Florida basketball travels to Tallahassee on Tuesday for a rivalry matchup against the Florida State Seminoles.
Ahead of the Gators' third game of the young 2026-27 season, head coach Todd Golden spoke with the press about the meeting between the two Sunshine State schools on several topics, including the status of FSU's program, as well as its formidable frontcourt, plus how Boogie Fland has been underrated, his team's bench production, the relationship between his two Slovenian players, coaching continuity, the special visitors weekend, and more.
Below is a look at everything that Golden told the media on Monday ahead of the UF-FSU showdown in Tallahassee.
What are you seeing from Luke Loucks' Florida State program?
I think he's doing a really good job. I think they have a really good team. They're definitely
underrated. I think they are talented. They're big. They're long. They're athletic, and they play with good purpose. I think it's going to be a really good challenge for us.
Honestly — close to, if not the same level as the Miami game. I think it's going to be that difficult, going into enemy territory. A program that's playing with some juice, some confidence. I think it's a really good challenge for us.
The quality of the transfers they added. Just what have you seen on film from them?
Good players that are all skilled; they can all make baskets. I think (Sebastian) Rancik, playing their four, so to speak; they play four out. A lot of guys on the perimeter, but he can really shoot and skilled for a big guy. (Shon) Abaev is obviously a really good talent. He's grown and played really well in some parts of this short season.
Obviously, we've seen (Anthony) Robinson (II) a ton, being at Missouri. I think he's a really steady, solid, physical point guard. Those guys stick out a little bit. They got (Marcis) Ponder, a freshman. (Kim) Taylor's another really good transfer. They do a really good job of kind of identifying good players, and I think they've put together a really nice roster.
Challenge for your front court against them. What kind of matchup is that?
I think their kind of two-headed monster at the five between Ponder and (Alex) Steen is tough. They kind of play two different styles with those guys, really on both sides of the ball. They have some different tendencies when Ponder's in and when Steen's in the game. But you know those guys, along with Rancid and (Cooper) Schwieger, they got some real dudes on the front line.
So I think it'll be a huge challenge for us.
What can you say about Boogie Fland?
I think he's one of the more underrated players in America right now, a big part of what you just spoke to being the reason why. And I think a lot of the things that he brings to the table are things that a lot of people might not appreciate, just from watching a game for 40 minutes.
I think he's a great organizer and table setter on the offensive end. In this day and age, to have a point guard that is willing to play for the team and not being somebody that's out there trying to score every time they're touching the ball is really valuable, especially when you have a roster like we do.
So I think kind of the organization and calmness that he brings to our team offensively is really valuable, and then defensively he's just a menace — he's just an absolute pest on the ball. I don't think he gets enough credit for how well he fights through screens and keeps guys in front, and does a great job stopping the ball in transition. A lot of valuable things that probably are undervalued out there publicly; I think he does a great job for us that way.
On the bench production through two games, how critical that's been
Urb, as we discussed, he had a tough game against Baylor, but he was pretty consistent other than that. And he kind of did what he does: just a great scorer, shot-maker and a usage threat off the bench. He's delivered. I thought Isaiah was great against Miami and solid against Jacksonville in our last game, and DP (Domen Petrovic) was the same.
Again, we want — all we're asking for the bench is the score; we want to try to keep it the same and kind of give those five guys in the starting lineup a little bit of opportunity to rest and stay fresh. But through the first week, they answered the bell. I thought they did a nice job and helped us win both of those ball games.
On Petrovic's emergence, if he's surprised a little bit
"You know, I think we thought this summer that he would have a chance to break in there, because he can really shoot and he's got a great size. And we had a bunch of guys kind of jockeying around the same spot for most of the summer and fall.
So it was really just what guy made the most sense, you know, for really to complement the other guys and help us through some issues that we were having in the exhibition. And, you know, we felt like going to the first game that he gave us the best chance to kind of deal with those issues, and he's delivered. He's done a good job.
On Petrovic's and Klavzar's bond
I mean, they're good friends; they live together. You know, they support each other a lot on the court. I think they have a great ability to communicate and, you know, Urb's been through it. You know, went from a guy that wasn't playing his first year here to now a pretty important piece on the No. 1-rated team in America. And I think DP is just kind of getting through some of that as well.
And to have a native countryman here to help him kind of navigate the American space is really important. I think it's really helpful.
