Gators Drop in Newest AP Poll

The Florida Gators have dropped two spots to No. 5 in Monday's AP Poll after a loss to Georgia and win over Texas A&M last week.

Despite a loss to unranked Georgia, the Florida Gators remain in the AP Top Five after a dominant win at home over Texas A&M. / Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Gators men’s basketball team on Monday dropped to No. 5 in the AP Poll’s most recent update after going 1-1 during the week.

The Gators' week started off with a heartbreaking loss on the road against the Georgia Bulldogs, but Florida rebounded with a complete performance against No. 12 Texas A&M at home.

In the loss to Georgia, it was an ugly watch for all of the first half as Georgia could not miss a shot while Florida was ice cold. That led to a 16-point halftime deficit in Athens for the Gators. 

However, the Gators slowly started to chip away at that gigantic difference in the second half, minute by minute, and it eventually paid off. After bringing it to single digits, the visitors finally took the lead with only 1:08 left in the game. It was all for not, though, as Florida let them retake the lead on the following possession and would never reclaim the advantage. By the final whistle, the Bulldogs were out in front 88-83. 

“Disappointing loss,” Gators head coach Todd Golden said. “Credit to Georgia, I thought they played great in the first half and stepped up to the moment in a game they needed.”

Despite a brutal showing overall, guard Will Richard shined offensively by posting 30 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals. He also shot 5-for-11 from 3. 

Waiting in Gainesville for the Gators after this loss were the Aggies while Florida also played host to ESPN’s College Gameday on Saturday. Unlike Tuesday, Florida was simply dominant on Saturday in an 89-70 win over the Aggies.

“Great win for us, great bounce-back for us after a tough loss on Tuesday night,” Golden said on Saturday. 

It was a hot start offensively from the Aggies as they made three of their first four three-point attempts and held a 14-8 advantage. But the Gators quickly charged back to take a two-point lead just a few minutes later, which they wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the game. 

Texas A&M did make a push a little over halfway into the second half, cutting their deficit all the way down to six. That’s as far it got, though. They did keep at six for a stretch, but the Gators used one final burst to blow away from the Aggies to win by nearly 20 points. 

Florida produced a much better team performance in this one, having five players score in double figures and generating 21 assists as a team. 

Leading the way in the scoring department was Richard again, who had 25 points and six rebounds against the Aggies. His scoring total led to him passing Gator greats Al Horford and Joakim Noah on the program's all-time scoring list.

Will Richard is now 43rd all-time in scoring with the Florida Gators after accounting for 55 points over the last two games. / Kyle Lander / Gators Illustrated

Others who scored double figures against Texas A&M were Thomas Haugh (17 points, three rebounds, two assists), Alijah Martin (14 points, five rebounds, two assists), Alex Condon (11 points, nine rebounds, four assists) and Walter Clayton Jr. (10 points, four assists, two rebounds). 

Up next for the Gators is the No. 6 Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa on Wednesday. It will be televised on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. A win would put the Gators in the driver's seat for the No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament.

"We got a lot we're still playing for," Golden said. "We're still playing for a (national) 1 seed. Wednesday will impact that a lot. We're still playing for the double bye. I heard Missouri lost tonight. They have six. So if we get one more win and then we get the double bye. So, let's go. One more win."

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