Florida vs. Alabama score, takeaways: No. 4 Gators eviscerate No. 5 Tide, advance to SEC Tournament final

Basketball

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Image Credit: UAA

A championship is in the sights of the No. 4 Florida Gators after a dominant 104-80 win over the No. 5 Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday afternoon. Florida has advanced to the 2025 SEC Tournament final where it will face the No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers for the third time this season seeking its first conference crown since 2014.

The Gators’ 104 points were a season-high for the program and a new SEC Tournament record for a single team. They will now play for the league title for the second straight postseason.

UF and UT split their prior matchups with the Gators winning by 30 at home before losing by 20 on the road. That third battle will come Sunday afternoon, but it would not have been created without Florida’s immense performance Saturday in which it put Alabama firmly into the hardwood after halftime to coast toward yet another dominant victory over a top-10 team.

Let’s take a look at what went down with some Fastbreak Takeaways.

It was over when … senior guard Will Richard drained two catch-and-shoot 3-pointers as part of an 11-2 run that pushed the Gators ahead by 23 points with 8 minutes to play. UF eventually led by as many as 24 inside 6 minutes and again with 19 seconds left.

After a slow start to the second half for both teams, Florida used an explosive 17-2 run to take its first substantial advantage of the game at 64-50 with about 15 minutes left to play. Redshirt senior G Alijah Martin scored nine points during the stretch — including a tremendous fastbreak slam dunk off a one-touch outlet pass by senior point guard Walter Clayton Jr. — as the Gators gained substantial momentum in a hard-fought game.

First half focus: A back-and-forth 20 minutes — featuring 12 ties and 10 lead changes — left both teams nearly even statistically, though Florida held a minuscule 47-45 advantage at the break. Clayton posted 12 points while hitting just 4 of 11 baskets with Alabama holding an edge on the fastbreak where it posted a 12-2 scoring margin.

Exceptional efforts: Clayton was not overly efficient in the first half, but he nevertheless managed a game-high 20 points while draining 6 of 11 attempts from downtown. Just as importantly, he did not commit a single turnover (after coughing up the ball five times on Friday) while registering five assists. perfectly complimenting Clayton in the backcourt were Richard and Martin, who scored 16 points each hitting 10 of 13 shots combined. Sophomore center Rueben Chinyelu was impressive posting a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds despite being in foul trouble most of the game and ultimately fouling out; his first-half scoring was crucial as the Gators’ guards struggled out of the gate.

Odds & ends: Florida improved to 74-79 all-time against Alabama, 4-2 under Golden … the Gators are now 51-53 all-time in the SEC Tournament, 5-2 under Golden … UF is now 7-2 this season against AP Top 25 opponents, 13-12 since Golden took over the program … Florida improved to 55-9 under Golden when leading at halftime (24-0 this season), 64-5 when leading with 5 minutes left (27-0), 50-10 when outrebounding an opponent (23-3), 40-15 when forcing more turnovers (20-1), 48-8 when shooting 45% or better from the field (21-2), 62-7 when outshooting an opponent (26-1), 22-4 when shooting 40% or better from 3-point range (9-0), 56-8 when outshooting an opponent from 3-point range (26-0), 37-16 when attempting more free throws (13-4) and 23-3 when 5+ players score in double figures (9-0) … UF had six players in double figures during the same game for the first time since 2021 … Florida led for the final 18:31 … Clayton extended his program record making a 3-pointer in his 54th consecutive game

What it means: While the Gators did benefit from the Tide losing a key player in Grant Nelson, his presence would not have mattered much the way UF played in the second half. Florida has proven time and again this season that it can match styles and figure out teams as games progress. It did that again Saturday by locking down defensively after halftime, overcoming its fastbreak struggles and creating open shots for its guards.

The question now is where the Gators wind up once the 2025 NCAA Tournament is seeded Sunday evening. Florida should have locked up a No. 1 seed with its win over Missouri, but analysts continue to suggest it needed to win its next two games to shore up that distinction given both potential opponents would also be ranked among the top 10.

“I think we secured a No. 1 seed today. That’s my opinion. We’re second on KenPom right now. Beat Bama twice. Beat Auburn at Auburn,” Golden said after the game.

However, the actual debate should be between UF and Auburn for the No. 1 overall seed. The Tigers have lost three of their last four games, and the Gators have a road win over them despite Martin being sidelined for that game. UF just beat Bama by 22 points, and it will enter the NCAA Tournament having only failed to defeat one team all season — Kentucky in Rupp Arena.

What’s next? Florida will meet Tennessee for a rubber match in the SEC Tournament final on Sunday. The game will air live at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN.