Boogie Wonderland: Best Version of Fland Shows Up for the Gators Against Vols

Marred by inconsistent play, Boogie Fland made a change to his appearance and led the Gators to a big win over Tennessee.

Florida Gators guard Boogie Fland (0) gestures after making a 3-point basket against the Tennessee Volunteers. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Inconsistency has defined Boogie Fland’s start to his career with the Florida Gators. His games against Florida State, Providence and Duke have shown what he can be at his best, while contests against UConn and Arizona have provided glimpses of rather low lows.  

None of that mattered on Saturday, though, as Fland’s takeover performance helped spur the Gators to a dominant win over the No. 21 Tennessee Volunteers, proving his worth to the team and his coach. 

Fland, rocking a new haircut which he, his teammates and head coach Todd Golden equated to needing a fresh start, finished with 23 points, five assists, four steals and three rebounds against the Volunteers, leading the team in points and assists while finishing second in steals on the day. 

“I feel like it was great. Just executing the gameplan, playing with confidence, playing within what we do, not trying to do too much," he explained.

Boogie Fland is a playmaker

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— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) January 10, 2026

The performance marked his first 20-point game of the season, while his three 3-point makes ended a three-game skid without a 3-pointer. He was 0-for-15 dating back to his last make against Colgate on Dec. 21.

"Sometimes, these things can be mental. Just gave him an opportunity to kind of start fresh, and he played fantastic," Golden said.

Despite starting 0-for-3 in the game and not making his first shot until the 3:33 mark of the first half, when he connected on a 25-foot step back three, the confidence never wavered for him.

As a result, he played a pivotal part in the Gators securing a 13-point halftime lead over the Volunteers. Over the final 3:33, Fland scored 10 of his 23 points and logged three steals. 

“Obviously, in kind of the middle 20 of the game, he took over offensively and scored a majority of his points,” Golden said. “Seeing him play freely, knock down two 3s in the first half, starting to get downhill in transition. It just kind of took a lot of the pressure and a little bit of the stress off everybody else.”

This momentum carried over into the second half as well, where he added 13 points to his total, looking comfortable on nearly every offensive possession. The play sparked the rest of the team to its second straight win over a ranked SEC opponent.

"You could see the joy in our eyes when he was making all of those tough shots, the 3-pointers, the layups," center Rueben Chinyelu said. "Everybody was hyped up. We were juiced up because we know he can do it. It's not something new."

It can’t all be about the offense, though. Fland provided a noticeable impact on defense, too. His four steals were nearly half of the total for the entire team, with the Gators recording 13 overall. 

“I thought it was incredibly disruptive,” Golden said. “When he's at his best, he’s disruptive defensively, he’s a pest on the ball, he's creating transition opportunities through his defense.”

Boogie Fland.

let's keep in mind he sank a 3 right before this

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— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) January 10, 2026

More importantly, his on-ball defense was a pain in the side of Tennessee point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie. Gillespie ended 3-for-10 from the field, 2-for-6 from deep, and was responsible for four turnovers. 

After the game, Golden raved about Fland’s play, explaining the joy it gave him watching everything come together for his point guard. 

“All of us felt like, man, we're all just so happy for him,” Golden said, “that individually he could just start having more success, and, you know, be able to play with that freedom that allows him to do that.”

Another takeaway from this game, in addition to his scoring and defense, is that Fland has been finding his rhythm as a passer within the offense. His five assists against the Volunteers mark his third straight game, all against SEC opponents, with at least five assists. 

If Fland continues to manufacture these types of performances game after game, then the Gators can come back to a reality that has them as one of the most dangerous teams in the SEC.

"For me I feel like it was big. It was a step in the right direction," he said. "I feel like that little slump, it tests you mentally, but you got to be ready for basketball, the ups and downs is gonna come with it, and life in general. I feel like I battled through it, my teammates had my back and now we're here.”