Big dose of analytics leads Todd Golden and Florida Gators to NCAA title

• The Florida Gators won the NCAA men’s basketball championship on Monday. Their victory over the Houston Cougars was largely due to data-driven decisions.
• Gator head coach Todd Golden is known for his analytical approach and said he wants to run his program “like a business.”
• The Gators use numbers in almost every aspect of their program –– from recruiting and health and wellness to in-game decisions.

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The Florida Gators won their third NCAA championship Monday night, April 7, beating the Houston Cougars 65-63. At 39 years old, Todd Golden became the youngest head coach to win the title since the legendary Jim Valvano in 1983.

What was the biggest factor in the Gators’ win?

The Gators were one of the top offensive teams in the country all season, averaging 85.3 points per game. But after Monday’s win, Golden praised the Gators’ defense, which shut down the Cougars on their final possession of the game.

During the post-game press conference, Golden spit out the numbers like a mathematician.

“Houston got the better of us in the first half, but it was really just a disparity in the turnover count,” Golden said. “We had nine, I think they had two in the first half, and as I look here, we had four in the second, and they had seven, and our defense won us a game tonight. We got nine straight stops at one point in the middle of the second half. To your point, we held them scoreless the last 2:20.”

Where do Golden and his staff use analytics?

Game stats are just a part of the equation for Golden and his staff. They use data-driven decision-making in almost every aspect of their program –– from recruiting to health and wellness to in-game decisions, like shot selection, when to sub players, and even when and where to foul.

Before the Final Four began, Golden was asked why it’s been so successful.

“We try to run and operate our program like it’s a business,” Golden said. “We hire staffing to do different roles, we recruit players to assume different roles, and you know, in a game that is changing dramatically by the year, I think it’s as important now –– more than ever –– to be on the cutting edge of, you know, just kind of having an analytical mindset in the way you approach what you do on a day-to-day basis.”

Golden has a dedicated analytics coach, Jonathan Safir, who helps him and his staff analyze data and make informed decisions. The idea is to help the players be as efficient as possible. But Golden admits they can “nerd out” sometimes, so they try to simplify the message when coaching.

Is the approach used outside of game situations?

Golden and his staff even use numbers to evaluate players in the transfer portal –– a massive part of how his championship roster was built, including his leading scorer in the title game, Will Richard.

“This guy sitting next to me was the first one man, the first one that, you know, we saw him hit the portal, and we look at his numbers at Belmont and, you know, incredibly efficient as a freshman,” Golden said. “High-usage player, great rebounding rates, great steal rates, great block rates, and then we go meet with him in Nashville, and the kid is just an incredible light bulb and an incredible human being.”

Golden is unique, winning a title in just his sixth full season as a head coach. He may have also shined a big spotlight on analytics as a way to run a program, much like baseball general manager Billy Beane did in 2002 with the Oakland A’s, the team that inspired the book and movie, “Moneyball.”

Golden will certainly need to use all his analytical tools to compete in 2026. Will Richard, Walter Clayton, Jr., Alijah Martin and Alex Condon are all on their way to the professional ranks.