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Gators Thomas Haugh Finding New Ways to Impress

The Florida Gators sophomore once again showed his value to the team with the win over Mississippi State
Kyle Lander|
Florida Gators forward Thomas Haugh was a force in Tuesday's win
Florida Gators forward Thomas Haugh was a force in Tuesday's win | Wesley Hale-Imagn Images

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Florida Gators

Gainesville, Fla. — It’s been a stellar sophomore season for Florida Gators forward Thomas Haugh. He’s proven not only to be one of the best off the bench in the SEC but also the entire country as well. 

He makes the routine plays asked of him and more without any hesitation. But, when you think you’ve placed the correct expectations on his shoulders, he defies them. 

On Tuesday against Mississippi State, Haugh became the first SEC player since John Wall in the 2010 season to record at least 15 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and multiple blocks and steals.

“It's an elite effort for him tonight,” Gators head coach Todd Golden said after the game. 

His effort in the first six to seven minutes of the second half put him in a position to achieve this feat. Haugh was a major component in the Gators' 25-4 run at the start of the second period that helped blow it wide open for the visitors. 

During this stretch, Haugh recorded four assists, three rebounds, two three-pointers and two steals. 

It’s his effort and understanding of what is needed from him every night that has resulted in him doing what he has done for the Gators this season. He’s almost always making the right read with the ball in his hands and when on the court, he is what makes this team go. 

His coach also said something similar after the win over Mississippi State. 

“…but Tommy is, you know, one of the guys that delivers the heartbeat for this team, and the passion in which he plays, the toughness, the consistency, of being as coachable as he is to go out and execute on the floor what the coaches want him to do is everything,” Golden said after the game.

Take this play for example. Off of a Bulldogs turnover, he has the composure to push it down the floor for a fast break chance and caps it off with a beautiful dime to his teammate for the easy slam. A year ago, it’s hard to know if he’s doing that or not. But now, it looks like he’s been doing it all season. 

Then, on defense, there’s never a question of if he could’ve given a little more. He uses his length very well on that end, and it has led to many blocks and steals. 

This isn’t an overreaction of his game against the Bulldogs either. Go look at his previous game against the No. 1 team in the country. 

Last weekend, he posted 16 points, nine rebounds, three assists, three blocks and a steal off the bench in the game versus Auburn. Furthermore, he made game-winning plays when the opportunities were presented to him, like tapping an offensive rebound out for a Gators three to help calm things down for his team.

These two performances came at the perfect time as well, as this was arguably the biggest two-game stretch of the season.

However, as mentioned, this isn’t just as of late, it’s been all season for Haugh and the stats back it up. 

According to Evan Miyakwa’s analytics, Haugh is one of the best sixth men and glue guys in the entire country. 

On top of that, when at least one of Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin or Will Richard have been paired with Haugh on the court, the ratings have been sky-high, according to CBB Analytics on X (formerly known as Twitter). 

Clayton Jr. and Haugh’s two-man lineup is the second-best in the entire SEC, holding a net rating of +28.5, an offensive rating of 127.8 and a defensive rating of 99.3. 

For the other two, the lineup of Haugh and Richard is the third-best in the SEC and Martin and Haugh is the sixth-best. When Haugh is on the court, good things happen for the Gators. 

Haugh has been one of the most underrated players, nationally, this entire season. However, by being put front and center of the stage, it’s safe to say that the outside world knows exactly who he is and what he brings to the table each game.

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Kyle Lander
KYLE LANDER

Kyle Lander is a contributing writer at Florida Gators on SI. He is also a graduate of the University of Florida with a degree in journalism. On top of his writing, Kyle is a photographer for the site as well. Outside of his work with Florida Gators on SI, he likes to hike, travel, watch movies and hang out with family and friends.

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