### Head Coach Todd Golden’s Postgame Message After Florida’s 92-77 Victory Over Georgia
**Gainesville, FL – January 6, 2026**
Ladies and gentlemen of the media, Gator Nation, and everyone tuning in – what a night at the O’Connell Center. Tonight, our Florida Gators stepped up in a big way, delivering a hard-fought 92-77 victory over a talented No. 18 Georgia Bulldogs team. This win – our first SEC victory of the season and our biggest of the year so far – feels incredible, especially coming off a tough loss at Missouri. I’m incredibly proud of this group for responding the way they did.
Tonight was a game that we needed. We knew Georgia was coming in hot, with one of the most explosive offenses in the country. Credit to Coach Mike White and his staff – they’re really hard to guard, and they push the pace like few others. We got off to a solid start, building a nine-point lead early, but just like in some of our recent games, we let them crawl back in. It was a one-point game at halftime, 41-40, and there was that familiar feeling creeping in.
At halftime, I looked at our guys and said, “It’s got to be now.” The time is now for us to step up against a good team in a big moment and find a way to get to the finish line. And that’s exactly what they did. In the second half, we defended with great purpose. We held Georgia to just 34% shooting after the break and only 21% from beyond the arc. We dominated the glass, outrebounding them plus-12 in the second half and plus-21 overall – 56-35 for the game. That’s who we are. We handled the ball better, limited turnovers until a couple silly ones late against their press, and we attacked the paint relentlessly.
We outscored them in the paint by 20 tonight – 58 to 38, I believe. It’s how we’re built. It’s who we are. The more we accept and take pride in being that ugly, gritty, physical team – the one that wins the battles inside, crashes the boards, and grinds out possessions – the better we’ll be. Our perimeter shooting has been inconsistent all season, and we know that caps our ceiling sometimes. But when we lean into our identity like we did in that second half, we’re tough to beat. To hold the nation’s top-scoring offense to their season-low 77 points, and beat a ranked Georgia team by 15 at home? That’s a statement win for our program.
I have to shout out a few guys who were phenomenal tonight. Thomas Haugh – what can I say? 21 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, four blocks, three steals. A complete double-double performance, and his third of the season. He’s an incredible leader by example. It’s a testament to his work ethic, his belief, and how coachable he is. Sometimes he’s too coachable – I want him to yell at his teammates more, be that vocal leader – but man, he embodies what a Gator is. He’s great for this program.
Alex Condon was right there with him, dropping 21 points and battling inside all night. Boogie Fland contributed eight points, eight rebounds, and six assists – steady as always. And our bench, our depth on the glass – everyone contributed. We had 22 offensive rebounds leading to second-chance points that were huge.
One more special note: We had a legend in the building tonight – former Florida football coach Urban Meyer. I met Coach Meyer last spring at a gala, and we hit it off immediately. He loves this university, talks about it with the same passion I feel. He texted me earlier this week saying he was coming to the game, and he even addressed the team afterward. Especially for guys like Tommy Haugh, who grew up a huge Gator fan with Tim Tebow posters on his wall and idolizing Coach Meyer – it was electric. Coach Meyer reminded our guys what it means to compete at Florida, the championships he’s won here, and how to finish in big moments. He was really positive, and the energy he brought was awesome. Having him around more this season – he’s retired now and said he’ll be at more games – that’s huge for us.
This win gets us to 10-5 overall and 1-1 in the SEC. We’re defending national champions, but we’re still building this season’s identity. Games like this show what we’re capable of when we lock in defensively and rebound like maniacs. Gator Nation, the O’Connell Center was rocking tonight – your support gave us that home advantage we’ve been waiting for against a top team. Thank you for showing up.
We’ve got a quick turnaround with more SEC action ahead. We’ll enjoy this one tonight, learn from it, and get back to work. As always, Go Gators!
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