Florida Gators @ Florida State Seminoles
Clayton scores 25 points as No. 20 Florida, Todd Golden beat Florida State 87-74 on the road
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- — Walter Clayton scored 16 of his 25 points in the first half and No. 20 Florida held off a late rally to beat Florida State 87-74 on Friday night.
Florida’s Todd Golden coached his first road game after allegations of sexual harassment and stalking surfaced last week. Golden was greeted by boos from a sold-out Florida State student section.
Alijah Martin added 17 points and five rebounds, Alex Condon had seven points and 12 rebounds and Florida (4-0) won its fourth straight rivalry game against Florida State.
Florida State trailed by 15 with just under eight minutes to go but chipped away and cut Florida’s lead to 77-73 with 2:23 to go. But Clayton and Martin made 3s to help Florida secure the win.
Jamir Watkins had 19 points and seven rebounds for the Seminoles (3-1). Justin Thomas hit three 3-pointers in the second half, finishing with 11 points.
Florida: The Gators had 13 offensive rebounds and produced 16 second-chance points.
Florida State: The Seminoles forced 19 turnovers, producing 16 points off turnovers, but the defensive effort wasn’t enough.
The Gators made 3s on back-to-back possessions to punctuate a 14-2 run, extending their lead to 37-19 with 5:36 until halftime.
Florida shot 26% from 3-point range in its first three games but was 7 of 15 (46.7%) from beyond the arc in the first half and raced to a 44-31 lead at the break.
Florida hosts Florida A&M on Tuesday, the same day Florida State hosts Hofstra.
------
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 all season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
Game Information
Tallahassee, FL

Referee:Don Daily
Referee:Bill Covington Jr.
Referee:Ted Valentine

2025-26 Standings
| Southeastern ConferenceSoutheastern Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 16-2 | - | 27-8 |
| Arkansas | 13-5 | 3 | 28-9 |
| Alabama | 13-5 | 3 | 25-10 |
| Vanderbilt | 11-7 | 5 | 27-9 |
| Tennessee | 11-7 | 5 | 25-12 |
| Texas A&M | 11-7 | 5 | 22-12 |
| Georgia | 10-8 | 6 | 22-11 |
| Kentucky | 10-8 | 6 | 22-14 |
| Missouri | 10-8 | 6 | 20-13 |
| Texas | 9-9 | 7 | 21-15 |
| Auburn | 7-11 | 9 | 22-16 |
| Oklahoma | 7-11 | 9 | 21-16 |
| Mississippi State | 5-13 | 11 | 13-19 |
| Ole Miss | 4-14 | 12 | 15-20 |
| South Carolina | 4-14 | 12 | 13-19 |
| LSU | 3-15 | 13 | 15-17 |
| Atlantic Coast ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | 17-1 | - | 35-3 |
| Virginia | 15-3 | 2 | 30-6 |
| Miami | 13-5 | 4 | 26-9 |
| North Carolina | 12-6 | 5 | 24-9 |
| Clemson | 12-6 | 5 | 24-11 |
| Louisville | 11-7 | 6 | 24-11 |
| NC State | 10-8 | 7 | 20-14 |
| Florida State | 10-8 | 7 | 18-15 |
| California | 9-9 | 8 | 22-12 |
| Stanford | 9-9 | 8 | 20-13 |
| Virginia Tech | 8-10 | 9 | 19-13 |
| SMU | 8-10 | 9 | 20-14 |
| Wake Forest | 7-11 | 10 | 18-17 |
| Syracuse | 6-12 | 11 | 15-17 |
| Pittsburgh | 5-13 | 12 | 13-20 |
| Notre Dame | 4-14 | 13 | 13-18 |
| Boston College | 4-14 | 13 | 11-20 |
| Georgia Tech | 2-16 | 15 | 11-20 |
Men's College Basketball News

Which men's and women's basketball teams would NCAA tournament expansion benefit?
2h

How every five-star men's college basketball recruit fits with their new programs
12h

Breaking down No. 1 boys' basketball recruit Tyran Stokes to Kansas
13h

