Image Credit: Maddie Washburn, UAA

The Florida Gators got a measure of revenge on the UConn Huskies for swiping their mantle as last college basketball team win back-to-back national championships by eliminating UConn from the 2025 NCAA Tournament on the way to Florida winning its first title since 2007. On Tuesday, the Gators may have added the piece they needed to reclaim the back-to-back accolade when sophomore forward Alex Condon announced his withdrawal from the 2025 NBA Draft.

“Let’s do ittt 🐊,” he posted on social media.

Averaging 10.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists as a 35-game starter last season, Condon was Florida’s most consistent and impactful frontcourt player until an ankle injury briefly sidelined him. He was not the same player upon returning but did come alive in Florida national title win over Houston with 12 points and 7 boards.

Condon’s play through most of the campaign had NBA evaluators salivating about his potential at the next level with many believing — should he continue progressing — he would be a first-round pick by season’s end. However, by tailing off late in the process and not putting it together down the stretch — while simultaneously being outplayed by classmate Thomas Haugh — Condon’s appeared as if he needed one more year of seasoning before becoming a professional. His projection moved to borderline first round, early second round with a floor of No. 40 overall.

Combined over the last three games of the NCAA Tournament, Condon made seven baskets yet committed 10 turnovers and 10 fouls. A player who was regularly posting double-doubles, he averaged 7.2 points and 5.7 rebounds in March Madness — well below his regular-season numbers — as competition and pressure increased. He shot 49% from the field and 33% from 3-point last season but only 60% from the charity stripe.

“It’s a really good situation waiting for me there,” Condon told ESPN of his decision to return to UF. “A great coach with Todd Golden. Teammates I won a national championship with. I have great chemistry with those boys. We have a good transfer class coming in. I expect guys to make a leap. My big man coach Carlin Hartman is returning, so I will keep developing my game with him.”

Condon declared for the NBA Draft but retained his eligibility specifically so he would have this opportunity. Junior center Rueben Chinyelu did the same and will also be returning to the Gators. Along with Haugh, they will make up a veteran returning frontcourt with all three players expected to start (Haugh at the 3, Condon at the 4).

While waiting for Condon’s decision, head coach Todd Golden wasted no time recruiting backcourt stars to fill out the roster following the departures of Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard and Alijah Martin.

Five-star guard Boogie Fland withdrew from the NBA Draft and committed to Florida rather than return to Arkansas, where he was the team’s second-leading scorer (13.5 points) and top distributor (5.1 assists) as a freshman last season. The Gators also acquired four-star point guard Xaivian Lee out of Princeton (16.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.5 assists) and four-star G AJ Brown out of Ohio (13.2 points) to create a new triumvirate of lead scorers.

With junior C Micah Handlogten and freshman G Isaiah Brown (AJ’s brother) as top reserves, Florida has as stacked a roster as any team in the nation entering the 2025-26 season — to the point that it may (and perhaps should) receiver consideration as the preseason No. 1 team ahead of its national championship defense beginning.

“It’s a hard thing to do, winning back-to-back,” Condon told ESPN. “We’re not taking it lightly. We need to get together as a team — get back to Gainesville, share in some hardship through hard work in the summer and get used to playing with each other. Part of the reason we were so good last season was we got used to playing with each other for two years. We need to continue that. When guys have your back, that’s what makes a great team.”