Gators Snag a Road Win, Take Down Arkansas

The Florida Gators moved to 15-1 overall and 2-1 in SEC play after a 71-63 win at Arkansas.

Jan 11, 2025; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks forward Jonas Aidoo (9) attempt a shot int he first half defended by Florida Gators forward Rueben Chinyelu (9) and guard Alijah Martin (15) at Bud Walton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images / Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ar. – The No. 8 Florida Gators men’s basketball team corralled the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday in Bud Walton Arena, winning 71-63. This win puts them above .500 in the league, sitting at 2-1 in the SEC. They are also now 15-1 overall on the season. 

It was a close battle throughout, but it was a late surge from the Gators forward Alex Condon that sealed the win. With two minutes remaining and Florida leading by seven, Condon hit a big-time 3-pointer and muscled in a tough layup down low on back-to-back possessions to seal the deal for his team. 

Condon was arguably Florida’s best player in this one, ending this game with 12 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Other standout performers include Alijah Martin (14 points, four rebounds) and Will Richard (12 points, eight rebounds, two steals). 

Gators use offensive rebounds to capture first half lead

Compared to their game against Tennessee, this one started drastically differently for Florida. Arkansas hit their opening five shots and rushed out to a 11-2 lead over the visitors. 

However, Florida finally calmed down and reeled things in. The Gators would go on a 15-2 run that positioned themselves in front 17-13 over the Razorbacks. Much of this was powered by forward Thomas Haugh, who scored six points and grabbed five rebounds, four of which on the offensive end, off the bench during this stretch.

From this point, it became a scrappy, defensive contest. Neither team was open to the idea of their opponent seeing the ball go through the basket. 

This favored Florida as well because they were able to use their advantage on the glass at an extreme rate. The Gators dominated the glass overall and it helped them generate their biggest lead of the game with just under two minutes remaining in the half. 

With 1:34 left, Gators forward Sam Alexis was sent to the free throw line after bringing down an offensive rebound. He knocked down both to give his team a 28-22 lead over Arkansas. 

But after some poor offense that included an untimely turnover near the end of the half, the Razorbacks brought the Gators lead to a single possession, as the halftime score was 28-25 in favor of the Gators. 

As mentioned, one big area that was heavily in favor of the Gators was the offensive rebounds. Golden’s team pulled in 12 offensive boards that led to 12 second chance points in the first 20 minutes. Conversely, Arkansas only had 19 total rebounds and six of them were on the offensive end of the court. 

Foul trouble for the visitors in the second, but they overcome it late

It was a positive start for the Gators in this second half. They extended their lead to nine points in the first four minutes, and pushed it two points further to 11 after seven minutes. 

The reason they were able to do this was because of the improvement on the offensive end, as the offense was 5-for-10 overall and 2-for-4 from deep during this period. 

However, Florida struggled to bury the Razorbacks from this point due to foul troubles throughout the second half. With around eight minutes, both Martin and Rueben Chinyelu had four fouls, while Haugh and Condon had three. 

With these fouls, it slowed down the game and gave the Razorbacks more free throws than the Gators would have hoped for. And, it even led to the Gators lead getting cut to just three points with around six minutes remaining in the game. 

Then, just a couple minutes later, the most impactful call from a ref had occurred. Star guard Martin was called for fouling an Arkansas player on a three-point shot that put him on the bench for the rest of the game. 

However, it didn’t hurt Florida too much because of an offensive surge from Condon, who poured in five quick points to capture a 12-point lead with 1:14 left in the game.

By the final whistle, Florida would be on top over Arkansas 71-63. The win moved the Gators to 2-1 in the league and 15-1 overall while Arkansas now sits at 0-3 in league play and 11-5 overall. 

Outside of the Gators dominating in the rebounding department, they were also given a break with how the Razorbacks shot from the freethrow line. The host only made 68.6 percent of their attempts, missing 11 free throws. 

Focus now turns to Tigers and Longhorns

Following this road win for Florida, their next two matchups will come at Exactech Arena. 

First for the Gators is the Missouri Tigers at home on Tuesday. This game is scheduled for a 9 pm tipoff and will be broadcasted on ESPNU. After the Tigers are the Texas Longhorns on Jan. 18. This game will either begin at 2 or 4 pm on either ESPN or ESPN2.