Florida squashes UM bid for first ranked win since 2022, outlasts Hurricanes
Malik Reneau said he expected “war” against No. 10 Florida, that he hoped “they’re ready” for Miami’s new, improved program under first-year coach Jai Lucas.
So when Florida guard Urban Klavzar drained his fourth 3-pointer with two minutes left, cementing a 16-point lead while becoming Florida’s fourth 15-point scorer, Reneau shaking his head on the bench was akin to a white flag waving from the trenches.
In an early-season test of a reinvigorated Miami program, the reigning-champion Gators romped 82-68 in the GEICO Jacksonville Hoops Showdown, handing Miami its eighth-consecutive loss when facing a ranked opponent. After three games in which the Hurricanes (3-1) grabbed at least 12 boards more than their opponent, Florida outrebounded them by six. With limited inside presence, the rest of Miami’s offense collapsed on itself — finishing 5 of 18 from 3 while shooting 55.6% at the line.
“Their praise is warranted,” Lucas said about Florida. “We weren’t us to the level we needed. We didn’t need to do anything special. We just had to be us, and we weren’t there. … The motion of the game kind of got us, and that’s part of being in this moment for the first time.”
The evening wasn’t without its glimpses of hope.
Reneau, a Miami native, has been the focal point of the Hurricanes’ offense this season, and that was no different Sunday, even in Miami’s first loss. He finished with 22, showing the poise and finesse that made him an All-Big Ten contender at Indiana each of the last two seasons. Even his efficiency, though, waned to 33.8%, a season-low by 32 points, and he felt he shrank in the game’s biggest moments.
“I got to be more vocal and a bigger leader,” he said. “You can’t get a better bump than this, this early in the season. So we just have to keep learning.”
And his fellow soldiers provided limited cover. The Hurricanes touched down in Jacksonville with guards Tre Donaldson, Tru Washington and forward Shelton Henderson averaging a combined 42.6 points per game. Yet when Henderson walked to the bench only a minute and a half into the second period, folding his face as the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena displayed his fourth foul, it was clear Reneau was fighting this in-state battle down some of his typical help. Aided by some late-game support, the trio scored 34 — 16 of which were Washington’s.
The first half went about as well as any Miami fan could’ve hoped against a preseason top-three team. After an offseason of Lucas preaching rebounding, length and physicality, the Hurricanes held their ground against Florida’s imposing frontcourt, forcing seven turnovers in the first eight minutes. Reneau went to the locker room with 14, showing no signs of difficulty in the competition jump from Miami’s mid-major punching bags.
But the Gators’ offense was everything it hadn’t been so far this season. Florida’s preseason AP All-American Alex Condon, who previously looked uncomfortable in the Gators’ new three-big lineup, had 15 before the break (and a team-high 19 on the night). The Hurricanes — Reneau’s vigor and all — had no response to his post moves. And as the night continued, Condon’s dominance freed a struggling Florida perimeter offense purely via the gravity he commanded. The Gators were 9 of 29 from 3, the most they’ve made this season, which lightly increased their 21.1% clip from deep through three games (353rd nationally).
“I’m not worried about the shooting. I concern myself more with things that don’t require talent, like defending, rebounding, taking care of the ball,” Florida coach Todd Golden said, redirecting attention. “I think our ceiling is really high, and I think our floor is really high for us to be a team like Miami by 14.”
In the column of things no one would’ve expected, his team was still the most potent team from deep. Florida dragged Miami’s previously efficient 3-point clip into its defensive swamp, rattling a youthful group to 27.8%.
The difference in Florida’s and Miami’s depth, and subsequent comfort, rang through the second half. While Lucas’ squad fought as well as could’ve been reasonably expected in its first ranked contest under his regime — even pulling within three at the 16-minute timeout — it couldn’t take advantage of Florida racking up 23 fouls. The Gators’ leading scorers, Condon and Reuben Chinyelu, fouled out with over five minutes remaining. On queue, the Hurricanes finished 15 for 27 at the free-throw line.
The beauty of this situation is the reason a school like Miami schedules a top dog like Florida. Lucas praised the Gators’ size and confidence, emphasizing that the evening served as an opportunity to identify flaws. If the Hurricanes improve across the rest of their season, the loss won’t haunt them.
“We weren’t going to win a national championship if we beat them, and we weren’t going to lose it if we lost the game,” Lucas said. “We’re right where we needed to be in one moment, and they got away from us.”
Miami will host Elon on Thursday (7 p.m., ACCNX). Its next-ranked battle will be the following week, on Thanksgiving, against No. 7 BYU in the ESPN Invitational in Orlando.