Todd Golden’s 4-word message that sparked Florida’s huge 2nd half vs. Georgia

Florida won its 14th straight game at Stephen C. O’Connell Center on Tuesday after rallying past Georgia, 92-77.

The Gators upped the ante in the second half, outscoring the Bulldogs, 51-37, to improve to 10-5. They had a slow start in the contest, prompting coach Todd Golden to issue a challenge to his players at halftime.

Georgie entered the game with a seven-game winning streak, but Golden remained unfazed, urging his players to step on the gas after the break.

“It’s gotta be now,” said Golden, as quoted by Florida Basketball Hour.

Todd Golden told the team “it’s gotta be now” at halftime.

Was proud of how the team responded and defended in the second half. pic.twitter.com/BDRhWQjpqK

— Florida Basketball Hour (@FloridaBBHour) January 7, 2026

The unranked Gators responded, putting the clamps on the 18th-ranked Bulldogs, who finished with their season-low in points. Georgia shot just 41% from the field in the contest. Florida dominated the paint, scoring 58 points, and outrebounded Georgia, 56-35.

“It’s how we are built. It’s who we are, and I think the more that we accept and take pride in kind of being the ugly, gritty, and physical team, I think we’ll continue to see good results,” added Golden in a report from Gator Country’s Nick Marcinko.

It was a big win for the defending national champions after dropping out of the top 25 following their tough loss to Missouri, 76-74, on Saturday.

Thomas Haugh had a double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds on top of three steals and four blocks to lead Florida. Alex Condon also scored 21 points, while adding eight rebounds and two blocks.

Marcus Millender tallied 18 points off the bench to lead Georgia. Jeremiah Wilkinson was limited to just two points on 1-of-9 shooting.

Florida will host Tennessee on Saturday.

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