Gators Take the Bulls by the Horns, Win 98-83 in Season Opener

The Florida Gators tipped-off year three of the Todd Golden era with a big win over USF.

Nov 4, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators forward Thomas Haugh (10), guard Walter Clayton Jr. (1), forward Alex Condon (21), guard Will Richer (5) and guard Alijah Martin (15) against South Florida Bulls during the first half at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images / Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.-- The 21st-ranked Florida Gators men's basketball program tipped-off year three of the Todd Golden-era behind a strong second-half performance and tremendous offensive outputs from Walter Clayton Jr. and Will Richard.

Gators Illustrated takes a look at how the game unfolded.

Despite Offensive Woes, Gators Keep it Close

It was an ugly beginning in the first half for the Gators on both ends of the floor against South Florida. The offense struggled to create quality looks and even when they did, they were being missed.  

Then, on these missed shots from the Gators, they were too unfocused getting back on defense which allowed the Bulls to get up and down the court with pace and get easy free fastbreak opportunities.  

As a result of this poor early play from the Gators, they found themselves down 36-25 with just under six minutes to go in the first half. However, not too long after falling into this deficit did the Gators finally start to find some rhythm. 

Over the final five minutes, they quickly knifed their way back into the game behind a quick 10-0 run from the offense sparked by senior Will Richard. The senior piled on eight points in a row with two threes and an easy layup in the paint along with a bucket from Walter Clayton Jr. to bring the game the Bulls lead to just 36-33. 

By the end of the first half, the Gators found themselves down 40-39. 

There was one glaring problem for the Gators and its offense in this half, which was its 3-point shooting. Florida made just three of their 17 3-point attempts in this half. That just can’t happen or else they will find themselves trailing at halftime most nights. 

Also, the only player to shoot decent from behind the arc and make multiple threes in the first half was Richard. He contributed 12 points, shooting 5-for-9 from the field overall and 2-for-5 from deep, and if not for his late burst on offense, the Gators might have been in big trouble. 

In addition to Richard’s first half performance, Clayton Jr. and Alex Condon both had solid beginnings. Clayton Jr. added nine points while Condon provided 10. 

Gators Abuse the Charity Stripe in the Second

While the play in the first was suboptimal, the second half was a different story. Players were flying around the court, playing with tons of energy and a different intensity compared to the first 20 minutes. 

With this reinvigorated effort from the Gators, it allowed them to really take control of this game. They forced and attracted a load of fouls by the Bulls players which led to an overwhelming amount of free throws in favor of the Gators, which they used to break open this game.

With 10:43 left in the game, the Gators held a 63-62 lead. By the 6:47 mark, they jumped out to a 76-62 advantage over the Bulls. On this run, they made it a point to drive and get down hill to force the refs to blow their whistles and it worked as they hit nine free throws during it. 

South Florida did try to mount a comeback though, but it was short lived. While the Bulls did manage to cut it to single digits with 3:48 left in the game, Clayton Jr. made sure to shut it down quickly by hitting a pair of free throws and a 3 to put the lead back at 13 for his team and ultimately win it for the Gators.  

On the back of this impressive opening night performance from the duo of Clayton Jr. and Richard, Florida toughed out a 98-83 win to start the year 1-0. 

As mentioned previously, the Gators made it a point of emphasis in the second half to get to the charity stripe. In the first half, the Gators only hit four free throws. In contrast, they hit 23 of their 29 attempts from the line in the second. 

Clayton Jr. and Richard Lead the Way

Florida was led by duo Clayton Jr. and Richard in their win over South Florida. Clayton Jr. ended with 29 points, shooting 10-for-15 from the field and 2-for-5 from 3. He also had a team-high 25 plus-minus in this game. As for Richard, he ended with 25 points on the night and six rebounds. 

Without these two, it would’ve been a rough night for the Gators as they supplied 54 of the 98 points for the Gators offense. 

If these two can keep up these types of performances in the orange and blue, then the outlook for the season can drastically change in a positive way.

Next Up

The Gators host Jacksonville on Thursday with tipoff inside Exactech Arena at 8 p.m. Television coverage streaming-only on SEC Network+/ESPN+.