Florida (16-6 straight up, 11-11 against the spread) head coach Todd Golden correctly called his shot more than a week ago when asked about the sudden and shocking eligibility of Alabama center Charles Bediako.
Golden said his Gators were going to beat the Crimson Tide anyway, whether Bediako was eligible to play or not. Well, Bediako played and it wasn’t nearly enough for Nate Oats’s team, especially in the lane where the 7-footer does his best work.
UF junior power forward Alex Condon had his best game of the season, junior center Rueben Chinyelu played spectacular defense and dominated the boards, sophomore point guard Boogie Fland tied a program record for steals, and the Gators pounded Alabama 100-77 as 8.5-point home favorites.
Condon produced 25 points, seven rebounds, two blocked shots, two steals and six assists without a turnover, while Chinyelu finished with 14 points, 17 boards, two blocked shots, one steal and three assists without a turnover. Thomas Haugh had 22 points and five rebounds, making 9-of-16 shots from the field.
Fland recorded 15 points, eight steals, two rebounds and eight assists compared to one turnover. Urban Klavzar was also in double figures with 11 points, four boards and four assists without a turnover.
UF outscored Alabama 72-26 in the paint and had an incredible 24/2 assist-to-turnover ratio. On the flip side, the Tide coughed up 18 turnovers compared to 16 assists.
“They destroyed us in the possession game,” Oats said. “Everybody’s afraid of Florida’s front court, and rightfully so.”
“That was a very valuable lesson we learned last week against Auburn, that when we don’t play with the fire and intensity on the defensive end, we’re not as good,” Golden said. “We got to make sure that we continue to focus on that, and I think our players have a great understanding. I thought they showed that today.”
Since losing at home to Auburn two Saturdays ago, UF has beaten South Carolina by 47 points and Alabama by 23. The Gators are off this week until playing Saturday at Texas A&M, which currently leads the SEC with a 7-1 record in league play.
Golden’s bunch is one-half game back of the Aggies with a 7-2 SEC record. UF is now #7 at KenPom and #12 in the NET rankings, while the Tide fell to #21 at KenPom and #22 in the NET.
The 177 combined points inched ‘over’ the 175.5-point total thanks to 10 points scored in the final 1:08. Alabama’s Latrell Wrightsell buried a 3-pointer with 48 seconds remaining to cut UF’s lead to 98-74. Next, 7-foot-9 Olivier Rioux scored a layup with 30 seconds left before the Tide’s London Jemison’s trey with 19 ticks remaining secured victory for ‘over’ backers.
The Tide fell into ninth place in the SEC with a 4-4 record. They’ll host Texas A&M on Wednesday at Coleman Coliseum.
Aden Holloway scored a team-best 19 points for Alabama. Labaron Philon finished with 14 points, but he committed five turnovers.
UF has won five games in a row over the Tide, including four victories by 14 points or more. The ‘over’ has cashed in 10 consecutive games in this rivalry.
FanDuel has Florida with 15/1 odds to win the program’s fourth national championship at the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Those are tied for the fifth-shortest odds on the board. Alabama is now a 45/1 longshot.
FanDuel has the Gators as -230 ‘chalk’ to win the SEC’s regular-season title. The next-shortest odds belong to Texas A&M (+420), Vanderbilt (13/1), Arkansas (19/1), Tennessee (20/1), Kentucky (25/1) and Alabama (40/1).