"GAINESVILLE, Fla. \u2013 Florida coach Todd Golden was last to climb the ladder. 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