In an exhilarating matchup in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the No. 5 ranked Florida Gators secured a hard-fought 99-94 victory against the No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide on Wednesday night, led by a standout performance from Alex Condon, who recorded 27 points and 10 rebounds.
The Gators now hold an impressive record of 26-4 and 13-4 in the Southeastern Conference.
Walter Clayton Jr. played a pivotal role alongside Condon, contributing 22 points and providing eight assists.
Florida bolstered its NCAA Tournament aspirations with its second road victory over a top ten team this season, having previously toppled No. 1 Auburn earlier in the year.
Remarkably, this marks the first time in school history that Florida has notched two victories against top ten teams within the same season.
Alabama’s Mark Sears led his team with a stellar performance, tallying 30 points, six rebounds, and five assists.
Additional contributions came from Labaron Philon with 19 points, Clifford Omoruyi with 11, and both Grant Nelson and Aiden Sherrell each adding 10 points.
The Crimson Tide now hold a 23-7 overall record and 12-5 in conference play.
A few key takeaways emerged from the game.
The victory could enhance Florida’s chances of obtaining the final No. 1 seed, positioning them ahead of Tennessee in the race.
Florida entered the game narrowly ranked above Tennessee in the NET rankings, which are heavily weighted by the selection committee for tournament considerations.
This victory placed the Gators solely in second place within the SEC standings.
An interesting statistic from the game was Florida’s dominance in rebounding, which is often a challenging feat against Alabama.
The Gators outrebounded the Crimson Tide 50-35, including a 16-10 advantage on the offensive glass.
One of the game’s pivotal moments was a sequence in the second half when Walter Jr. assisted Condon on two slam dunks within a sixty-second timeframe.
The second dunk expanded Florida’s lead to twelve points with less than eight minutes remaining.
Even though Alabama managed to reduce the gap to five points during the final 90 seconds, they were unable to bring the deficit to within just one possession.
Clayton Jr. and Condon’s collaboration was instrumental, as they accounted for 36 of Florida’s 72 field goals and contributed 15 out of the team’s 29 free-throw attempts.
The duo carried much of the offensive load for the Gators throughout the game.
Looking ahead, Alabama is set to conclude its regular season in a matchup against No. 1 Auburn on Saturday, following Auburn’s defeat at Texas A&M, which marked just their second conference loss this season.
Meanwhile, Florida will host Ole Miss on the same day, setting the stage for more captivating college basketball action as the season nears its conclusion.
