Florida NBA Draft Prospects Lead Gators to Win Against Vanderbilt

After starting the season with a 5-4 record, the defending national champion Florida Gators seem to have found their rhythm.

The team is 8-1 over its last nine games, and has notched victories against No. 18 Georgia, No. 21 Tennessee and, most recently, No. 10 Vanderbilt. The Gators surge has been aided by a number of NBA Draft prospects on the team performing well, as the group finally seems to be putting it all together after losing multiple key pieces from last year's title team.

In Saturday's 98-94 win against the Commodores, junior center Rueben Chinyelu and senior guard Xaivian Lee eached scored a team-high 20 points.

Chinyelu added 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocks while shooting 7-of-9 from the field and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Lee chipped in 6 rebounds and 2 assists while committing zero turnovers, shooting 8-of-13 from the field, 3-of-7 from 3-point range and 1-of-2 from the free throw line.

Listed at 6-foot-10 and 265 pounds, Chinyelu has emerged as a key piece for Florida this season after having a smaller role during the team's national championship run in 2025. The Gators' standout is averaging 11.8 points, 10.7 rebounds and a block per game while shooting 63.9% from the field.

Chinyelu's size and rebonding prowess could earn him a spot in the 2026 NBA Draft, but the former Washington State transfer has another year of eligibility and could return to school.

Lee, on the other hand, spent the first three years of his college career at Princeton before transferring to Florida for his senior season. Listed at 6-foot-4 and 180 pounds, Lee hasn't had the year some observers expected, and could tumble down draft boards as a result.

The two-time All-Ivy League honoree is averaging 11.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and a steal per game while shooting 37.3% from the field and 26.1% from beyond the arc. If Lee can turn his season around through the rest of SEC play and the NCAA Tournament, though, he could work his way into the second round of the upcoming draft.

Alongside Chinyelu and Lee, Alex Condon and potential first-round pick Thomas Haugh also had solid outings. Haugh notched 18 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists, whlie Condon tallied 16 points, 8 rebounds, an assist and a block.

Haugh shot 6-of-11 from the field, 2-of-5 from deep and 4-of-4 from the free throw line, while Condon went 4-of-11 from the field, 1-of-3 from 3-point range and 7-of-9 at the charity stripe.

For Vanderbilt, sophomore guard Tyler Tanner, who has started to generate significant buzz in NBA Draft spaces, finished with 20 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, a steal and a block while committing just one turnover. Tanner shot 7-of-14 from the field, 2-of-4 from beyond the arc and 4-of-4 from the line.

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