The Todd Golden-led Florida Gators just got exposed on Thanksgiving! The No. 10 Gators recently locked horns with the TCU Horned Frogs for their sixth matchup of the 2025-26 NCAA season. However, what was expected to be a one-sided outcome has left everyone shocked, questioning the leadership of head coach Golden.

Everything pointed toward a Florida win early. The Gators shot 50% in the first half, held a 44–39 lead at the break, and stretched it to 53–43 behind Urban Klavzar and Thomas Haugh, who both delivered 20-point nights. But the moment Florida had TCU on the ropes, the wheels came off.

Once the Horned Frogs started attacking downhill, Florida had no answers at the rim. TCU finished the night shooting 75% inside the arc and outscored Florida (44–34) in the paint, repeatedly breaking Florida’s defense, which is supposed to be Todd Golden’s trademark.

But that was just one of the worries, as every run Florida made was immediately erased by sloppy ball-handling or undisciplined fouls. The team finished the game with 26 personal fouls, where Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee were fouled out, while Haugh and Chinyelu were both stuck at four, forcing Golden into uncomfortable rotations.

During the post-game interview, Todd Golden didn’t sugarcoat what went wrong and sent a message to his team:

“We’ve got to do a better job taking care of the basketball. We’ve got to understand that for us to be our best, we’ve got to be a gritty, hard-nosed, tough team that doesn’t allow a team to shoot 57 percent on us in a half. It’s got to be who we are, and if we’re unwilling to execute those things, it’s going to be a tough year. It’s going to be up and down depending on how we shoot the ball, and that so far has obviously been an issue for us,” he said.

According to ESPN Analytics, before the game started, the Gators had a winning probability of almost 88%. But the Horned Frogs came in as the underdogs and delivered a huge upset, ending the game with the final score of 84-80. And fans, clearly, are not happy.

Fans Unload After Todd Golden’s Gators Meltdown

“Pathetic,” one fan wrote, and that captures the general sentiment against Todd Golden and Co.

Golden leaned heavily on Florida’s strong frontcourt early, running constant pick-and-rolls and post-ups while barely using the outside game. TCU matched that physical style right away, even if it meant committing two Flagrant 1s in the first eight minutes. Even when Florida finally hit some threes, it wasn’t enough, and at halftime, Jaime Dixon adjusted perfectly, shutting down Golden’s plan in the second half.

Long-time college basketball reporter, Jeff Goodman, took to X and wrote, “The defending champion Florida Gators just lost to …. TCU? Wow. Princeton transfer Xaivian Lee has struggled, finished with 5 points and 1 assist before fouling out in 16 minutes.”

Xaivian Lee faced the sharpest criticism amongst all, as he continues to struggle stepping into a major role. He started off with a step-back three that sailed wide, and his only first-half scoring came from a pair of free throws. The senior guard dropped only 5 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist in 16 minutes before he had to leave the court after fouling out.

Through six games, Lee’s been averaging 7.6 points a game on 23% shooting, including 16% from behind the arc. So, one fan directed their anger at Golden, writing, “Lee is absolute garbage. Bench that little turd and let Klavzar start.”

Another fan summed up the offensive disaster perfectly and wrote, “How many wide open 3’s did we shoot that didn’t hit the rim? At least the horrible play was an all-around team effort.”

And they weren’t exaggerating. Florida went 8-of-29 from deep, many of them uncontested, continuing a season-long trend that Todd Golden has called out himself. Even in their season opener loss against the Arizona Wildcats, they shot only 26% from behind the arc, going 7-of-27.

Furthermore, one wrote, “Walter Clayton Jr is not easy to replace!” and he definitely isn’t.

The first consensus First Team All-American in Florida’s history, earning NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, and setting a single-season scoring record, went on to play in the NBA, leaving a massive backcourt void that is just too big to fill.

However, the ongoing season is still in its early stages, and the Gators have many high-ranked matchups in their schedule. But their performance on Thursday doesn’t have fans confident, as one wrote, “Gotta wonder what the UConn and Duke games are gonna look like.”

Turnovers remain one of the biggest concerns for the team. By halftime, Florida had already lost the ball 10 times (19 total) compared to their opponent’s four, a gap that turned into 22 points the other way. And this isn’t a new problem. Thursday marked their fourth straight game in which they’ve been outmatched in the turnover column.

As for fouls, the Gators again seem to go the wrong way when it matters the most. Against Arizona as well, Chinyelu and Alex Condon reached the foul limit.

The Gators will face the Duke Blue Devils on December 2nd, and the UConn Huskies on December 9th, both top-tier programs capable of punishing the same defensive lapses that were visible in their recent game. Those cracks could very well turn into something much bigger if they don’t find answers fast.

What’s your biggest takeaway from Florida’s loss against TCU? Let us know in the comments!