Despite Losses To Top Teams, Florida May Still Be In The SEC Title Mix

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Florida forward Thomas Haugh (10) dunks against UConn guard Solo Ball (1) during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray) Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Florida guard Boogie Fland stood in front of the team’s bench Tuesday night, the ball in his hands and the Madison Square Garden crowd buzzing. The Gators had just forced a turnover and only trailed Connecticut by three points with 9.4 seconds remaining. But instead of setting up a final play to tie the game, Fland was called for a five-second violation, a mistake that ended up leading to a 77-73 UConn victory. Afterward, Florida coach Todd Golden said he and his staff looked at the replay in the locker room and found that the referee blew his whistle at 4.6 or 4.7 seconds. “I’ve been around the game a long time — to get a call like that where it doesn’t even get to five seconds, usually they give you an extra second, to be honest,” Golden said. “Just a really, really tough pill to swallow.” Golden is becoming accustomed to disappointment this season. The Gators are 5-4 and have the same number of losses as last season when they went 36-4 and won the national championship. It is a frustrating start for a team that was third in the preseason Associated Press poll. Still, UF’s record is deceiving. The Gators have lost by six points or fewer to three of the top five teams in this week’s AP poll. They lost their season opener 93-87 to No. 1 Arizona in Las Vegas, lost to No. 3 Duke 67-66 last Tuesday on the road and then lost to No. 5 UConn a week later. They also fell 84-80 to…