On the chemistry of playing Petrovic and Klavzar together
It's not something that we necessarily are trying to do, but it shows up. And listen, they're both really heady, really smart players, you know, and I don't think you can ever have enough of those guys on the court. So, you know, when they are out there together, I think you'll see a pretty high-IQ team when those guys share the court.
On the greatest benefits of continuity on your coaching staff
I kind of think of our staff as like another team, right? Like we have to make sure that we keep our staff really strong; continuity helps that as well. The more experience you have together, gives you a better chance of being successful.
So, the fact that we've kept, you know, Carlin, Jonathan, Korey and Taurean, you know, along with some of these other guys, all five years is pretty valuable, and similar to the fact that we've been able to keep Tommy and Condo and some of these other guys around for a number of years. And they're, just like players, they're very good individual talents, our coaches, but we definitely feel like we bring the best out in each other and the collective nature in which we work gives us a higher ceiling.
Like, just like we talk about team talent with our players, like, I think our staff has really good team talent as well. And, you know, now being in the fifth year, like, we obviously know each other inside and out. We have a really good understanding of what the expectation is both on and off the floor. And I think the team can sense that togetherness and respect amongst our staff, and I think it kind of bleeds down to the players as well.
A big issue against FSU a season ago was turnovers (18). What type of challenge does their defense create?
I think a big challenge they present is that they switch defenses quite a bit. Sometimes, that uncertainty of what you are going to see puts you on your heels a little bit. So we focused on that quite a bit this week. Regardless of whether they show zone or switching man or drop coverage in a ball screen or they are in pressure on baseline out of bounds, you know, we have got to make sure we are organized and attack it and simply not play on our heels.
But it's definitely a challenge. I would consider this a "take care of the ball" scout. We need to value the basketball. We can't expect to have 15 or 16 turnovers and walk out of there with a win. We've got to value it. I think 12 or less is a good number for us tomorrow night. And it's definitely a big part of our scouting and evaluation is valuing the basketball.
On the special visitors this weekend and the message they sent
It's always really neat having some of the former players back. Specifically that group, with Joakim Noah, Walter Hodge, with Lee Humphrey, Chris Richard was back, and obviously, Taurean is already here with us. It was just really neat to see them back together 20 years later, being on the sideline instead of being on the floor.
Joakim talked to the team just about how much he missed these years, about how being at Florida was the best years of his basketball experience, including being in the NBA. I just thought it was a really valuable message for them because every message for them is, "Focus on this, focus on this, can you make the NBA?" and he's like "No, just sit there and enjoy it. This thing is going to be gone before you know it."
And it was a great reminder for them to hear that from somebody that obviously had very successful careers at both the college and NBA level. And then I thought it was really cool hearing Walter and Lee talk. Those are guys that weren't obviously the face of those teams, but you heard their experience, and you saw how much joy they had being around their former teammates. I thought it was really valuable for our guys.
On Joakim Noah's impact on Chinyelu from the time they met overseas
I just think Joakim has been for lack of a better term like a role model for Rueben. He saw someone that had some ties to Africa and that grew, from not necessarily being like a crazy heralded prospect out of high school and then just worked his way into, you know, a top 7 pick or whatever he was and a multiple year NBA guy who made a ton of money. I think he can just speak to that growth and that experience.
You know, Joakim was obviously very supportive of Florida throughout (Rueben's) recruiting process both times, and you know, Rueben just knows he has that guy as a resource. I think there's a lot of value to that. I think there's a lot of appreciation, both from Rueben and our staff, that Joakim would be willing to offer up those services for lack of a better term. It's neat, the ownership of the program and the willingness to communicate among these guys.
Ponder is going to be a guy that gets a lot of attention. Do you think other teams wonder how to deal with Chinyelu?
I would imagine so. I usually try to put myself in an opposing coach's position to think about and like that would be a big concern of mine if I was facing the Gators. Like how I prepare for that? And at Florida State, Ponder is providing a lot of value for them right now both on the glass and around the rim. He's a body. He's huge. He's just a huge human being.
My hope is that our experience attacks his youth a little bit tomorrow night. He's had some really big games. Again, the experience of our front court — my hope is when things get tough and things are on the line, we'll show up tomorrow night like we did against Miami.
Talk about Taurean's role in helping these players develop and shoot the basketball
Taurean heads our player development portion of our program. Him and Korey McRae do a great job and spend a lot of time with our guys. I'm not going to give him too much that's fixing these guys shots and now they're shooting the ball right? But I will give him credit because he puts in the times and effort Korey does as well.
