Florida Gators Basketball Make History in Dominant Win Over South Carolina

Rueben Chinyelu recorded his 12th double-double of the season as the Gators rebounded from Saturday's loss to Auburn.

The Florida Gators dominated in every facet of Wednesday's win over South Carolina. | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

COLUMBIA, S.C.-- Leading by more points than South Carolina had scored for most of the game, there was little doubt the 19th-ranked Florida Gators would win on Wednesday, getting back in the win column after Saturday's loss to Auburn.

Behind 18 points from Thomas Haugh and a 14-point, 11-rebound effort from Rueben Chinyelu, the Gators dominated the Gamecocks, 95-48. The 47-point win marked the program's largest of the season and program's largest road win SEC play in history.

It also tied the SEC record for margin of victory in a road win.

"We spent a lot of time talking about making sure we were mentally and physically ready to compete tonight and understand that it's going to be a really tough challenge," head coach Todd Golden said. "Our guys were clearly ready to play.”

Haugh led a dominant effort by the Gators in the first half that led to the win. The junior wing scored 15 points in the first half. As a team, the Gators went on a 15-0 run to take a 35-11 lead with 4:25 left in the frame. Additionally, the team made 10-straight field goals to eventually take a 46-18 lead.

TOMMYYY THREEE 🎯

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— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) January 29, 2026

Chinyelu scored eight points in the half, while Urban Klavzar added eight off the bench with a pair of 3-pointers as Florida took a 48-20 lead at the break. Klavzar, finishing with 11 points, led a dominant effort from the Gators' bench, which outscored South Carolina's bench, 37-20.

Chinyelu's 11-rebound effort also led a dominant effort on the glass for Florida. Paired with nine boards from Alex Condon, the Gators out-rebounded South Carolina, 45-24. Condon himself also had a career night with a near-triple-double. The junior finished with 10 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.

"It’s cool. I’m just glad the team won," Condon said. "To perform as well as we did on the road was special.”

Defensively, the Gators stifled South Carolina, holding the Gamecocks to a 25.9 percent mark from the field and 15 percent from the 3-point line. Florida blocked eight shots, with two each from Chinyelu, Condon and Micah Handlogten, and forced 10 turnovers, leading to 32 fast break points and 18 points off turnovers.

chat, we're flying

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— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) January 29, 2026

The trio also further helped Florida control the paint, outscoring South Carolina, 54-20, in that area.

"South Carolina is really hard to guard. They play five guys that can shoot and pass, but obviously in the interior, they're not as tall or as physical as we are, and we were able to take advantage of that," Golden said.

Other highlight performances include a nine-assist night from guard Xaivian Lee and 10 points from Boogie Fland. Lee's nine assists led a 28-assist effort from Florida, marking its largest total in a game in 30 years.

"Twenty-eight assists is crazy," Haugh said. "That just shows how unselfish this team is.”

The Gators (15-6, 6-2 SEC) return home for a ranked matchup on Sunday against No. 23 Alabama (14-6, 4-3). Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. with television coverage on ABC.