JACKSONVILLE – It was expected that Florida basketball’s frontcourt would be one of the best in the country.
That expectation was on full display in Florida’s 82-68 win over Miami on Sunday, Nov. 16, despite the No. 10 Gators being without three of their key big men in the final five minutes in the victory.
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Both Alex Condon and Reuben Chinyelu fouled out in the final six minutes of the game, while Micah Handlogten exited the game at the half due to an injury.
However, Condon made his biggest impact just after he picked up two fouls in the first two minutes of the game. Against Arizona and Florida State, Condon had similar early foul trouble, but this time the Australian big man learned to operate around it. In those two games, Condon was held to 11 points each time.
On Sunday night against the Hurricanes, Condon responded to the early foul trouble by scoring 12 of his 15 first-half points.
“I just played free,” Condon said. “I didn’t try to think too much about it, which obviously cost me in the end. I just kept playing the way I normally play without fouls. It’s something I definitely need to tone in a little bit and realize that my team needs me at the end of the stretch. There was definitely a big emphasis on rebounding going forward for us as well.”
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By the end of the game, Condon finished with 19 points and seven rebounds in only 23 minutes of action.
“I wish (Condon) would have stayed out of foul trouble because he was dominant tonight with his 19 and seven and kind of getting whatever he wanted,” Florida coach Todd Golden said. “He did a great job of playing poised in the paint, finishing around the rim, and we saw his three-ball go in a couple of times, which was huge for us.”
The Australian also knocked down a pair of 3-pointers, which was a welcome sight for a Florida team that struggled from beyond the arc as the Gators entered the game shooting 24%.
Chinyelu was equally dominant as he recorded his second straight double-double. The center, who put up 16 points and 12 rebounds in 26 minutes, was arguably even more impressive on the defensive side of the ball.
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“(Reuben) has been awesome for us the last two games for us,” Condon said. “He’s being the guy that he is in practice every day. We’ve always seen that from Reu for the past two years. He is starting to really get the hang of that and emulate that in the games as well.”
Miami entered the evening ranked second nationally in 2-point FG% (66.4%). The Gators’ big men held the Hurricanes in the paint and inside the arc at 24 of 71 (34%). Chinyelu helped keep Miami’s leading scorer, Malik Reneau, to 22 points and 11 rebounds. Reneau fouled and was only 8 of 23 from the field.
“I thought Reuben did a fantastic job on him all night for the most part,” Golden said. “Micah did a good job until he got banged up. We held them to 22 points on 23 shots, so really inefficient (for Miami). No assists and three turnovers. I think that was a huge key in our ability to be successful tonight.
“We have to be an elite defensive team. There is no doubt about that if we want to be the best we can be.”
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Florida will return to action on Friday, Nov. 21, as the Gators host Merrimack.
Reach Florida Gators writer Andrew Abadie at aabadie@gannett.com or on X (formerly Twitter) at @AndrewAbadie. You can also find him on Facebook at Andrew Abadie Sports Reporter or on Instagram @andrewabadie_sports.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida basketball’s frontcourt showcases talent in win against Miami
