Expectations for Florida guard Boogie Fland were high coming into his sophomore campaign. His missed game-tying three-pointer against Arizona left a sour taste in the Gators’ opener, but Todd Golden has continued to praise the sophomore guard for his beneficial presence on the court.
Through two games, Fland is averaging 9.5 points, three rebounds and three assists per game. He hasn’t committed a turnover in 50 minutes on the court, and the Gators are averaging 1.27 points per possession when he’s in the lineup.
“He's been great," Golden said. "His ball security and his organization on the offensive end are really important to us. He's a great point guard, a guy that can really organize a team, and really makes great decisions."
Fland averaged 13.5 points, 5.1 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game during his freshman season, along with a 3.72 assist-to-turnover ratio that was second in the SEC last year. He also shot 36.5% from beyond the arc last season.
The sample size is small through just two games, but Fland has shown flashes of success on both ends of the court.
On offense, he’s played an essential role in the Gators’ efficiency. Against Arizona, he led with three assists and was the only guard in the rotation not to commit a turnover.
"Boogie keeps us really organized offensively," Golden said Wednesday. "When he was leading us offensively, we were really well organized, executed great in the half court with him playing point."
Against North Florida, he had three assists and was the only rotational player without a turnover. He also shot 4 for 4 from inside the arc and was 2 of 3 from the charity stripe, recording his first double-digit outing of the 2025-26 season.
He finished the contest with a plus-26 rating, which was the second-highest among the team.
"When my point guard plays 50 whatever minutes in his first two college games without a turnover, that's pretty damn impressive," Golden said. "That's something that we can all get behind and celebrate."
Fland has also asserted himself on the defensive end. To start the season, Florida faced a strong team in then-No. 13 Arizona. While Florida struggled defensively, one person who shone was Fland, who led the team with three steals.
His last steal of the night came late in the game, with the Gators needing a crucial defensive stop.With 44 seconds left and Florida trailing 88-85, Fland stole an inbound pass from Anthony Dell’Oroso.
The loose ball led Fland to an open three that he was unable to convert, but his defensive pressure allowed the Gators to tie a game they seemed out of down 88-80 with 1:08 left.
"Boogie is a really good on-ball defender," junior guard Urban Klavzar said Oct. 7. "I stand behind that. The rumors are true. He's really good on the ball."
Fland continued to make an impact on defense against North Florida when he forced a steal off senior guard Kamrin Oriol that led to a slam dunk at the 14:56 mark of the first half. That steal helped ignite a 27-4 run for the Gators and led to a 36-13 lead.
He also played a pivotal role in shutting down Ospreys guard Kent Jackson, holding him to six points on 2-for-6 shooting from three. The sophomore was coming off a 16-point outing on 4-for-8 shooting from beyond the arc against Werner in UNF's sole exhibition game.
"He's a defensive menace," senior center Micah Handlogten said Sept. 30. "He gets steals, he's in the lanes, he's getting up into people's bodies and forcing them to have a tough time handling the ball. It's really good."
Fland will look to further his impact with Florida at 7 p.m. Tuesday against in-state rival Florida State (2-0) in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
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.
