Storylines to watch as Florida basketball meets Alabama in SEC Tournament semifinals

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Florida basketball guard Will Richard on SEC Tournament win vs Missouri

Florida basketball senior guard Will Richard talks about his hot start and how the Gators closed out Missouri in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals

Florida seeks to secure a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and win its first SEC Tournament title since 2014.Alabama aims to avenge its recent loss to Florida and advance to the SEC Tournament finals.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. ― Florida basketball is a win away from reaching the SEC Tournament finals for a second straight year.

To accomplish that goal, the No. 2 seed Florida Gators (28-4) will get another matchup against No. 3 seed Alabama (25-7) in the SEC Tournament semifinals on Saturday afternoon at Bridgestone Arena (3:30 p.m., ESPN).

Alabama comes into the matchup seeking revenge after falling 99-94 to UF on March 5 in its Senior Day home finale. The Crimson Tide have won two straight since, knocking off rival Auburn 93-91, then beating Kentucky 99-70 in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals on Friday night.

“We earned the double bye, which helped us tonight,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said. “Kentucky played last night. They didn’t look as fresh as we did. We were able to build the lead up. “

Florida is playing to lock up a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and win its first SEC Tournament title since 2014.

Here are three storylines to watch in the SEC Tournament semifinal matchup:

How Florida basketball held off pesky Missouri in SEC Tournament quarterfinals

The Gainesville Sun’s Kevin Brockway wraps up Florida basketball’s 95-81 win over Missouri in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.

Can Florida basketball dictate the game physically like it did in its first meeting with the Tide?

Florida outrebounded Alabama 50-34 and outscored the Tide 19-10 in second chance points in the first meeting between the two teams, which played a a major factor in the outcome of the game.

Florida’s starting frontcourt tandem of Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu combined for 21 rebounds. Condon…

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Publish date : 2025-03-15 08:02:00

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