Chris Chiozza had 16 points and nine assists, and Justin Leon added 13 points as No. 24 Florida handled North Florida 91-60 on Thursday night.

It was the Gators' first game as a ranked team during coach Mike White's two seasons in Gainesville.

Dallas Moore tried to wreck it. North Florida's all-time leading scorer finished with 31 points on 12-of-21 shooting. He kept the Ospreys (3-6) in the game early, but couldn't keep pace with Florida's inside-out attack.

The Gators pounded the ball inside (38 points in the paint), scored 38 points off turnovers and made 9 of 19 shots from 3-point range. It looked a lot like the last time these teams played. Florida hit 16 3s and beat North Florida 97-68 in the first round of the NIT in March.

White has a deeper and more talented team in his second season, and the Gators showed they could handle a little success. The entered The Associated Press' Top 25 Monday for the first time since November 2014.

Canyon Barry chipped in 12 points for the Gators (7-1), who improved to 6-0 against North Florida. Devin Robinson added 10.

Florida finished with a season-high in points and enjoyed their best shooting percentage of the season.

Moore was 6 of 12 from 3-point range for UNF. His teammates were 0 for 10 from behind the arc.

BIG PICTURE

Florida: The Gators look much improved from the last two seasons, but much bigger tests come next week with games against No. 5 Duke at Madison Square Garden and then at in-state rival Florida State. Winning either of those surely would boost Florida's NCAA Tournament resume.

North Florida: Romelo Banks, a 6-foot-11 center who missed all of last season following two foot surgeries, gives the Ospreys a much-needed presence in the paint. But it's clear coach Matthew Driscoll hasn't filled the scoring void left with the graduation of Beau Beech, Trent Mackey and Demarcus Daniels.

UP NEXT

Florida plays the fifth-ranked Blue Devils on Tuesday in the Jimmy V Classic in New York City, their first meeting since the 2000 NCAA Tournament. It was one of the biggest wins in Florida's program history.

North Florida continues a brutal, three-game stretch by traveling to No. 22 Syracuse on Saturday. The Ospreys play at Arkansas the following weekend.