‘High-level basketball’: Todd Golden reacts to win over Gamecocks

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The No. 3 Florida Gators swept their regular season series against South Carolina with an 88-67 win on Saturday. Denzel Aberdeen (22) and Thomas Haugh (20) both started and combined for 42 points.

Up 37-34 at the break, UF outscored the Gamecocks 28-9 to open the second half — including five straight 3-pointers — and finished with 14 triples for the second straight game, while holding USC without a field goal for a 12:20 stretch.

Here’s everything Florida coach Todd Golden said after the victory over South Carolina.

RELATED: Live blog: South Carolina at No. 3 Florida Gators basketball

Todd Golden Q&A

Opening statement:

TODD GOLDEN: “Just another really good effort by our group. We’re really happy with the final result. I thought the first half was a little up and down. Just, you know, when you have some guys that are out and you’re trying to get some guys back in the lineup and dealing with rotations, I didn’t think I did a great job in the first half getting guys comfortable, but I thought the second half we played a little harder. I thought our energy and our effort was a little better. Denzel got us off to a great start in the second half, but collectively, we just played much better, and we were able to get that lead up to 25 with about six minutes to go, and just really play some high-level basketball. So overall, really pleased with the victory tonight and excited to get back after it tomorrow and get ready for Tuesday.”

On Denzel and Tommy’s performances the last couple games: 

TODD GOLDEN: “They’ve been incredible. I think one of the biggest strengths of our team is our depth. And, we’ve talked about them a lot over the course of the season, as up until Vanderbilt, we had been able to start the same group every game that those two guys specifically were starter-level players, right? They just weren’t in the starting lineup. But there were some games where Denzel finished for us, there was a lot of games where Tommy’s finishing games for us, and it just so happens that’s the way our rotation worked out. And obviously things have been going pretty good, so we didn’t want to do too much to change that. But over the last four games now, dating back to Vanderbilt, we haven’t been, you know, 100% healthy in terms of our roster. And it’s just been really great to see other guys step up when given the opportunity. It’s one thing to get your number called, it’s another thing to be ready to take advantage of that opportunity when you do, and to a man, I think our guys from Denzel to Tommy to Urby and Micah tonight, you know, they stepped up and gave us great minutes to help us win.”

On Denzel’s confidence growing:

TODD GOLDEN: “Yeah, it’s definitely easier to play better when you know you’re going to get these consistent minutes, and even coming off the bench this year, he knows, he’s known every game this year that he’s going to be a solid part of the rotation, whether it’s going to be 15 minutes or 25 minutes, we didn’t know, those would be dependent on play. But, even early in the year, there were times where we wanted him to be a little more aggressive when he was out on the floor, and the Vanderbilt game, I think we’ll be able to look back on as really the turning point in his career as a Gator, in the sense of, like, when he picked that night, 35 minutes, no turnovers, controlled the game, you know, it was his moment of realizing, like, ‘I’m a pretty damn good player out here’, you know. And we see it in practice all the time. We saw it last year in practice when he would run the point for the white team, our second unit, and have days where he just carved our starters, you know. But it’s different levels, and you got to kind of check those boxes. But, you know, he seems to have really figured it out. And he’s playing at an insanely high level right now.”

On the run to start the second half and his message getting across: 

TODD GOLDEN: “Yeah, again, I thought the first half we were just a little jumbled. We weren’t, you know, just getting Martin back in there, getting Micah, you know, Micah had that one rotation in the first half where there wasn’t a whistle for three minutes. So he’s playing like five and a half minutes, getting tired. And, you know, I just didn’t think our energy level was where it needed to be, you know, and South Carolina they were playing very well early in the game. I thought offensively they were executing very well, you know. Offensively, we were pretty good both halves, but in the second half, the second portion of the first half, I thought they were a little physical and bothered us. And really the message at halftime was that we just needed to play harder. We needed to pour more into who we are, less about adjustments, less about, you know, trying to solve different problems, more just kind of get back to who we were. And I thought we did a good job of that in the second half.”

