No. 14 Florida Gators Surge Toward Repeat Championship

After a sluggish start, the Gators have won 9 of their last 10 games and look poised for another deep tournament run.

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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The No. 14 Florida Gators are starting to resemble the team that won the NCAA championship last year, posting another dominant victory by leading from start to finish in an 86-66 win over Georgia on Wednesday night. After losing four times before Christmas, the Gators have now won 9 of their last 10 games, with all but one of those victories coming by double-digit margins.

Why it matters

Florida's early-season struggles had some questioning whether they could repeat as champions, but the Gators have turned things around with their stifling defense and rebounding prowess, which has them atop the SEC standings. If they can continue this strong play, the Gators will be a formidable opponent come tournament time.

The details

In the win over Georgia, the Gators limited the Bulldogs to just 25-of-72 (34.7%) shooting from the field, and Rueben Chinyelu grabbed 20 rebounds. Florida has also found its shooting stroke, hitting 10-of-26 (38.5%) from 3-point range after ranking last in the SEC in that category earlier in the season.

  • On Wednesday, February 11, 2026, the Florida Gators defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 86-66.
  • Prior to Christmas, the Gators had lost 4 games, matching their total from their championship season last year.

The players

Boogie Fland

A Florida guard.

Rueben Chinyelu

A Florida player who grabbed 20 rebounds in the win over Georgia.

Xaivian Lee

A Florida guard who led the team with 18 points, 7 assists, and 0 turnovers in the latest victory.

Todd Golden

The head coach of the Florida Gators basketball team.

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What they’re saying

“We stayed the course. We kept working and practicing, and I think over the last month and half, we been playing some really good basketball.”

— Todd Golden, Head Coach

“Our guys have done a great job of being mentally tough all year. We played a really tough schedule in the non-conference and lost a couple of tight games.”

— Todd Golden, Head Coach

“A lot of people wanted to count us out and say we're not last year's team. We handled that the right way. We were not pointing fingers. We were not blaming each other for the lack of success.”

— Todd Golden, Head Coach

“As we've learned the last couple of weeks from our group, when we guard and rebound, we're pretty tough to beat. Our team is getting to a point where enjoying and kind of owning the identity of being a defensive, gritty, physical, rebounding team.”

— Todd Golden, Head Coach

“We're all locked into what the coaches are asking us to do on defense, and offensively I think we're finding our groove too. We're seeing each other better on the court and, obviously, our size and athleticism seems to wear teams down at the end of games.”

— Xaivian Lee, Florida Guard

What’s next

The Gators will look to continue their strong play as they push for another SEC regular season title and a high seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The takeaway

After some early-season struggles, the Florida Gators have regained their championship form, relying on stifling defense, rebounding, and balanced scoring to surge back to the top of the SEC standings. If they can maintain this level of play, the Gators will be a tough out for any opponent come tournament time as they seek to repeat as national champions.