Florida takes on its biggest challenge in Southeastern Conference play against the No. 11 offense in the nation.
On Saturday, No. 19 Florida (12-5, 3-1 SEC) takes on No. 10 Vanderbilt (16-1, 3-1 SEC) in Nashville at 2 p.m. on ESPN. The Gators are coming into the contest with a three-game winning streak, while the Commodores lost their first game of the season Wednesday at Texas.
“They’re creative,” Florida head coach Todd Golden said. “They do a good job … moving the pieces around and trying to exploit the different ways you guard things.”
Here are four keys for UF to pull off the road upset in its sole meeting with Vanderbilt this season.
Defend the perimeter
The Commodores come into Saturday as one of the best 3-point shooting teams the Gators will face this season. Their 36.8% mark puts them No. 3 in the SEC and No. 48 nationally,
At the forefront of Vanderbilt's success from beyond the arc is senior forward Tyler Nickel. He leads the rotation with 47.2% shooting from 3-point range, putting him at the No. 6 spot nationally. Against Central Arkansas on Dec. 13, he recorded a season-high 30 points on 8-of-15 shooting from 3.
Guards Tyler Tanner and Duke Miles also contribute to the Commodores' 3-point attack, shooting 39.2% and 36.6% from beyond the arc, respectively. Florida’s guards Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee will have Vanderbilt's chances on the perimeter.
“They run a lot of stuff, they throw a lot at you,” Fland said. “They’re a great team, we just gotta come out, execute.”
Against Oklahoma, these two helped limit Nijel Pack, who came into the game shooting 45% from beyond the arc, to 2-of-8 shooting from three. However, the Sooners did finish the contest 10-of-16 (63%) from 3-point range.
If the Gators want to stay in Saturday’s contest, the first step will be limiting the clean looks for the Commodores from deep.
Take care of the ball
On defense, Vanderbilt is one of the better teams in the nation when it comes to forcing the issue.
Mark Byington’s team is No. 1 in the SEC and No. 15 nationally with 9.8 steals per game.
Miles leads the team with 2.9 steals per outing, putting him No. 6 in the nation. Against Memphis on Dec. 17, he had a season-high six steals in Vanderbilt’s 77-70 overtime win.
Behind Miles is Tanner. The sophomore guard set a program record for most steals by a freshman with 55. In his sophomore campaign, he is averaging 2.6 steals a night, putting him No. 12 nationally. He logged a season-high five steals at Wake Forest on Nov. 29.
However, there is a chance that the Commodores will be without graduate guard Frankie Collins, who is averaging 2.4 steals per contest. He has not seen action since the Memphis game after he tore his meniscus, requiring surgery.
Florida has recently improved its ball security.
While turnovers played a significant role in early-season losses to TCU, UConn, and Duke, the Gators have seemingly put those struggles in the past. In its victory over No. 21 Tennessee, Florida won the turnover battle 18-10, leading by a plus-22 margin in points off turnovers. Against Oklahoma on Wednesday, the Gators had seven turnovers to the Sooners’ 11.
Still, the Gators rank the worst in the SEC in turnover margin (minus-1.06), while the Commodores are second-best in the conference (plus-4).
Florida must continue its upward trend of taking better care of the basketball against a Vanderbilt team that thrives on forcing turnovers
Dominate the paint
Florida’s frontcourt continues to be a dominating factor this season.
The Gators entered Saturday first in rebound margin (plus-15), offensive rebounds per game (17) and defensive boards per outing (46.7). On Wednesday, Florida finished plus-12 on the glass and with a 38-point advantage in the paint.
Rueben Chinyelu leads the Gators frontcourt with 10.7 boards per game, lining up to be the first player in program history since 1976 to finish a season averaging double-digit rebounds. Against the Sooners, the junior center grabbed his ninth double-double of the season, finishing the contest with 19 points and 12 boards.
Behind Chinyelu is Alex Condon, with 8.3 rebounds per night. The Aussie had a 21-point, eight-rebound outing in Florida’s 92-77 win over then-No. 18 Georgia on Jan. 6.
In its sole loss of the season, Vanderbilt was punished on the glass. Texas finished Wednesday’s contest plus-18 on the boards and a 30-14 advantage in paint points en route to an 80-64 win.
“They controlled the boards and provided a blueprint to beat Vanderbilt,” Golden said. With size and physicality, we got to play into our strengths that way.”
Florida will need its frontcourt to continue its dominance in the paint on Saturday to keep up with Vanderbilt's perimeter-driven offense.
Stay hot offensively
The Gators have found more success on offense after starting the season with significant shooting problems. UF enters Saturday scoring 90 or more points in six of its last seven contests, including in three straight.
A large reason for the burst in offensive production is the recent success of Fland. The Arkansas transfer followed his 23-point outing versus Tennessee with a 15-point performance against Oklahoma. Against the Volunteers, he shot a season-best 3-for-6 from beyond the arc.
“Just playing freely,” Fland said. “Playing within what we do, playing with confidence. Back to my old self.”
Moreover, Urban Klavžar has flourished recently, recording three-consecutive double-digit scoring efforts. Against Tennessee, the junior guard logged 15 points on 3-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc.
Saturday will be no easy task for Fland and the rest of Florida’s offense, with Vanderbilt allowing the lowest 3-point percentage in the SEC to opponents (28.3%). Additionally, UF is still shooting an SEC-worst 27.9% from three.
To overcome this obstacle, the Gators will need more production from Lee. Against Oklahoma, the Princeton transfer was 0-for-6 from 3-point range. He has only made multiple 3-pointers in two of his last six outings.
Contact Jeffrey Serber at Jserber@alligator.org. Follow him on X @JeffreySerber.
Jeffrey is the spring 2026 men's basketball beat reporter and a second-year journalism sports & media major with a media, management and production minor. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with friends and family, and rooting for the Miami sports teams