On Florida’s defense in the end of first half into second half: 

TODD GOLDEN: “Yeah, we definitely started guarding better after the first 10 minutes of the game, you know, I think they had 24 points in the first 10 minutes, which is obviously not very good, and the back half of the first half we were better. And then in the beginning of the second half, we got off to that good run where we had some clean rebounds and we had some transition opportunities, and I think that’s, you know, the moment in any game for this team where we can really get going is when we really dig down and guard, and you know, we started getting a couple stops, some clean rebounds, which allows us to get out transition. And you know, we are one of the most explosive teams in America in transition. We have multiple guys that can bring it, make plays, hit threes, and get to the rim, and we did that at the beginning of the second half, and we were able to extend that lead pretty well because of it. But generally speaking, when we’re playing, you know, at our best, it’s when our defense kind of kickstarts everything for us.”

On the assist totals in recent games:

TODD GOLDEN: “We always want to share it. One thing for sure is we’re shooting the ball a lot better. You know, we made 14 threes tonight, and generally in our offense, you know, a lot of the threes we take and get are catch-and-shoot shots. So, 14 threes may, I would imagine 12 or 13 of those were assisted. So, there’s a lot of those there. And we are playing well together and just got to continue pouring into that. I feel like we have a really good understanding, collectively, of what we’re looking for offensively, what shots we want, how we want to attack different teams and different defenses. And, our guys have been very coachable. They really have. They’ve done a good job. Obviously, Kevin Hovde is our offensive coordinator. He spends a lot of time, you know, studying opponents and trying to find different things to exploit or to take advantage of, and I think our guys did a great job of that over the last couple weeks.”

On 3-point shooting in recent games:

TODD GOLDEN: “I think, obviously, Tommy (Haugh) has been a big part of that. He shot it really well over the last couple weeks. And then Denzel (Aberdeen), you know, has stepped up, and Urban (Klavzar) has given us, you know, six or seven made threes over the last couple games. So, getting him out there has allowed us to stretch the floor a little bit more. You know that that’s my best answer, you know. I think the guys that have gotten some extended minutes, you know, as A-Mart (Alijah Martin), you know, was out, you know, those guys have stepped up. And I think Urby was, you know, 5-for-6 from three last week, or whatever it was, you know. So those guys stepping up and taking advantage of their opportunities, you know, is a big part of that.”

On how Haugh handled the starting role:

TODD GOLDEN: “I think he’s trying to get his buddy’s job right now. Obviously, I was listening to his answer. This team has a chance to do really special things because of guys like Tommy Haugh, right? Like, a guy that there’s not a selfish bone in his body. He, in this world, you know, we’re in, he could have every reason to come, ‘Hey, man, you know, I’m killing out there. I need more minutes,’ and he’s like, ‘Dude, whatever you need for the team,’ you know, ‘Whatever you need for the team,’ and that, that is why we are good. You know, we’ve talked about it a lot, but we have a lot of guys, you know, I think Rueben (Chinyelu) was really the only guy that was like a four-star level player coming out of high school. Everybody else is three-stars or lower mid major transfers up. You know, we think of our whole staff as kind of being underdogs. And you know, that mentality, that chip, is a big part of why I think this team has been successful. Continuing to want to prove that we belong, continuing to want to prove that we are capable of doing this for an extended period of time. And you know, when you have guys like Tommy that are willing to come off the bench, and then when you need them to start, step up, they can give you 20 points and six rebounds and three assists in 30 minutes. It’s a luxury, and we have a lot of really good players.”

