The calendar has turned to March, the most important month of the year in college basketball.
No. 25 Florida basketball is looking to finish off its success at home and build some momentum in its O’Connell Center finale on Tuesday night against No. 17 Alabama.
The Florida Gators (20-9, 10-6 SEC) have gone 13-1 at home and have won seven straight at the O’Connell Center since an 87-85 loss to Kentucky on Jan. 6.
Florida is coming off an 82-76 loss at No. 16 South Carolina, a game in which the Gators failed to hold a 10-point, second half lead. South Carolina frustrated UF by sprinkling in a 1-3-1 zone defense in the second half and the Gators didn’t handle it well. Florida turned the ball over eight times in the second half and 12 times for the game.
Another blown lead: Florida basketball wastes double-digit lead, loses to South Carolina in key SEC showdown
Riding the pine: Florida basketball needs others to step up after Walter Clayton Jr. fouls out on questionable tech
“It took us a little bit to get into some sort of flow against their knot, that’s going to happen when teams are throwing different defenses at you,” Florida coach Todd Golden said. “But you just can’t live with the turnovers. I think we turned it over seven times against the zone. That was the biggest issue on that side of the ball.”
Florida is looking to avenge a 98-93 overtime loss to Alabama two weeks ago in Tuscaloosa, a chippy, competitive game in which Alabama forward Mohamed Wague was suspended for dropping on elbow on Florida freshman forward Alex Condon when the two fought for a loose ball in a pile.
The game pits two of the top scoring offenses in the SEC as Alabama ranks first in the conference in scoring offense at 90.9 points per game, while Florida ranks third at 84.4 ppg.
Before the game, Florida will honor starting point Zyon Pullin (15.4 ppg, 5.0 apg) and starting forward Tyrese Samuel (13.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg). Both transfers have been instrumental to UF’s turnaround this season, as the Gators have already won four more games than last season and are on track to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021.
“They’re not perfect,” Golden said. “But, man, they’ve been about as good as we could have expected in terms of seniors coming in here and doing what we wanted them to do.”
Florida basketball vs. Alabama start time
Florida and Alabama are slated to tip off at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday from the O’Connell Center in Gainesville (capacity 10,151).
Florida basketball vs. Alabama betting odds
Per Fan Duel as of Monday afternoon, Alabama is a 1.5-point favorite over Florida. The over/under is 177.5.
What channel is the Florida basketball vs. Alabama game on today?
Florida and Alabama will air on ESPN and stream on WatchESPN.com, Tom Hart will handle play-by-play duties, with Jimmy Dykes as the analyst and Marty Smith working the sidelines.
How to listen to Florida basketball vs. Alabama 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. Alabama Crimson Tide
