# 2024–25 Florida Gators men's basketball team

The 2024–25 Florida Gators men's basketball team represents the University of Florida during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Gators, led by third-year head coach Todd Golden, play their home games at the O'Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida as members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
During this season, Florida experienced its most success in 11 years. Led by senior guards Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard, and Alijah Martin, Florida posted a 27–4 regular season record, finishing second in the most difficult SEC season in conference history. The Gators got off to a hot start when they finished non-conference play with a 13–0 record and No. 6 ranking in the AP Poll, which was their highest ranking in 7 years. Despite early losses to Kentucky and Missouri, Florida got hot and finished the regular season winning 9 of their last 10 games. During this stretch, they pulled off massive wins on the road against No. 1 Auburn and No. 7 Alabama. Led by Clayton Jr. and Alex Condon, Florida was able to beat a No. 1 team on the road for the first time in program history. After the season, Clayton Jr. was honored as First-Team All-SEC, while Condon was honored as Third-Team All-SEC. Due to the success of this season, Florida's trio of senior guards were widely praised and credited for restoring Florida basketball to the top of college basketball, where they had been for the majority of the 21st century.

## Previous season

The Gators finished the 2023–24 season 24–12, 11–7 in SEC play, to finish in sixth place. In the SEC tournament, the Gators beat Georgia, Alabama, and Texas A&M to advance to the championship game where they would fall to Auburn. The Gators earned an at-large bid to the 2024 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament as the No. 7 seed in the South region, where they lost to Colorado 102–100 in the first round.

