"After winning the national title, Todd Golden lost the best backcourt in America. Departures included the NCAA tournament's Most Outstanding Player in Walter Clayton Jr. and two more players who were selected in the 2025 NBA draft (Alijah Martin and Will Richard) -- but that's only part of the story. The return of Golden's frontcourt wasn't a guarantee as key players flirted with the NBA draft."
"The Gators enter the season with a strong case to be the No. 1 team in the country after securing the returns of Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu. They also added former five-star recruit Boogie Fland and all-Ivy League guard Xaivian Lee. In this turbulent climate, few teams have managed to lose the core of a championship squad and bounce back the way this team has ahead of the 2025-26 campaign."
College basketball experienced another offseason of coaching changes, staff moves, portal activity and recruiting shifts that created clear winners and losers. Some programs mastered the Moneyball-style restructuring common each spring and summer, while others failed to improve. Florida, despite losing its elite backcourt and multiple draft selections, secured returns from Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu and added Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee. The Gators appear positioned to contend for the No. 1 ranking and another national title, with chemistry and role distribution among new and returning players as key variables.
Read at ESPN.com
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