The focus for No. 20 Florida will be on Florida State when the two 3-0 teams square off Friday night in Tallahassee.
And that’s just where head coach Todd Golden wants it.
The attention around the program over the past week has focused on the news of a Title IX investigation into Golden following allegations of sexual harassment, sexual exploitation and the stalking of multiple women, including students. But, he said, his team has been able to concentrate on the court.
“I think they know who I am, and again, they’re mature,” Golden said. “They’re really good guys and all super-focused.”
Golden said the way he approaches his job hasn’t changed either.
“Respecting the situation, my family, my team, my coaching staff,” Golden said. “We’re just continuing to attack it like we normally would every day.”
And that has led the Gators to three consecutive wins to kick off the season for the first time since 2020-21.
Florida dominated Grambling State 86-62 on Monday, with five players scoring in double figures. Rueben Chinyelu, a Washington State transfer, led with 14 points.
Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard and Sam Alexis each scored 12 while Alex Condon added 10 points and eight rebounds.
“This team is super unselfish and they play for each other,” Golden told reporters after the win.
Florida State is coming off a 72-52 win over Tarleton State despite having no player score in double figures. The leading scorer was Daquan Davis, who scored nine and dished out three assists.
“He has moxie. He is a guy who is extremely confident in himself,” Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton told reporters after the game. “He’s in control in what he’s doing out there.”
Davis ranks third on the team in scoring at 7.3 points per game. Jamir Watkins is the leading scorer for the Seminoles, pouring in 18.3 points per outing.
While the Seminoles are unbeaten, they still have work to do, especially as they get set to face their first ranked opponent of the season.
“We had some moments in the game (against Tarleton State) that we obviously showed we are still a team that needs to find ourselves in terms of cohesiveness offensively and defensively,” Hamilton said.
The Gators have won all three of their games by double digits and Clayton has been the team’s leading scorer at 16.7 points per outing.
Richard (16.0), Condon (15.3) and Alijah Martin (12.3) are averaging in double figures as well for the Gators, who feature a total of seven players averaging at least seven points per game. Florida is shooting 50 percent from the field but just 26 percent from beyond the arc.
Florida State has won two of its three games by double digits and is 2-0 at home. The Seminoles are shooting 44 percent from the floor but, like the Gators, they have struggled from beyond the arc, connecting on only 21 percent of their attempts.
