Florida Gators to open 2015 SEC Basketball Tournament vs. Alabama Crimson Tide + Bracket

By Adam Silverstein
March 7, 2015

Eight-seed Florida Gators men’s basketball (15-16, 8-10 SEC) will take on the nine-seed Alabama Crimson Tide (18-13, 8-10 SEC) in the second round of the 2015 Southeastern Conference Tournament on Thursday, March 12 in Nashville, Tennessee.

The contest, set to tip off at 1 p.m. and air live on the SEC Network, will be the second meeting between the programs this season as the Gators previously defeated the Tide 52-50 on Jan. 27 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Florida head coach Billy Donovan is 22-5 against Alabama with victories in 10-straight meetings and wins in 12 of the last 13 showdowns between the teams. Donovan is also 9-0 all-time against Crimson Tide head coach Anthony Grant, a former Gators assistant.

The winner of Thursday’s game will square off against the tournament’s top seed, No. 1 Kentucky (31-0, 18-0 SEC), in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals on Friday, March 13 at 1 p.m. UK routed UF 67-50 on Saturday in Lexington, Kentucky.

Florida, the defending SEC Tournament champion, is 41-45 all-time in the event with a 26-14 record under Donovan and four total tournament crowns (2005-07, 2014).

4 Comments

gatorboi352 says:

March 7, 2015 at 11:41 pm

Really needed that 7 or 10 seed to hope to advance to the Final. Oh well.

Reply
- Tractorr says:
  
  March 8, 2015 at 11:07 am
  
  What difference does it make? The ONLY way we are going to the NCAA is to win the SEC tourney. At least maybe we catch UK a little flat.
  
  Reply
Gatoralum88 says:

March 8, 2015 at 11:18 am

I just read a column which says they’ll “likely” get an NIT bid even at 16-17 next week because their BPI is so high (currently 39). Personally, I’d rather they play in the CBI which they’d have a better chance of winning…& even getting to 20 wins since the CBI has a ‘Best of 3’ final.

Reply
- Adam Silverstein says:
  
  March 8, 2015 at 2:42 pm
  
  Florida won’t play in the CBI. No SEC team got an NIT bid last year with fewer than 19 wins. Florida will max out at 17 this year. Maybe though.
  
  Reply