Sole possession of first place in the Southeastern Conference is on the line when No. 17 Florida travels to College Station, Texas to take on Texas A&M Saturday night.
The Gators (16-6, 7-2 SEC) are riding a two-game winning streak, including a 100-77 rout of then-No. 23 Alabama on Sunday. It marked the first time Florida has reached the century mark in league play as it dominated inside with 72 points in the paint.
Alex Condon starred with 25 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Thomas Haugh finished with 22 points, and Rueben Chinyelu had another balanced performance with 14 points and 17 rebounds.
Coach Todd Golden couldn’t have had higher praise for Condon, saying he looked like a “first-team All-American.”
“That’s a hell of a ball game, man,” Golden said. “I’m not sure you can ask for anything more out of him. I thought he was aggressive. I thought he was decisive and played with great physicality.”
Golden went on to say that he thought Chinyelu is “arguably the best defender in America right now.”
Chinyelu, who leads the SEC in rebounding with 11.3 per game, is a big reason why the Gators are the best rebounding team in the country, averaging 46.0 per game. They also have the third-best defense in the SEC, limiting opponents to 71.4 points per game.
The Aggies (17-5, 7-2), who are just outside the Top 25, will put the Gators’ defense to test. They have the third-best offense in the country, averaging 92.0 points per game.
A&M is coming off a 100-97 loss at Alabama on Wednesday, a contest that could have easily gone the other way. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Aggies, but they are still in promising shape in Bucky McMillan’s first season.
“What if I said, ‘Hey, guys, we got the second round of the league coming up, nine games left, and we’re in first place.’ We’re in first place, and we got five of these games at home,” McMillan said. “We got the defending national champs coming in here, we can get sole possession and all the pressure is still on them.”
The Aggies are 12-1 at Reed Arena so far and have won their last three home games against the Gators. The last matchup in College Station was a 67-66 thriller on Feb. 3, 2024. Florida has won the last two games, though, including an 89-70 home victory last season.
For A&M to pull off the upset, it will need several standout performances. Rashaun Agee has been the most consistent scoring threat, leading the team with 14.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Agee scored 21 points in the loss at Alabama on Wednesday, his fourth 20-point performance of the season. Rylan Griffen is coming off a 17-point performance, including a 3-of-5 night from deep. As a team, the Aggies knocked down 13 3s.
They will need a similar showing to hang with the Gators.
“We’ve just got to have everybody coming out guns blazing, fighting with this team, and whatever happens, happens,” McMillan said. “But good things happen when we usually have that mentality.”
–Field Level Media
