Takeaways from Florida's Dismantling of South Carolina

Florida matched its largest SEC win in program history against South Carolina.

The Florida Gators dominated South Carolina on Wednesday. | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The No. 19 Florida Gators eased past the South Carolina Gamecocks Wednesday night, defeating the hosts, 95-48, while matching its largest SEC win in program history. 

“Yeah, I'm really proud of our team,” Gators head coach Todd Golden said. “We had a tough loss on Saturday. Just kind of got our butts kicked at home, and this was an opportunity for our guys to prove that we can respond the right way.”

Florida played their best game yet this season. The offense moved the ball quickly and effectively, resulting in numerous quality shots and an efficient night. Most importantly, though, the Gators had the best player on the court and maybe in the conference. 

Not a Shot Quality Problem for the Florida Offense

The offense for the Gators has had its struggles this season. However, the problem for the offense has not been that it can’t create open shots, but rather that it can’t knock down its open looks. That problem did not persist on Wednesday, though.

Thanks to the efficient ball movement, Florida shot 62.3 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from deep against South Carolina. The offense connected on nine 3-pointers, with five players making at least one triple. 

Florida also dished out a season-high 28 assists, with seven Gators posting at least one assist in the contest against the Gamecocks. The ball moved from side to side and from player to player with intent, leading to a quality look after a quality look. 

Micah. Handlogton.

📺 SECN pic.twitter.com/67hyY8JMts

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

Gators forward Thomas Haugh described the team performance as an unselfish one following the win. 

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

Additionally, three Gators logged six or more assists, with Xaivian Lee recording a team-high nine assists. The other two were Boogie Fland and Alex Condon, logging six and eight assists, respectively. 

Thomas Haugh is THE Game Changer

Haugh is pushing for the SEC Player of the Year award as a junior, putting all of his talents on display every game. He had another strong performance against the Gamecocks on Wednesday, scoring 18 and grabbing three rebounds. 

The potential first-round pick in the upcoming NBA Draft also played a pivotal part in creating a sizable lead over the Gamecocks. 

At the 7:41 mark in the first half, Florida led 20-11. Then, they went on a 28-7 run over those final eight minutes. A reason they were able to do so was because of Haugh’s ability to score both inside the paint and behind the 3-point line.

TOMMYYY THREEE 🎯

📺 SECN pic.twitter.com/j0GaENS5nM

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

He scored 13 of the 28 points over this stretch, connecting on two 3-pointers along the way. 

3-Point Shooting Comes to Life on the Road

In an offense that struggles to make triples, Urban Klavzar’s shot-making from deep is even more necessary to be successful on that end of the court. He continued his hot 3-point shooting in conference play in the game against South Carolina, making three of his six attempts. 

Helping him out in this department was Haugh, who finished 3-for-5 from three. Others to hit a 3-pointer include Isaiah Brown and the freshmen duo, Alex Lloyd and CJ Ingram. 

alright now, Lloyd 👌

📺 SECN pic.twitter.com/yljswKcdU6

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

The Gators must maintain this level of 3-point shooting as the season progresses if they intend to stretch their season deep into March. If not, they will repeat what happened to Auburn last Saturday.