Ahead of Florida’s last game of the regular season, Rueben Chinyelu has the chance to further cement himself in program history.
When No. 5 Florida (24-6, 15-2 SEC) faces Kentucky (19-11, 10-7 SEC) in Lexington on Saturday at 4 p.m., the junior center has the chance to set the program single-season record for double-doubles, passing Bob Smyth’s 18 throughout the 1975-76 campaign.
Moreover, the Nigerian rides into Saturday’s game with two consecutive double-doubles to make up for some of his weaker performances the week before.
“We felt like he was capable of making a jump like this, this year,” Florida head coach Todd Golden said. “He’s one of the most valuable guys out there with the way he makes teams pay on both sides of the floor.”
After a 15-point, 17-rebound outing against South Carolina on Feb. 17, Chinyelu had a golden opportunity to maintain his dominance on the glass against Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi, on Feb. 21.
The Rebels came into that matchup second worst in the Southeastern Conference with a minus-2.3 rebounding advantage and 34.3 boards per game. However, Florida’s starting center was unable to take advantage.
In 24 minutes of action, Chinyelu was held to 3 points on 1-of-2 shooting and six rebounds. That point total was his lowest of the season, and the rebound total was his lowest since he recorded four boards against Georgia on Jan. 6.
Defensively, Chinyelu was unable to assert himself, giving up 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting and six rebounds to Ole Miss’ Malik Dia. That game marked Dia’s second-highest scoring effort during conference play.
“The last game, he wasn’t down on himself, but you could tell that he wasn’t used to not getting the same amount of rebounds or whatever he did,” Condon said on Feb. 24.
In the ensuing contest, the Gators traveled to Austin to take on a Texas team that provided a much larger threat in the paint.
The Longhorns entered the Feb. 25 contest giving up a second-best in the conference, 29.6 rebounds per game. A large reason for their success on the glass was 7-footer Matas Vokietatis. By the end of the game, the Lithuanian recorded 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting and six rebounds.
Conversely, Chinyelu was limited to 5 points and four rebounds. Moreover, Vokietatis' ability to get to the free-throw line resulted in Chinyelu sitting on the bench for much of the contest, finishing the game with four personal fouls.
With Chinyelu limited, Florida lost the rebound battle (30-29), the first time the Gators had been outrebounded since their season-opening loss to Arizona on Nov. 3. The Wildcats finished with a 41-39 advantage on the glass.
“Credit to Texas,” Golden said after the game. “They're an incredibly tough club. I think they're really good. The type of team that can make a deep run in March. Matas was really tough to keep off the glass.”
Chinyelu’s combined 8 points during these two games marked his lowest scoring effort during a two-game span throughout the entire season. It was also the first time he finished two straight games under double figures in SEC play.
Chinyelu took advantage of the opportunity to bounce back in Florida's 111-77 thrashing of Arkansas on Saturday.
He grabbed his 17th double-double of the season with 12 points and 16 rebounds. With this statline, Chinyelu surpassed Al Horford in the program history books, who was second with 16 double-doubles throughout the 2006-07 campaign.
On the defensive end of the floor, the junior played an important role in holding Arkansas starter Tervon Brazile to 3 points on 1-of-3 shooting, tying the senior forward’s lowest scoring effort of the season.
“Best rebounder in the country,” Golden said after the Arkansas game. “There’s no argument about that. He’s the best defensive player in the country, too. The guy plays so hard, and every one of his teammates values what he brings to the table.”
However, Chinyelu was not done.
In Florida’s 108-74 win over Mississippi State on Tuesday, he tied Florida’s single-season program record of double-doubles with his 18th. He finished the contest with 11 points and 16 rebounds. His dominance led the Gators to a 53-26 rebounding advantage.
Defensively, Chinyelu limited 7-footer Quincy Ballard to 4 points and three rebounds.
Now, Chinyelu looks ahead to Florida's regular-season finale against Kentucky. He grabbed his 15th double-double of the campaign with 10 points and 12 rebounds against the Wildcats on Feb. 14. This time, he plays for a chance to surpass Smyth and grab his 19th double-double of the season.
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
