Florida (1-1) hosts in-state rival Florida State (2-0) with an opportunity to beat the Seminoles for the fifth year in a row.
As the Gators look to build on last season's tournament run and maintain a winning culture, this game against Florida State will play a crucial role as they prepare for a rigorous nonconference schedule that includes matchups against No. 3 UConn and No. 4 Duke, followed by a packed SEC schedule.
"Luke [Loucks]’s done a great job. I think they’re playing with a lot of purpose,” head coach Todd Golden said of FSU and its head coach Monday. "They did a good job putting this roster together."
Two games in, Florida has plenty of kinks to work out from its 93-87 loss to then-No. 13 Arizona. Here are four keys for the Gators as they take on the Seminoles.
Defend the perimeter
The heartbeat of Florida State's offense lies in the play of its three senior guards. It's a similar situation to Florida's backcourt last year, filled with experienced transfers looking to take advantage of exposure to a larger audience.
At the helm is Lajae Jones, who stands at 6-foot-7 and 220 pounds. Jones transferred from St. Bonaventure, where he averaged 10.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game and has continued his success in the ACC so far. He recorded a double-double in an exhibition game against Alabama and led the team with 20 points on 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range against Alabama State.
Alongside Jones, Kobe MaGee and Robert McCray V provide the majority of Florida State's productivity in the backcourt. MaGee had 16 points against Alabama State, and McCray dropped 12 in both of FSU's games this season, alongside his 17 assists against Alcorn State, which set a program record for most assists in a single contest.
Last time out against Alabama State, Florida State attempted 47 three-pointers, setting a record for most shots attempted beyond the arc for any ACC school.
“They're shooting a lot of 3s,” Golden said. “I know that's a goal for them to get a lot of attempts up. They don't settle for any mid range jumpers.”
So far, Florida has held its opponents to 28% shooting from 3-point range. More solid perimeter defense, and the Gators can find their second win Tuesday night.
Get it going from 3-point range
If Florida wants to make a run again in March, it needs to get back on track from beyond the arc. In the last two games, the Gators are 13 of 59 from three, and at the heart of those troubles are the two transfer guards, Boogie Fland and Xavian Lee.
Lee, a senior transfer from Princeton, followed his 3-of-11 3-point shooting against Arizona with a 2-of-8 performance from three against North Florida. Against the Ospreys, the Toronto native missed his first five attempts from beyond the arc.
Fland is shooting a combined 0 of 5 from three through his first two games at Florida after transferring from Arkansas. The sophomore guard found himself with an open corner three against Arizona with 30 seconds left, which would’ve tied the game with Florida trailing 88-85. However, he missed the shot, and the Gators dropped their first game of the season.
"Obviously, we'd like to knock down more shots," Thomas Haugh said after the game against North Florida. "Six for 32 from three, it's not great, but that's going to happen. We've got good shooters."
In addition, junior guard Urban Klavzar has shot for a combined 2 of 10 from three. Last season, the Slovenian missed 12 of his first 13 3-pointers.
Against the Seminoles, the Gators guards will have a chance to get back into the rhythm from beyond the arc. In its last game against Alcorn State, Florida State allowed its opponent to make 50% of its 3-point attempts, including 7-of-11 shooting in the first half.
“Three point shots are volatile,” Golden said. “It’s why a big part of our offense is getting on the glass and trying to be efficient from two, because we don’t need to be a team that relies on upon making threes to be as good as we can be.”
Trust the front court
So far, the success of Florida's four returning big men has determined the outcome of both games.
After being outrebounded by Arizona to start the season, Florida's frontcourt answered back with a dominant performance against North Florida.
In particular, junior Alex Condon turned things around after fouling out and having six turnovers against the Wildcats. The Aussie went off against UNF, finishing with 25 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and a steal.
Florida finished the contest by outrebounding North Florida 64-24 and had more offensive rebounds (13) than UNF had defensive rebounds (9) by the end of the first half.
"When we play teams that don't have the depth and the size, the physicality in the front line that we do, we have to impose our will," Golden said Thursday.
This Florida State team is larger than North Florida's, but not to the extent where it should provide the Gators much trouble. While the Seminoles have outrebounded both of their opponents, their roster lacks the size and depth compared to the Gators.
Florida State's biggest threats in terms of size are 6-foot-10 forward Chauncey Wiggins and 6-foot-9 forward Alex Steen. Off the bench, the Seminoles have 6-foot-8 freshman Thomas Bassong and 6-foot-11 sophomore Alier Maluk.
While Wiggins, who scored 22 points against Alcorn State, and Steen, who had 9 points and 8 rebounds against Alabama State, have provided stable offensive productivity so far, the same can’t be said for Bassong and Maluk. The two haven’t found their footing yet offensively.
On the flip side, Florida has great depth in the frontcourt, with senior Micah Handlogten coming off the bench. He started the season with two double-doubles and finished against UNF with 17 points and 13 rebounds in 18 minutes.
“He is in great shape,” Golden said. “What makes him so good is his IQ, his feel, his ability to be in the right place, make others better, and then being able to play extended periods.”
With the experience that Handlogten and Condon bring, along with the leadership of Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu, the Gator frontcourt ranks atop some of the best in the nation. It should be able to dominate the Seminole big men.
Utilize home court advantage
The idea of getting your crowd into the contest early could be applied to any home game, but for Tuesday's matchup, the idea is as relevant as ever.
FSU's head coach, Luke Loucks, is entering his first season as head coach of the program. Tuesday's game will be his first road test as the head coach of a collegiate program, and it won't come easy against the Florida home crowd, who are filled with excitement heading into the 2025-26 season.
Students already started lining up outside the Stephen C. O’Connell Center before noon Tuesday.
Overall, the Gators are 30-2 at home since the beginning of the 2023-24 season.
Moreover, the Seminoles' roster is filled with numerous transfers who lack the experience of playing in Power Four programs. For example, the entire starting lineup consists of transfers, including Steens, who transferred from Division II Florida Southern.
In addition, anytime the Gators and Seminoles face off, the in-state rivalry fuels the atmosphere. If Florida gets out to an early, commanding lead and can get the crowd into the game, it would be tough for this year's Florida State team to get back into the contest.
"Any rivalry probably matters a little more to everybody outside of the program,” Golden said. “You play a team like Florida State, in-state rival, everything you got to continue to win this battle."
The Gators will rely on the home support, looking to go 2-0 at the O'Dome this season with tipoff set for Tuesday's game at 7 p.m.
Contact Jeffrey Serber at Jserber@alligator.org. Follow him on X @JeffreySerber.
Jeffrey is the Fall 2025 enterprise and men's basketball beat reporter and a second-year journalism sports & media major. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with friends and family, and rooting for the Miami sports teams.
