GAINESVILLE, Fla. – With the exception of a few passing references this season, Florida coach Todd Golden and his players have mostly kept their “underdog” theme in the locker room, but it’s definitely been something the team has leaned into.

Golden was a walk-on point guard at Saint Mary’s who grew into a starting point guard on a NCAA Tournament team and then a virtual unknown on this side of the country when he came from the University of San Francisco to coach the Gators. UF’s three top scorers (Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard) went un-recruited by high-major programs in their respective states and wound up at UF via the mid-major transfer route. The team’s two standout sophomores (Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh) were nowhere to be found in the top 150 prospects of their prep recruiting class. 

Oh, and the 2024-25 Gators were picked anywhere from sixth to ninth in most preseason Southeastern Conference projections last fall. 

So, yeah, the narrative has worked just fine, but this week the Gators got some additional ammo to take their underdog theme to another level.

Now they can play the “No Respect” card, also.  

The league released its postseason awards earlier this week, with Clayton named to the All-SEC first team and Condon to the third. But where was Martin on the All-Defensive Team? Where was Haugh for Sixth Man of the Year? And what about Golden in the Coach of the Year category? All he did was guide UF to its second-most regular-season wins in program history. 

“Some of my guys got snubbed,” Clayton said Wednesday. “I’ve been kind of egging it on a little bit, putting it in their ears.”

It’ll definitely be a topic of conversation in the run-up to Friday’s game in the quarterfinals of SEC Tournament, where the fourth-ranked Gators (27-4), winners of three straight and nine of the previous 10, will face either 21st-ranked Missouri (21-10) or Mississippi State (21-11) at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. 

Win 27 games, finish second in the league (just one game out of first), roll out one of the slickest, high-powered offenses in the nation and jump from 94th nationally in defense last year to a top-10 unit … and just two guys are recognized? 
 
“I’d put Will in there. I’d put Rueben [Chinyelu] in there for All-Defense,” Golden said Wednesday, showering praise on his sharp-shooting senior guard and sturdy sophomore center, respectively, both of whom have played instrumental roles in the program’s resurgence to national prominence. “With Alijah and Will not making any of the all-league teams and then Alijah and Rueben not getting on all-defense, I think those are things that our team will definitely use as motivation going into this weekend, and that’s how we feel about it.”

Golden praised the player who did win Sixth Man award, Missouri guard Caleb Grill, as well he should have, given Grill ripped UF with 22 points and seven 3s when the Tigers handed the Gators their lone home loss of the season back in January. 

Obviously, every player receiving postseason honors was worthy, but a little extra edge never hurts, as long as it’s put in the proper perspective. 

“It provided some really good motivation for our guys to go to Nashville and make a statement,” Golden said. “I told our guys, we have the opportunity, if we go and play well, then we’re making the right statement. And if we go there and we don’t play well, we have nothing to talk about. So, our guys are using this trip and this SEC Tournament as an opportunity to continue to play with a chip on our shoulder.”

Clayton, on the other hand, won’t have or need a chip, but will have a new and very bright light of expectation beaming down his way. Two days after his first-team All-SEC honor, the 6-foot-2 playmaker was named First-Team All American by The Sporting News, making the Clayton – and this is truly stunning – the first player in Florida basketball history to be so honored by any news service.

 

the first player in program history to earn first-team All-American status ⚡️

📰: https://t.co/dMwAgRS8qY pic.twitter.com/FcX6l5Lg6o

— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) March 12, 2025

Yes, that’s correct. Neither Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Corey Brewer nor Taurean Green got it. Neither did SEC players of the year Chandler Parsons or Scottie Wilbekin. Not even Neal Walk, who averaged at least 24 points and 18 rebounds his junior and senior seasons in 1968-69. 

“It speaks to two things: Number 1, obviously, Walter’s individual success and how well he’s played all year. He’s done an incredible job leading our team,” Golden said. “But also the success of our team. If we weren’t a top three, four team in America, Walt’s not getting that honor.”

Clayton, who’s averaging 17.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, agreed. 

“I’ve been saying all year, a lot of stuff comes from winning,” he said. “This is a product of that, so I’m just thankful.”

Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu