Florida basketball might be one of the deepest teams in country. Throughout the 2024-25 season, the Gators have suffered a number of injuries to their best players but still hold a 24-3 (11-3 SEC) record and a No.3 rank, according to the AP Poll.
One player that is starting to gain a lot of national buzz for his play is sophomore forward Thomas Haugh. The 6’9, 210-pound Pennsylvania native recently moved into the starting five after his best friend and roommate Alex Condon suffered a left ankle sprain during Florida’s road victory over Mississippi State on February 11th. During that four-game stretch (including MSU), Haugh has averaged 14.0 points per game, 7.75 rebounds, four assists, 1.5 steals, and one block while helping Florida to a 4-0 record without Condon. His efficiency was off the charts as well, shooting 58.8% from the field and 8-16 (50%) from three-point range.
Haugh is coming off one of the better games in his career vs LSU, scoring 16 points on 7-9 shooting including 2-2 from three while adding 10 rebounds, three assists, one block, and one steal in 34 minutes on the floor. Haugh played all 20 minutes in the second half, helping spark a come from behind win for the Gators.
“Obviously, a little more opportunity with Condo being out,” Head Coach Todd Golden said on Haugh. “For example, on Saturday, he didn’t come out in the second half. So he’s just playing with the ball in his hands a ton, and he’s just gotten extremely confident, shooting the ball incredibly well from the foul line, shooting very well from the perimeter, being aggressive trying to score on drives. He had three dunks in the second half – that’s really, really hard to do. Two 3s in the game and just making winning plays all over the floor.”
Haugh’s dominant stretch of play can go back one game further, when Florida knocked off No.1 Auburn on the road. With Alijah Martin out for the contest, Haugh logged 29 minutes, scoring 16 points while adding nine rebounds vs the Tigers.
“He’s just a very good player,” Golden said on Haugh. “I think the more time he’s on the floor, you see his winning plays show up. But the way he’s shooting the ball now and being a little more aggressive offensively, playmaking has kind of opened up just some more game for us right now.”
Haugh’s improvement as a shooter from year one to year two under Todd Golden is significant. Most notably, Haugh’s three-point percentage is up nearly 10 percentage points from his rookie campaign, climbing from 25.5% to 34.9%. Haugh also found a massive improvement from the free throw line, making 82.6% of his attempts from the charity stripe this season compared to 45.7% in 2023/24.
According to Evanmiya, Haugh holds the 4th best performance rating in all of college basketball, trailing Duke’s Cooper Flagg, Auburn’s Johni Broome, and Houston’s Joseph Tugler. The rating measures a player’s overall value to his team when on the floor. Haugh also holds an offensive rating of 132.4, the highest on the Gators and 24th highest in the country, according to KenPom.
With Alex Condon expected to return vs Georgia tonight, Haugh could slide back into his 6th man role, unless Florida wants to ease Condon back into the mix. Either way, Haugh’s recent stretch of play will make it difficult for Golden to keep him off the court.
Over the last five games, Haugh is averaging 31 minutes per game.