DURHAM, N.C. — When one walks into Cameron Indoor Stadium for the first time, it’s difficult not to be enamored by every little detail of the arena.
The rafters can barely suffice for the sheer number of Final Fours Duke has produced. The wooden bleachers that meet the sidelines are covered in splotches of blue paint and years of built-up sweat from the Cameron Crazies.
In block letters, a patinated “Cameron Indoor Arena” reads across the scorer’s table. Even it feels as if it radiates light.
But as bright as the lights were, as obnoxious as the crowd might have been for the opposing Gators, it was almost impossible to outshine Thomas Haugh.
The Gators forward, who finished with 24 points and six rebounds, logged his fourth game scoring 20 or more points in eight contests this season. The Gators fell just shy of a 15-point comeback in the second half, losing 67-66, but Haugh looked stellar.
“He was exceptional,” head coach Todd Golden said after the game. “Never taking it for granted, but he delivers every night for us.”
Haugh played 39 of 40 minutes and was subbed out just once in the first half. Through eight games this season, he’s proved the Gators really can’t choose to take him for granted, especially considering the numerous kinks Florida is struggling to work out.
For starters, the backcourt — that included three eventual NBA guards in Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard during Florida’s championship run — has looked like a husk of its former self through eight games.
Boogie Fland finally broke out against the Blue Devils, scoring 9 points in the final four minutes, and he hit a clutch 3-pointer to take a 66-64 lead with 30 seconds left. However, Xaivian Lee has been below average in multiple facets. He has struggled to create shots, he is consistently missing 3s, and Golden even elected to sit his starting guard for the final six minutes against Duke. He finished with 4 points on 1-of-10 shooting.
But his issues are just one slice of the pie for a Florida team that has struggled to shoot from 3-point range. The Gators are shooting 27%, and Lee leads the team with 57 3-point attempts. When you take away his shots, Florida is still landing only 29% of its shots from beyond the arc.
Additionally, the Gators have struggled with turning the ball over. Florida has a 19.2% turnover percentage. Most good teams strive to aim below 15%, and regardless of how quickly the Gators’ offense operates, hovering around 20% is much too high to yield consistent offensive results.
But as many kinks as Florida attempts to overcome, Haugh has remained the anchor for the Gators. He’s averaging a career high in every major statistical category with 18.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists. When both teams entered the locker room at halftime, Haugh was the only Florida player who had more than a single field goal.
“This should’ve been a win in my books,” he said. “We can build off this.”
It should be noted that entering Duke’s home arena and expecting a win is a tall order to ask for. The Blue Devils have lost just six times at Cameron Indoor in the last five seasons. Duke head coach Jon Scheyer even said that Tuesday’s atmosphere offered a significant edge.
“The crowd was incredible,” Scheyer said. “I thought it made a huge difference tonight, even when we weren’t playing our best.”
Duke freshman superstar Cameron Boozer has also looked exceptional this season, and while it's easy to get caught up in his final stat line — 29 points, six rebounds and three assists — he, more importantly, made the greatest decision of his nine-game college career and swung a pass to Isaiah Evans at the top of the key with 20 seconds to go.
Evans swished the game-winning 3, sending Cameron Indoor into a frenzy.
“That was a special Cameron moment tonight,” Scheyer said.
For Florida to return to its championship-level, it will take a collective effort that extends beyond its frontcourt. Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu continue to be among the best at their positions, with each logging four double-doubles across eight games. But Lee needs to bundle positive results before the Gators can garner more title-potential praise.
Florida travels to New York next to take on No. 5 UConn at Madison Square Garden.
Contact Luke Adragna at ladragna@alligator.org. Follow him on X @lukeadrag.
Luke is The Alligator's Sports Editor and is a senior sports journalism student. In his free time, he enjoys playing with his cat named Pete and going down a rabbit hole of niche professional athletes (shoutout Charles Sims).
