Toronto Star
· collected 2026-09-25 · by Mark Long The Associated Press
Florida basketball coach Todd Golden is optimistic about his team’s readiness for the upcoming season as they are now expected to be heavy favorites for a second national championship. The Gators, who had a rocky start last year before rebounding strongly, return key players including All-SEC big men Rueben Chinyelu, Alex Condon, and Thomas Haugh, along with guard Denzel Aberdeen if he receives an extra year of eligibility. Golden believes the team will handle the pressure better this time around due to their returning experience and cohesion off the court.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-25,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Florida coach Todd Golden believes his team is prepared for the pressure and high expectations that come with being the overwhelming favorite to win a second national championship, despite challenges from last season when they started 5-4 and dropped out of the AP Top 25 poll. Last year’s squad faced significant turnover as it lost Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin, and Will Richard, arguably the best backcourt in school history. Now, with key players like Chinyelu, Condon, and Haugh returning, Golden feels less stressed going into this season compared to last year when Florida was still finding its identity. The coach emphasizes that while expectations are high, the team is better equipped to handle them due to their improved cohesion and experience from previous seasons.
Written for “Florida Football Expectations High” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida coach Todd Golden insists his team is ready for everything that comes with being the overwhelming favorite to win a second national championship.
asserted
that → insist → championship
That should be relatively easy given the way last season ended.
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season → give → way
“I don’t feel as stressed going into the season,” Golden said Thursday.
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Golden → feel → season
“Last year, carrying the torch of the national championship into the season was a lot, and we had a new team.
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we → carry → team
We had some returners, but we had a new team.
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we → have → team
It showed.
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It → show → ?
The Gators started 5-4, fell out of the AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll and then dropped their Southeastern Conference opener.
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Gators → start → opener
They struggled to make shots from 3-point range and didn’t find their identity and hit their stride until early January.
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They → struggle → January
None of it should have been that surprising given the Gators lost arguably the best backcourt in school history, the trio of Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard.
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Gators → give → Jr.
Now, though, no one should be shocked if they are favored in every game.
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they → shock → game
“We know we’re going to have a lot of expectations,” Golden said.
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Golden → know → expectations
“But we’re not as worried about it this year.
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we → ’re → it
I think we’ll collectively, myself included, be more prepared and better ready to handle that earlier in the year.”
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myself → think → year
Florida (27-8, 14-2 SEC), which lost to ninth-seeded Iowa in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Tampa, returns four starters and is counting on guard Denzel Aberdeen to get a fifth year of eligibility through the judicial system.
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which → lose → system
He has a court date scheduled for Tuesday in Alachua County, with hopes of landing a temporary injunction against the NCAA.
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He → have → NCAA
Aberdeen’s petition for a fifth season was denied before the NCAA adopted the “5-for-5 rule.
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NCAA → deny → rule
“I think Denzel has the best case, individually, of any guy that’s kind of in this situation of dealing with the NCAA’s confusing, operative system that they’re employing right now,” said Golden, pointing to Aberdeen playing just 40 minutes as a freshman.
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Aberdeen → think → freshman
Aberdeen, who averaged 13.5 points and 3.4 assists at Kentucky last season, was an integral part of Florida’s 2025 national title run as a junior.
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who → average → junior
Florida hopes he can team with point guard Boogie Fland to upgrade the backcourt.
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he → hop → backcourt
“A deadly combination, for sure,” Fland said.
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Fland → say → ?
“I feel like it goes on the court the way it goes off the court, you know what I mean?
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I → feel → what
The brotherhood you have off the court, it trickles into the court.”
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it → have → court
“We’re going to be the preseason No. 1 team,” Fland said.
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Fland → go → ?
“It means you’ll get everybody’s best shot.”
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you → mean → shot
Golden didn’t anticipate having such a loaded roster until after the season ended — and partly because of how and when it ended.
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it → anticipate → roster
The Gators had their sights set on back-to-back titles and came up short.
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sights → have → titles
“Going out that way wasn’t something that we wanted to have or reminisce about,” Chinyelu said.
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Chinyelu → go → that
“So it’s just going out there, taking every game out there and hunting down the games we have this year.”
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we → go → games
Getting most everyone back started with Haugh and Condon, best friends who passed up NBA riches for another NCAA run.
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who → get → run
Chinyelu and others followed suit.
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Chinyelu → follow → suit
Golden ended up with 81.8% of his team’s scoring back from last season’s SEC championship team, including six of eight primary rotation players and 11 guys in total.
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Golden → end → total
Florida begins the season back where it ended — in Tampa – against Miami.
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it → begin → Miami
The Gators also play Notre Dame, probably Houston, Duke and Georgia Tech in nonconference play.
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Gators → play → play
The real expectations begin in March.
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expectations → begin → March
“Pressure is good,” Chinyelu said.
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Chinyelu → say → ?
“It just shows that you are in the right spot, you are doing something good.”
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you → show → something
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