A lot of confidence is created by just the work that you put in. I think the one thing that both Taurean and Korey did a really good job of this year and really the last couple of years is keeping our guys on a consistent plan of how they're going to work on their player development within the season when a majority of our practice time is dedicated to team-focused activities.
So they're incredibly valuable. They've carved out a great role within our program. I do know that our guys, specifically for Taurean, appreciate the experience that he's had both professionally in the NBA and overseas and the time that he's willing to invest into them on the court.
How has Condon handled the outside criticism last year for his shooting?
I think it was a micro example of a macro issue with our whole program last year. Where people were trying to, whether it was say we weren't good enough or find different things amongst our players to pick at. And I don't think he handled it as well as he needed to at the beginning of last year. I think since then he's been great dealing with it.
I think the biggest is understanding that you got to continue to focus on the things you're good at and definitely spent time on areas to improve, but not worrying about the things you're not the best at and being okay in your own skin. I think after the Auburn game last year, he came to that realization, like, I'm a pretty damn good basketball player regardless of whether I'm drilling 3s or not. I need to make sure that shows up every night.
I think Neil talks about this a lot. I think five out of over the last 10 games or something like that he was KenPom MVP. He was the productive player on the floor and it wasn't because he was drilling a ton of threes, right. He was finding other ways to impact the game positively, but he's handled it well.
I think he's grown through it. I think he realizes that as long as we win and he continues to produce, I think Thursday was a great example he almost had a triple-double. But I think people are going to value what he brings to the table.
How do you expect Condon and Tommy as leaders step up against FSU?
I expect them to step up in a big way being a road game. They've been in the game before. They played at Florida State. They played them three times since they've been here. My hope is that their experience that they've gained being in our program shows up. I want them to attack this game tomorrow night, just like we would any other game, but obviously the stakes are raised a little bit with it being a rivalry game on the road. I think it's going to be a big challenge, but their experience should help us get through that game.
On how he expects Haugh and Condon to step up at FSU
I expect them to step up in a big way, being a road game. They've been in this game before. They played at Florida State. They played them three times since they've been here? And so, my hope is that their experience that they've gained being in our program shows up, and that I want them to attack this game tomorrow night just like we would any other game, but obviously the stakes are raised a little bit with it being a rivalry game on the road.
I think it's going to be a big challenge. But their experience should help us get through that game.
On trying to smell the roses more with this group
Well, I think the important thing to your question is, I try to. I think one of the things that I talked to the team about after the exhibition season was I think we all were falling short that way a little bit. Being so laser focused on being the best we could be and not enjoying the fact that we're together every day.
And so that was kind of a commitment I made to the group after that week between Stetson and Miami. It was like, "Listen, like, we gotta enjoy this a little bit too. Being No. 1 in the country's pretty cool. We've worked pretty hard to get here, and if you don't enjoy it now, what are you going to enjoy?"
So, I think it's a delicate balance, and you want to make sure that you don't sit in the office throwing popcorn in each other's mouths every day to celebrate, right? Let's keep working hard and make sure we're doing everything we can to be successful. But I am definitely trying to take advantage and enjoy this group that we put together a lot, as well as a staff."
More so than last year?
Absolutely.
On Florida-FSU being a precursor to the football game
I would love to do that. You know, Luke was the one that wouldn't play us here on a Friday last year. So we had to play them on a Tuesday. That's why we're playing them on a Tuesday there this year, not on a Friday. And I say that joking. Luke's a stud and wants to play us every year. We want to keep it going.
I think it would be great if we could, you're saying, before the Florida State-Florida football game?
They used to do it. It was fantastic.
We can start it back next year on a Friday night here, the night before we play Florida State. I think it'd be cool. My thing with Florida State, I want to keep this series on our home floors. I think that's important. And, the promise that I have with Luke is, whatever we do in one place, we're going to do it there also.
It's not going to be a thing where we play here on a Friday, but we're only going to play them there on a Tuesday. We're going to keep it, what I consider fair. The same circumstances both ways. So if we want to get it back started on a Friday next year, I'd be more than happy to do that.
On what kind of juice it would bring
I think it'd be pretty awesome. You know, knock on wood, I think a Florida State game at any point in our gym would bring a great crowd. But I would love to pair it at the beginning of our football game if they would do that for us next year. I would do it for them the following year at their place. I think it'd be a great thing to get it kind of back aligned, so to speak.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Todd Golden looks ahead to Florida's road game at FSU on Tuesday
