Florida Gets Help From an Unlikely Source During Preseason Win

Story by

Story by
Florida Gets Help From an Unlikely Source During Preseason Win

Urban Klavzar celebrates after making a three-pointer. Getty

Bryan Armetta · HEAVY

Wed, Oct 28, 2026 ·

3 min read

Klavzar Comes Up Clutch for Florida

GettyKlavzar should play a key role this season for #1 Florida.

Make no mistake, Urban Klavzar is a key piece for the Gators going forward. However, the junior will likely be confined to a bench role barring a significant injury.

For head coach Todd Golden, having an experienced bench piece is quite the luxury. Klavzar played a role as a freshman during 2025's March Madness run for Florida. He followed that up last season with 9.6 points per game on 44/40/90 shooting splits, earning SEC Sixth Man of the Year. Klavzar came off of the bench in all 35 of his appearances.

Entering this upcoming 2026-27 campaign, Klavzar is once again slated for a key reserve role. Boogie Fland and Denzel Aberdeen are expected to serve as UF's starters out of the back court. However, the latter wasn't able to suit up on Tuesday due to an illness.

Klavzar shined in relief of Fland, notched a team-high 24 points. Just as impressive, the Slovenian shot eight-of-14 from the field (57% FG) and six-of-12 from three-point range (50%). Fellow guard Aberdeen also managed to put up 22 points.

What's Next for the Gators?

Fland shouldn't be sidelined for very long, eventually shifting Klavzar back into his role as an overqualified backup. That level of depth is a major reason why Florida comes into the regular season as the nation's #1 team on the latest AP Poll . The reigning Sixth Man of the Year's shooting prowess should come in handy for the SEC favorites.

What's scary about Florida is that the strength of this team is down low. Alex Condon, Rueben Chinyelu and Thomas Haugh form the nation's best front court. All three were on 2025's title-winning Gators squad as well. When the Gators are getting a combined 46 points from their guards, this becomes a near-impossible group to beat.

Florida's quest for a trip to the Final Four kicks off next week with a high-profile season opener vs. #14 Miami. The schedule dips a bit in quality for the rest of the month before a massive showdown against #2 Duke on December 1st. From there, the Gators won't face another ranked opponent until the start of conference play.

Even with a middling strength of schedule, there's no question that Golden's crew is legit. Following last season's second-round March Madness upset vs. Iowa, Florida should come out with added motivation this season. If the Gators get an even better version of Klavzar, there's no telling what they can do going forward.

This article was originally published on HEAVY