Florida’s 13th-straight win of the 2024-25 college basketball season was never in doubt against Stetson on Sunday. The Gators defeated the Hatters, 85-45, holding a double-digit lead from the 13-minute mark in the first half onward.

Alijah Martin led all scorers with 18 points despite missing seven three-pointers. Will Richard put up 17 on 8-for-11 shooting but was only 1-for-4 from three. Walter Clayton Jr. only scored 12 but it came on an efficient 4-for-5 shooting performance. Clayton played the most minutes of the big three with 28, giving the bench guys a bit more freedom in the final non-conference matchup of the regular season.

Sam Alexis was the most impressive big man for Florida, grabbing 12 rebounds. He made a few nice moves to the basket but couldn’t finish most of his looks near the rim. Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh both added seven rebounds but combined for just nine points.

Sloppy but effective in first half

Perhaps the holidays are to blame, but Florida didn’t play its cleanest first half against Stetson. The Gators turned the ball over seven times despite the Hatters only forcing three steals. Sloppy passing and rushed possessions led to several unforced errors, but Florida limited Stetson to just four points off turnovers.

Will Richard was the biggest offender, turning the ball over four times in the first 20 minutes. Alex Condon also gave it away twice, and Denzel Aberdeen had one turnover.

Richard has improved greatly as a defender, both on and off the ball, but he’s not much of a ball handler. He often makes the wrong decision with the ball on the break and should be looking to score as soon as he gets a pass. Both Walter Clayton Jr. and Alijah Martin have grown as primary ball handlers this season, so there’s no reason to have Richard take the ball up come SEC play. He’s a fantastic finisher and is finding his three-point shot again.

Florida forced some turnovers too

There isn’t a key stat in this game that stands out, but Florida’s 12 steals is a season-high for the program. It was a dominant game on the boards and in the assists column, but nothing that deviates from Florida’s pattern against these Quadrant 3 and 4 programs.

Forcing double-digit steals is notable, though. Only 17 teams in the country are averaging 10 or more steals per game, and while Florida is still chasing that figure at 8.5 a game, adding 23 over the past two games proves this team is working harder on defense.

Todd Golden came into the year looking for a top-20 defensive efficiency rating. Florida entered today’s contest at No. 18 overall, and holding the Hatters to just 45 points will help in that category. If the Gators can clean up their own turnover numbers and continue to steal the ball at a high rate against the SEC, this is a team that’s going to damage in the NCAA Tournament.

That’s a wrap on non-conference play

These 40-point wins are getting a bit boring, aren’t they?

It’s always fun to see a good team win, but Florida’s season has always been about beating Quadrant 1 and 2 programs, not Quadrant 3s and 4s. Golden has built a team to compete in March, but stomping on North Florida and Stetson doesn’t really prove much.

No losses over two months is impressive, no doubt, but coming out positive against the rest of the SEC is going to make Florida a team to be feared come the tournament. With non-conference play over with, it’s time to see what this team can really do.

Bring on the SEC!