On his emotions on Micah Handlogten’s return:

TODD GOLDEN: “I was very excited, very proud. You know, Micah is a big reason as to why this program is where it is right now. You know, he came in last year after our first year, which didn’t go great. Whatever, we’re .500, but you know, he saw our vision. He saw how he could fit into our program, and he believed in us. And, he came in here last year and started every game on a tournament team. And, obviously it’s been difficult not having him, you know not having him out there playing, but he’s been an elite teammate all the way. And you know, again, we talked about Tommy’s unselfishness. How about Micah’s on selfishness, right? Like, it could be very easy for him say, ‘Ah, you know, I only got this many games left. I don’t want to waste it.’ And he’s like, ‘Dude, I have a chance to go play with my buddies and compete, to go try to win, you know, a lot of games down the stretch.’ And it’s, it’s been a long journey for him, obviously. All of us, but him specifically, he’s living it. And, I just can’t imagine how joyful he feels to be able to go out there and play 20 minutes now, you know. Got a bucket, nice little and-one. He had five assists, one turnover, two blocks, two steals. He was impactful. You know, he made winning plays. It’s great to have him back out there.”

On the environment:

TODD GOLDEN: “Incredible. I mean, it’s incredible. We talk about it a lot. We don’t ever take for grated the support that we have. And this place is amazing that way anyways, but it’s obviously a lot better now than it was in Year 1. And it’s always, I feel like I have to pinch myself driving home from shootaround and there’s already students lined up to the street. And then I come back for the game and they’re wrapped around. And to come in and just be able to play in front of fans and alums that support us like this, it means a lot to our guys, and I know it’s very important to them to be able to compete at this level and continue making them proud.”

On the importance of keeping the projected 1 seed:

TODD GOLDEN: “It’s incredibly important. We were the fourth 1 seed in the West bracket if the tournament started today, but our goal is to be the No. 1 seed overall. Auburn got a big win at Alabama today. So, I would say with the polls coming out on Monday, I would imagine we should be No. 2 in the country. With Alabama sliding down a spot. Duke beat Stanford today, so we’ll see what that looks like. But again, the goal is for us to be the best team in America. That’s our goal. I don’t know if we’ll get there, but we’ll continue to work for it. But it’s a great starting point. Obviously we want to give ourselves the best chance to advance in the NCAA Tournament as possible. If you’re able to lock down a 1 seed, you give yourself a much better chance to do that. So we’ll continue to talk about it and try to reach that goal.”

On if UF will have a 10-man rotation:

TODD GOLDEN: “I don’t know if we’ll play 10, but I know we have 10 that we can play. And the reality is that every game calls for different circumstances and different decisions. I feel bad for Urb tonight because he’s been playing so well and I just didn’t really feel like I could get him many more minutes in the first half and then the second half we got going a little bit. And there’s going to be nights like that, you know, and it is what it is. I expect him to be ready on Tuesday night. But it’s hard to play 10. I’ve never really done it before and I don’t anticipate really doing it right now unless we feel like we need to.”

On Rueben’s progress on offense:

TODD GOLDEN: “I think his defensive intensity, first of all. He was elite defensively in the Mississippi State game. He did a great job of dictating our coverages and making sure we kept guys on the side of the floor and everything like that. I thought tonight, the first half he was just OK that way. I thought he was really good in the second half that way, defensively and offensively made some really just tough moves. He was the beneficiary of some dropoffs in transition where he was able to flush it and had some interesting celebrations that people were excited to see. And he had some good low post moves also. And he has much better touch than people give them credit for. And we talk to our perimeter about trying to feed him a little more when he’s got guys on his back. But he’s just continuing to evolve into a very good winning player for us.”

On Alijah Martin’s return:

TODD GOLDEN: “Thought a little rusty early, but I thought good late. I wanted to try to burn him out and see if he could get totally back acclimated. I mean, he’s missed three games, right? Well two, and the Vandy game was difficult for him. It’s just hard. It’s hard to be out. And when roles are constantly changing and evolving, it’s gonna take a little bit longer to get back comfortable, but he looked good out there and obviously it feels good to have him out there. And I think he’ll continue to play at a high level the rest of the year.”