GAINESVILLE — Florida shooting guard Alijah Martin knows a Final Four team when he sees one.
The FAU transfer recognizes something familiar in the No. 21 Gators, 93-68 winners Friday night against Southern Illinois in the O’Connell Center.
While it’s too early to tell, Martin said Todd Golden’s unbeaten squad (6-0) might be even better than the 2023 Owls Martin helped to a stunning postseason run.
“We’re bigger, more athletic,” Martin said. “No discredit to my old team, but I really like this group. I think we can do something special.”
Martin had a special night against the Salukis (2-3). The 6-foot-2, 215-pound fifth-year senior finished with 32 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and just 1 turnover.
Martin’s 8 3s — on 13 attempts — tied his season total after 5 games.
“He was nuclear tonight,” Golden said. “Really happy for him. He’s putting in a lot of work, a lot of extra time, and he treats this like a professional.”
Martin finished 2 points shy of his career high set as an FAU sophomore on March 5, 2022, against FIU. As a junior, he was pivotal in the Owls’ historic season, a stunning run that included a 76-74 win in Gainesville during Golden’s third game with the Gators.
When FAU coach Dustin May left for Michigan in March, Martin headed four hours north to give the Gators an explosive and veteran perimeter presence along with a suffocating defender.
A dozen steals in the first three games showcased his defensive prowess. Against Southern Illinois, Martin took over on the offensive end, scoring 7 straight points during a 16-0 run that broke open a 19-15 game.
“We started getting in a flow,” sophomore forward Thomas Haugh said. “Our team’s just super deep, and everybody plays super hard and is really unselfish. That helped us build that lead.”
Florida led by as many 30 points at 76-46 as Martin continued his scoring assault, highlighted by four consecutive 3s in the second half.
The 22-year-old Mississippi native said a lot of hard work and his teammates’ support helped him get into the zone.
“They poured life into me these past couple of weeks, having me shooting the ball,” he said. “Everybody told me to stay confident, stay ready.”
He was ready Friday night as a reported crowd of 9,533 looked on.
Martin is the new kid on the block, but showed he can be the leading man in a well-entrenched backcourt led by seniors Walter Clayton Jr. and Will Richard, who combined for 33 points during Tuesday night’s win against Florida A&M.
With Clayton and Richard a combined 5-of-18 shooting for 12 points, Martin picked up the slack. Haugh added 19 points, along with 4 blocked shots, as the Gators’ depth shined during their sixth straight win by at least 15 points.
“Pumped the way we played,” Golden said. “Really thought our guys did a good job start to finish tonight.”
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com