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Florida incinerates Alabama, rolls into SEC Tournament title game
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Florida and Alabama met on Saturday in the SEC Basketball Tournament semifinals from Nashville in a game that was expected to be a battle throughout. For one half of the game, that played out.
Entering the break, Florida clung to a 47-45 lead over Alabama with both sides battling back and forth. Unfortunately, Alabama big man Grant Nelson did not play after halftime following a left leg injury, and the Gators took advantage in a big way.
After the break, Florida shot 55.9% from the floor and 6-for-12 from 3-point range while racking up 57 2nd-half points. At one point, the Gators led by as many as 24 points before finishing off the 104-82 win and emptying the bench in the final minute.
In the win, Walter Clayton Jr. led all players with 22 points and was 6-for-11 from long range. Rueben Chinyelu added a double-double while Will Richard and Alijah Martin both chipped in 16 points. A total of 6 Gators reached double figures in the rout.
On the flip side, Alabama was held to 82 points, the first game without reaching 90+ points for Nate Oats’s squad since a 79-76 loss to Tennessee. Florida previously beat Alabama 99-94 in the final week of the regular season to give Todd Golden a 2-0 mark against Oats this season.
Chris Youngblood led 4 Alabama players in double figures, but the absence of Nelson in the 2nd half was pivotal after 9 points in the first half. Mark Sears was also limited to just 9 points on 3-for-10 shooting in the loss.
Regardless of how Sunday’s title game plays out, Florida is becoming a trendy pick to reach the Final Four, even before Selection Sunday reveals the entire bracket. In fact, the Gators now have the 2nd-best odds in the country to reach the national semifinals, coming in at -125 in the Final Four odds produced by FanDuel. Duke leads the pack at -140 while Auburn is now 3rd at -120.
For now, fans can buckle up for an SEC Tournament final that is shaping up to be of epic proportions.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
