After a two-game homestand, Florida heads out to Jacksonville to take on its state foe, Miami (3-0).
The last time the two teams faced each other was in the 2019 Charleston Classic, where the Gators came out on top, 78-58. With a win, Florida will have defeated all three of its in-state opponents for the 2025-26 season.
"They have a very talented team," head coach Todd Golden said. "I expect Sunday night, similar to Tuesday, to be a good challenge for us. They've done really well so far."
The Hurricanes come into Sunday's contest undefeated following victories over Jacksonville, Bethune-Cookman and Stetson at home. First-year head coach Jai Lucas looks to flip the script from a 7-26 record during the 2024-25 campaign for the Hurricanes, which marked one of their worst seasons in program history.
Here are four keys for Florida to win its fifth game against Miami in the last seven meetings.
Win down low
Miami's strength through three games is its ability to dominate down low in the paint.
So far, the Hurricanes have outscored their opponents 158-76 on points in the paint, and in all of their games, a majority of their points have come from down low. At the forefront of this dominance in the painted area is Malik Reneau and Ernest Udeh Jr.
Reneau is a senior forward who transferred to Miami after three seasons at Indiana. He came into the season as a member of the 2025 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Watchlist, along with Florida's Alex Condon. At 6-foot-9, 238 pounds, Reneau is the heartbeat of the Hurricanes' offense, scoring 20-plus points in all three games this season and leading Miami in scoring in two of those contests.
Against Stetson, his 22 points and 10 rebounds pushed Miami to a 102-61 victory. Reneau has attempted just three shots from beyond the arc this season despite being the Hurricanes' leading scorer.
Udeh, a junior transfer from TCU, has also been a dominant force. He has two double-doubles in three games, including a 14-point and 14-rebound outing against Jacksonville to open the season. His playstyle is similar to that of Rueben Chinyelu, who doesn’t flash offensively but provides a physical presence and an advantage in the rebound battle.
"They've been scoring a lot of points," Golden said. "They're playing bigger like we are with Malik and Ernest Udeh, two really accomplished, old front court players. There's some similarities to the way they play and how we play."
Chinyelu will have to continue his success from Tuesday's Florida State game, where he logged 16 rebounds and 10 points. Along with Chinyelu, Florida will need Condon and senior center Micah Handlogten to provide the defensive presence to slow down Miami's paint production.
Handlogten had a double-double in both of Florida's first two games of the 2025-26 season, but he struggled against Florida State, with two points, six rebounds and three personal fouls in just 10 minutes on the court.
Florida's last big test in the paint was against Arizona, where the Wildcats prevailed 93-87. If Florida wants to come out on top, it will need to win in the paint on both sides of the court.
Stay in rhythm offensively
When the Hurricanes hired Lucas to lead the program, they were bringing in a defensive mastermind.
In his three seasons at Duke, Lucas was the defensive coordinator and led a dominant defense. Last season, the Blue Devils ranked seventh in scoring defense (61 points per game), sixth in field goal percentage allowed (38.3%), and fourth overall with a 90.4 adjusted defensive efficiency rating, according to KenPom.
More than ever, Sunday's matchup will be critical for Florida to get back in rhythm offensively, particularly from beyond the arc, where Xavian Lee, Boogie Fland and Urban Klavzar have struggled.
On Tuesday, the three were 4 for 21 from 3-point range, with Lee himself shooting 1 for 10.
"They're searching a little bit," Golden said." For a lot of us, staff included, we're playing with a little bit of pressure. The circumstances have changed for everybody, and I think for them, it's a mental toughness thing."
There were signs of improvement as Fland hit two 3s in the second half and Klavzar hit a crucial shot from the left corner to give the Gators a 74-70 lead with 59 seconds left in the game.
Florida's offense will also have to maintain its rhythm inside the arc, with Alex Condon playing a significant role in doing so.
The junior from Perth, Australia, has had a slower-than-expected start to the year but excelled against North Florida and put up 25 points and 10 rebounds in 26 minutes.
A combination of consistent production from the perimeter and inside will be crucial to Florida's offense, preventing Lucas' experience in defense from having an impact on the game.
Take care of the ball
The Hurricanes have won the turnover battle in each game this season, and as a result, Miami has outscored its opponents on turnovers 55-35.
Florida, on the other hand, has struggled to take care of the ball, logging a minus-10 turnover margin through the games. Most recently, the Gators had 18 turnovers against the Seminoles.
Miami's Tru Washington, a junior transfer from Utah, is a big reason for Miami's success in the turnover battle. He leads the team, averaging three steals a game this season. Before he arrived in Coral Gables, he led Utah with 71 steals last season, which was third in the Mountain West Conference.
For Florida, Condon has struggled to take care of the ball. He had six turnovers against Arizona and Florida State, which contributed to his aforementioned offensive struggles.
"Our ball control can be better," Golden said. "It needs to be better as we move forward the rest of the year."
If the Gators want to force turnovers, they'll have to rely on Fland, who is coming off a four-steal performance against Florida State. He got his first two in seven minutes of action.
Stay out of foul trouble
As a result of Miami's aggressive offensive style, the Hurricanes have achieved considerable success from the free-throw line.
So far, they have made at least 22 free throws in each game this season, including 37 appearances at the line against Jacksonville, where they shot 78% from the free-throw line.
Reneau and Tre Donaldson, a senior guard who transferred from Michigan, are Miami's leading scorers and have gone to the line at least four times each in each game.
Against Florida State, the Gators surrendered 25 free throws, and the Seminoles made 21. In the second half, Robert McCary V's ability to get to the line helped FSU stay in the game. He finished the night 9 of 12 from the line.
"Trey is kind of an attacking guard, and Reneau is great in that middle pinch area and facing up," Golden said. "It's going to be a good challenge for us to see if we do a better job in that middle two-man game on Sunday."
To open the season against Arizona, Florida saw Chinyelu and Condon foul out of the game due to the Wildcats' constant attacks on the basket.
If Florida wants to play good defense down low, keeping Miami off the free-throw line will play an essential role in doing so.
Tipoff for Sunday's game is at 8:30 p.m. at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville.
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.
