Florida basketball will look to bounce back from a tough overtime loss at Alabama when it hosts Vanderbilt on Saturday at the O’Connell Center.
The Florida Gators (18-8, 8-5 SEC) are 11-1 at home this season. UF has won five straight at home since a Jan. 6 loss to Kentucky.
The game is sold out, as Florida jumped into the Top 25 of the AP Poll for the first time since 2021 earlier this week at No. 24.
“We’ve been working hard, trying to win games for the fan base, you know,” Florida junior guard Walter Clayton Jr. said. “So, them just coming out and showing their support, showing they believe in us, it means a lot.”
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Clayton scored a team-high 27 points in UF’s 98-93 overtime loss at Alabama and has scored 20 or more points in four straight games.
Vanderbilt (7-9, 2-11) swept Florida last season but has struggled this season in year five under head coach Jerry Stackhouse. The Commodores are led by guards Tyrin Lawrence (13.4 ppg, 1.5 spg) and Ezra Manjon (14.0 ppg, 3.7 apg).
“Vandy provides plenty of challenges, especially with the way they play offensively and us having to guard them,” Florida basketball coach Todd Golden said. “But we have to be ourselves too and we have to come out and be really aggressive in transition, push tempo, play really physically, play aggressively. If we do that, we should give ourselves a pretty good shot.”
Florida basketball vs. Vanderbilt start time
Florida and Vanderbilt are slated to tip off at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday from the O’Connell Center in Gainesville (capacity 10,151). The game is sold out, but limited obstructed view tickets are available an hour before tipoff.
Florida basketball vs. Vanderbilt betting odds
Per Fan Duel as of Friday afternoon, Florida is a 17.5-point favorite at home against Vanderbilt. The over/under is 153.5.
What channel is the Florida basketball vs. Vanderbilt game on today
Florida and Vanderbilt will air on the SEC Network and stream on WatchESPN.com. Mike Morgan will handle play-by-play duties, with Mark Wise as the analyst.
How to listen to Florida basketball vs. Vanderbilt game on radio
The Florida-Vanderbilt game will air on AM 850 and FM 98.1 in Gainesville and across the state on the Gator Radio Network. Sean Kelley will handle play-by-play duties, with former Gator great Lee Humphrey as the color analyst.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: How to watch Florida Gators basketball vs. Vanderbilt Commodores
