Is Florida Ranked After Back-to-Back Top 25 Wins?

Florida dominated ranked Georgia and Tennessee after falling out of the AP top 25.

After falling out of the top 25, the Florida Gators recorded back-to-back wins over ranked SEC opponents. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

The Florida Gators are back inside the AP top 25, landing at No. 19 in the newest version that was released on Monday. That comes after back-to-back SEC-ranked wins over the Tennessee Volunteers and the Georgia Bulldogs in Exactech Arena. 

Florida’s week started with a dominant victory against the Bulldogs, winning 92-77 on Tuesday. The contest began as a tightly contested one, but slowly became a one-sided affair in favor of the Gators. 

Georgia’s Somto Cyril played a vital role in the Gators' victory. Despite it being a one-possession game at the 10:14 mark in the first half, Cyril lost his cool and threw an elbow into the neck area of Gators' center Rueben Chinyelu. That led to an ejection for the Bulldogs' big man, leaving his team with little paint defense. 

After this moment, the Gators rushed out to a 32-23 advantage over the next two minutes with four straight baskets coming from inside or around the paint. 

However, by halftime, the visitors rallied to make it a one-point game. 

Although they matched the same intensity and effort in the first couple of minutes coming out of halftime, Georgia slowly started to fade as time went on. By the final whistle, the Gators were on top, 92-77. 

Leading the Gators to a victory were juniors Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh. Haugh nearly posted a triple-double, scoring 21 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and dishing out five assists. He also logged three steals and four blocks against the Bulldogs. Condon ended with 21 points on 9-for-12 shooting, secured eight rebounds and blocked two shots.  

Florida’s victory over Tennessee played out similarly. While it started as a game of tug-of-war, it ended with the Gators dominating the visitors. 

Through the first 16 minutes and 27 seconds, the scoreboard showed 26 for both teams. Then, thanks to Gators point guard Boogie Fland, the home team went on a 15-to-2 run to end the half to secure a 41-28 lead. Fland scored 10 points during this stretch to help push the Gators into pole position. 

From here, the Gators never looked back. Fland added 13 more points in the second half and Chinyelu provided 10 second-half points en route to the Gators dropping 50 points in total in the second period.  

At the final whistle, the Gators left with a 91-67 victory over the Volunteers on Saturday. 

The standout performers in this one were Fland, Chinyelu and Urban Klavzar. 

Fland ended with a season-high 23 points on 9-for-13 shooting, and had five assists, three rebounds and four steals. 

Chinyelu posted his SEC-leading eighth double-double of the season, scoring 17 points and grabbing 16 rebounds. He also became the first Gator since Udonis Haslem in 2002 to log 15 points and 15 rebounds against a ranked SEC opponent. 

Klavzar provided a boost off the bench for the Gators, scoring 15 points and making three 3-pointers in 28 minutes. 

Florida now heads to Oklahoma on Tuesday to take on the Sooners. That game tips off at 9 p.m. and is broadcast on ESPN2.