Florida entered the college basketball season atop the national rankings, and its opening-night win over Miami gave Sports Illustrated another reason to believe the Gators belong there.
In a breakdown of five overreactions from college basketball’s opening day, Sports Illustrated’s Kevin Sweeney argued that Florida validated its No. 1 ranking with its season-opening victory.
Sweeney pointed to the Gators’ dominant frontcourt and improved perimeter shooting as two encouraging signs for Todd Golden’s team. Thomas Haugh led the way with 19 points, while Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu helped limit Miami’s effectiveness around the basket.
The matchup featured two highly regarded frontcourts, but Florida’s size and physicality gave it an advantage.
Sweeney also highlighted the Gators’ performance from beyond the arc, an area that proved important to their success, or lack thereof, last season.
Florida connected on 11 of its 26 three-point attempts against Miami, good for 42.3%. Five of those makes came from the bench, an early sign the Gators could have more reliable perimeter shooting throughout their rotation.
That development could be significant considering Florida went 16-0 last season when shooting at least 32% from three-point range, compared with an 11-8 record when falling below that mark.
"I'm really excited about the three-point shooting,” Golden said after the win. “We were 42% from three. Nobody thinks we can shoot. But I think we can shoot; I think we got a chance."
Sweeney acknowledged that other programs could eventually surpass Florida, but his assessment reinforced the Gators’ standing among the nation’s leading championship contenders.
While one game cannot determine the trajectory of an entire season, Florida’s combination of frontcourt production, defensive presence and improved shooting is a promising starting point for its pursuit of another deep NCAA Tournament run.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Sports Illustrated says Florida validated No. 1 ranking vs Miami
