Whenever the national media talks about the 2024-25 Florida Gators men's basketball team, the guard trio of Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard inevitably ends up as item No. 1 on the topic list.
While CBS Sports college basketball writer Cameron Salerno is guilty of gushing over Clayton and Martin, it's the roster depth that Todd Golden has across the board that he believes sets the program apart from the other three members of the Final Four field.
"What if I told you Florida's star backcourt wasn't even its greatest strength? That's because Florida's frontcourt depth is among the best in the sport," Salerno wrote.
The quartet of forwards that Florida uses in the frontcourt has been a major part of Florida's run to the Final Four. Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu play with a "bruising" style to set the tone early in games, and Thomas Haugh and Micah Handlogten are starter-level replacements off the bench.
Haugh was just as important as Clayton in Saturday night's Elite Eight win, securing the offensive rebound that started the comeback. He also hit two big 3s before Clayton buried two more to take the lead. Golden expressed his displeasure after Haugh was snubbed in the Sixth Man of the Year conversation, and the sophomore forward from New Oxford, Pennsylvania, has proven the voters wrong ever since.
Handlogten's story is made for the movies. After breaking his leg in the SEC Tournament championship game a year ago, Handlogten made a full recovery and decided to forgo a redshirt to help the team make a postseason push. He originally planned to miss the entire year but answered the call when Alex Condon went down with a sprained ankle earlier this year. An elite defender and rebounder, Handlogten has helped the team claim the conference tournament title and is now aiming to finish off this run in the NCAA Tournament.
"The Gators rank No. 5 in offensive rebounding percentage (38.9%), and part of the reason is because of the physicality and depth in the frontcourt," wrote Salerno.
That's not to take away from the work the guards do. Clayton is among the best in the country, Martin is the first player to reach the Final Four with two different teams and Richard is the first transfer that Golden brought into the mix. Even backup guards Denzel Aberdeen and Urban Klavzar play significant roles. Aberdeen has hit some big-time shots during this run.
There is talent up and down this roster, and that's the vision Golden had three years ago when he took over the program.
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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida Gators basketball Final Four evaluation by CBS Sports
