Florida’s backcourt trending upwards as March approaches

As Florida looks to grab its first SEC regular-season title since 2014, the backcourt is finding its rhythm at the right time.

Over the past few games, the Gators' backcourt has contributed at least two double-digit scoring efforts in each contest during Florida’s five-game win streak.

Now, with a home matchup against South Carolina (11-14, 2-10 SEC) Feb. 17, Florida’s guards will look to maintain their recent dominance. 

“The message, even before, was how good our ceiling could be when the shots start falling,” Florida’s Xaivian Lee said. “We are seeing a little bit of that now, for sure.”

Lee is at the forefront of Florida’s backcourt success.

Xaivian Lee

After his 20-point outing against then-No. 10 Vanderbilt on Jan. 17, the Princeton transfer struggled to provide consistent offense. He had four straight outings in which he failed to record double-digit points, shooting 3-for-14 (21%) from beyond the arc.

However, the senior guard turned things around, starting with a 10-point outing against Texas A&M on Feb. 7. Despite the Aggies’ numerous full-court presses throughout the contest, Lee was the sole starter to finish the game without a turnover.

Building off of that performance, Lee recorded a team-high 18 points against Georgia on Feb. 11. His third and last 3-pointer of the contest put the Gators up 13 points with less than four minutes to go, creating a deficit the Bulldogs couldn’t overcome.

Most recently, the Toronto, Canada, native had one of his better offensive performances of his campaign against then-No. 25 Kentucky Feb. 14.

"He’s stacked some really good games over the last couple of weeks, and I thought he was fantastic today," said Florida head coach Todd Golden after the Kentucky game. "Just got off to a great start, knocking shots down."

He opened the scoring for UF with a 3-pointer almost immediately after the game began. He went on to tie a season-high of four made 3-pointers, earning his third 20-plus-point performance since transferring from Princeton.

Defensively, Lee has also made strides, recording a steal in seven straight outings. He played a crucial role in holding Georgia’s Jordan Ross scoreless for over a quarter of their Feb. 11 matchup.

“He's been fantastic defensively,” Golden said. “He's really smart, knows how to be in the right place at the right time and can kind of see things coming before they happen, which allows him to not get hit on many screens or get lost in actions.”

Boogie Fland

Lee isn’t the only Gator who had an impact on winning during Florida’s five-game win streak. His starting backcourt partner, Boogie Fland, has been crucial to UF’s success.

In Florida’s win over Georgia, Fland recorded 15 points. In the second half, the sophomore guard hit a 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down, giving the Gators their largest lead of the game. The shot marked his first 3-pointer following a six-game drought.

Overall, the Arkansas transfer has put together three double-digit scoring efforts during Florida’s five-game win streak.

During this span, he’s been crucial to Florida’s defensive effort, recording at least one steal per game. Against Alabama, he recorded eight swipes, tying a program record set by Clifford Lett in 1991.

“I think it gave us some juice,” Fland said after the Alabama game. “Coming out with that effort. It was definitely a team effort, and I could not have done it without these guys.”

While Fland did not reach double-digit points in Florida’s 92-83 win over then-No. 25 Kentucky on Feb. 14, he logged a team-high three takeaways, including a steal with 15.5 seconds left in the contest. His defensive effort against the Wildcats helped UF finish plus-13 in points off of turnovers.

However, the starters are not the only contributors.

Off-the-bench contributions

During this win streak, Urban Klavžar has been a consistent spark off the bench, recording double-digit efforts in four of his last five outings.

Like Lee, he had one of his better offensive performances against Kentucky, notching 19 points. The junior guard came to life in the second half, with a team-leading 14 points and four 3-pointers. His 5 points in about 40 seconds forced Kentucky into a timeout down 14 points with 9:07 left in the game.

“It’s the best feeling in the world,” Klavžar said after the game. “Especially when that first shot goes in. You just get a boost in confidence by just shooting it, which leads to more makes.”

His partner off the bench, Isaiah Brown, has also mustered some of his stronger performances recently.

Against Texas A&M on Feb. 7 and Georgia on Feb. 11, the sophomore guard recorded back-to-back double-digit outings for the first time in his collegiate career. In the dominant away win against the Aggies, the Orlando native provided 12 points off the bench.

Against the Bulldogs, Brown recorded 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including a career-high three triples.

“Zay's [Isaiah's] been playing great,” Lee said. “He's kind of getting some of the recognition he definitely deserves because he's put his head down and worked all summer, all fall."

With six games to go and a chance to finish the season atop the SEC standings, the backcourt will look to continue its recent ways, starting against South Carolina on Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. in the O’Connell Center.

Contact Jeffrey Serber at Jserber@alligator.org. Follow him on X @JeffreySerber.

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