In a pivotal late-season matchup with significant postseason implications, the No. 5 Florida Gators (26-4, 13-4 SEC) secured a double bye in the SEC Tournament as the No. 2 overall seed with their victory over Alabama. The win strengthens Florida’s case for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, as they currently reside on the No. 2 seed line in most bracket projections. This significant Quad 1 victory marks the second time in program history that Florida has defeated a top-10 ranked team on the road in the same season.
The game showcased Florida’s depth and resilience, with sophomore Alex Condon delivering a breakthrough performance of 27 points and 10 rebounds. Walter Clayton Jr. continued his exceptional play, contributing 22 points and demonstrating his playmaking ability with eight assists in the 99-94 victory.
The contest’s turning point came in the second half when Florida, after trailing 52-47 with 16:19 remaining, orchestrated a commanding 32-13 run over the next 10 minutes. This surge gave the Gators a 79-65 advantage, which they would protect until the final buzzer. Their composure was evident as they secured the victory by converting their final 12 points at the free throw line.
The victory adds to an impressive list of accomplishments for the program:
- Florida has achieved eight top-10 road wins in their history
- Head coach Todd Golden has now secured three top-10 road wins, the most by any Florida head coach
- The team has matched their second-highest regular season win total, equaling the 2006-07 season
- The Gators have won eight of their last nine games
- This marked their fifth top-25 win of the season, including victories over #1 Tennessee, at #1 Auburn, at #22 Mississippi State, and #12 Texas A&M
The win also highlighted several individual achievements. Golden’s tenure has been particularly successful, with 66 wins through his first 99 games – the most in school history for any head coach’s first 100 games. Clayton continued his remarkable streak, now at 52 consecutive games with a three-pointer, while also surpassing Tyree Appleby’s record for most assists by a Florida transfer with 214.
Rueben Chinyelu made his presence felt with a team-leading 11 rebounds and nine points, helping Florida dominate the glass with a +15 rebounding advantage (50-35). The Gators also showed their superiority in transition, outscoring Alabama 22-10 in fastbreak points.
Head Coach Todd Golden expressed pride in his team’s performance, stating, “Really proud of our group tonight, just an amazing win obviously going up against a fantastic team here, a club that’s been one of the best teams in college basketball over the last couple years. Coach Oats has done an incredible job just getting this program to be a perennial top-10 team, and for us to be able to come in here and play with a lead for 27 minutes and not ever get behind [late] in the second half was a great effort for us.”
Golden particularly praised his standout performers: “Obviously, these two guys sitting next to me [Alex Condon and Walter Clayton Jr.] had remarkable games. I thought Walter did a great job controlling the game – eight assists, one turnover, five rebounds, 22 points and just really kept us poised, making great decisions. Condo obviously had his best game as a Gator tonight, just did a remarkable job finishing around the rim, hitting big threes in the first half, just playing with great physicality and effort and setting the tone.”
Regarding the team’s success on the road, Golden added, “I think it’s a strength of our team. We have a very mature team, workman-like approach. We’re very consistent. For whatever reason, I feel like we really hone in and do a great job of preparing on the road and making sure we come in with a great mentality.”
Clayton Jr. reflected on the team’s resilience during Alabama’s runs: “Just staying together. We talked about it before the game. Coach talked about how they were going to go on runs. They’re a great shooting team, great offensive team. They’re going to have their runs, so we had to battle through that adversity and went on a run of our own.”
Condon, discussing his career performance, remained humble: “The first little section that I played I was just getting my feet back under me, getting used to starting again. Credit to our guys, I think they did a good job of getting me in the right spots tonight.
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