## Accusations against Todd Golden

In November, news of accusations of sexual harassment came to light against head coach Todd Golden. The accusations, as part of a Title IX investigation in potential violations of the school's gender equity policy, included acts of harassment and stalking of Florida students by Golden. Golden responded to the report by acknowledging it and stated that he was considering defamation claims against the accusers. Golden continued to coach the team while the investigation continued. The investigation was closed on January 27, 2025, with no evidence being found against Golden violating Title IX.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 4, 2024* 8:30 p.m., SECN | No. 21 | vs. South Florida Jacksonville Sports Foundation Invitational | W 98–83 | 1–0 | 29 – Clayton Jr. | 6 – Tied | 3 – Martin | VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena (5,764) Jacksonville, FL |
| November 7, 2024* 8:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ | No. 21 | Jacksonville | W 81–60 | 2–0 | 23 – Condon | 7 – Alexis | 7 – Clayton Jr. | O'Connell Center (8,381) Gainesville, FL |
| November 11, 2024* 7:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ | No. 20 | Grambling State | W 86–62 | 3–0 | 14 – Chinyelu | 8 – Tied | 3 – Tied | O'Connell Center (7,857) Gainesville, FL |
| November 15, 2024* 6:00 p.m., ACCN | No. 20 | at Florida State Rivalry | W 87–74 | 4–0 | 25 – Clayton Jr. | 12 – Condon | 3 – Tied | Donald L. Tucker Civic Center (9,797) Tallahassee, FL |
| November 19, 2024* 7:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ | No. 21 | Florida A&M | W 84–60 | 5–0 | 20 – Richard | 9 – Tied | 5 – Clayton Jr. | O'Connell Center (8,005) Gainesville, FL |
| November 22, 2024* 7:00 p.m., SECN | No. 21 | Southern Illinois | W 93–68 | 6–0 | 32 – Martin | 9 – Martin | 5 – Martin | O'Connell Center (9,533) Gainesville, FL |
| November 28, 2024* 2:30 p.m., ESPN | No. 18 | vs. Wake Forest ESPN Events Invitational Semifinals | W 75–58 | 7–0 | 21 – Clayton Jr. | 9 – Chinyelu | 3 – Clayton Jr. | State Farm Field House (3,191) Bay Lake, FL |
| November 29, 2024* 3:30 p.m., ESPN | No. 18 | vs. Wichita State ESPN Events Invitational Final | W 88–51 | 8–0 | 19 – Clayton Jr. | 11 – Chinyelu | 5 – Richard | State Farm Field House (3,875) Bay Lake, FL |
| December 4, 2024* 7:15 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 13 | Virginia ACC–SEC Challenge | W 87–69 | 9–0 | 27 – Clayton Jr. | 8 – Condon | 4 – Clayton Jr. | O'Connell Center (9,184) Gainesville, FL |
| December 14, 2024* 3:30 p.m., SECN | No. 9 | vs. Arizona State Holiday Hoopsgiving | W 83–66 | 10–0 | 25 – Clayton Jr. | 11 – Martin | 6 – Martin | State Farm Arena (12,900) Atlanta, GA |
| December 17, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 7 | vs. North Carolina Jumpman Invitational | W 90–84 | 11–0 | 22 – Richard | 10 – Condon | 5 – Condon | Spectrum Center (16,058) Charlotte, NC |
| December 21, 2024* 12:00 p.m., SECN | No. 7 | North Florida | W 99–45 | 12–0 | 26 – Richard | 12 – Alexis | 4 – Aberdeen | O'Connell Center (10,109) Gainesville, FL |
| December 29, 2024* 1:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ | No. 6 | Stetson | W 85–45 | 13–0 | 18 – Martin | 12 – Alexis | 7 – Clayton Jr. | O'Connell Center (10,676) Gainesville, FL |
| SEC regular season |||||||||
| January 4, 2025 11:00 a.m., ESPN | No. 6 | at No. 10 Kentucky Rivalry | L 100–106 | 13–1 (0–1) | 33 – Clayton Jr. | 10 – Condon | 5 – Clayton Jr. | Rupp Arena (21,093) Lexington, KY |
| January 7, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 8 | No. 1 Tennessee | W 73–43 | 14–1 (1–1) | 18 – Martin | 15 – Chinyelu | 5 – Clayton Jr. | O'Connell Center (11,011) Gainesville, FL |
| January 11, 2025 4:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 8 | at Arkansas | W 71–63 | 15–1 (2–1) | 14 – Martin | 10 – Condon | 5 – Clayton Jr. | Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR |
| January 14, 2025 9:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 5 | Missouri | L 82–83 | 15–2 (2–2) | 28 – Clayton Jr. | 10 – Chinyelu | 3 – Condon | O'Connell Center (10,491) Gainesville, FL |
| January 18, 2025 4:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 5 | Texas | W 84–60 | 16–2 (3–2) | 22 – Martin | 12 – Condon | 4 – Martin | O'Connell Center (11,107) Gainesville, FL |
| January 22, 2025 7:00 p.m., SECN | No. 5 | at South Carolina | W 70–69 | 17–2 (4–2) | 22 – Richard | 7 – Condon | 7 – Clayton Jr. | Colonial Life Arena (14,930) Columbia, SC |
| January 25, 2025 3:30 p.m., SECN | No. 5 | Georgia | W 89–59 | 18–2 (5–2) | 17 – Tied | 11 – Haugh | 5 – Clayton Jr. | O'Connell Center (11,187) Gainesville, FL |
| February 1, 2025 12:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 5 | at No. 8 Tennessee | L 44–64 | 18–3 (5–3) | 10 – Clayton Jr. | 10 – Haugh | 2 – Richard | Thompson–Boling Arena (21,678) Knoxville, TN |
| February 4, 2025 7:00 p.m., SECN | No. 6 | Vanderbilt | W 86–75 | 19–3 (6–3) | 21 – Richard | 9 – Tied | 4 – Tied | O'Connell Center (9,745) Gainesville, FL |
| February 8, 2025 4:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 6 | at No. 1 Auburn | W 90–81 | 20–3 (7–3) | 19 – Clayton Jr. | 10 – Condon | 9 – Clayton Jr. | Neville Arena (9,121) Auburn, AL |
| February 11, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 3т | at No. 22 Mississippi State | W 81–68 | 21–3 (8–3) | 20 – Aberdeen | 9 – Haugh | 8 – Haugh | Humphrey Coliseum (9,401) Starkville, MS |
| February 15, 2025 8:30 p.m., SECN | No. 3т | South Carolina | W 88–67 | 22–3 (9–3) | 22 – Aberdeen | 6 – Tied | 8 – Clayton Jr. | O'Connell Center (10,853) Gainesville, FL |
| February 18, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 2 | Oklahoma | W 85–63 | 23–3 (10–3) | 18 – Clayton Jr. | 8 – Richard | 3 – Aberdeen | O'Connell Center (10,513) Gainesville, FL |
| February 22, 2025 6:00 p.m., SECN | No. 2 | at LSU | W 79–65 | 24–3 (11–3) | 19 – Chinyelu | 13 – Chinyelu | 5 – Richard | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (8,569) Baton Rouge, LA |
| February 25, 2025 7:00 p.m., SECN | No. 3 | at Georgia | L 83–88 | 24–4 (11–4) | 30 – Richard | 9 – Handlogten | 5 – Clayton Jr. | Stegeman Coliseum (10,066) Athens, GA |
| March 1, 2025 8:30 p.m., SECN | No. 3 | No. 12 Texas A&M College GameDay | W 89–70 | 25–4 (12–4) | 25 – Richard | 9 – Condon | 4 – Tied | O'Connell Center (10,784) Gainesville, FL |
| March 5, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 5 | at No. 7 Alabama | W 99–94 | 26–4 (13–4) | 27 – Condon | 11 – Chinyelu | 8 – Clayton Jr. | Coleman Coliseum (13,474) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| March 8, 2025 6:00 p.m., SECN | No. 5 | Ole Miss | W 90–71 | 27–4 (14–4) | 23 – Clayton Jr. | 15 – Condon | 8 – Clayton Jr. | O'Connell Center (11,191) Gainesville, FL |
| SEC tournament |||||||||
| March 14, 2025 7:00 p.m., SECN | (2) No. 4 | vs. (7) No. 21 Missouri Quarterfinals | W 95–81 | 28–4 | 18 – Clayton Jr. | 8 – Condon | 6 – Clayton Jr. | Bridgestone Arena (18,608) Nashville, TN |
| March 15, 2025 3:30 p.m., ESPN | (2) No. 4 | vs. (3) No. 5 Alabama Semifinals, College GameDay | W 104–82 | 29–4 | 22 – Clayton Jr. | 10 – Tied | 6 – Clayton Jr. | Bridgestone Arena (19,049) Nashville, TN |
| March 16, 2025 1:00 p.m., ESPN | (2) No. 4 | vs. (4) No. 8 Tennessee Championship | W 86–77 | 30–4 | 22 – Clayton Jr. | 9 – Condon | 3 – Richard | Bridgestone Arena (19,151) Nashville, TN |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 21, 2025 6:50 p.m., TNT | (1 W) No. 3 | vs. (16 W) Norfolk State First round | | | | | | Lenovo Center Raleigh, NC |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking т = Tied with team above or below ( ) = First-place votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | 21 | 20 | 21 | 18 | 13 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 5 (1) | 5 | 5 | 6 | 3т (3) | 2 (1) | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 (2) | |
| Coaches | 21 | 19 | 19 | 16 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 (1) | 3 (3) | |