What Happened
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Sophomore forward Alex Condon returned to the Florida starting lineup to score a career-high 27 points and grab 10 rebounds, while senior point guard Walter Clayton Jr. added 22 points and eight assists, as the fifth-ranked Gators defeated seventh-ranked Alabama on its home floor in their Southeastern Conference top-10 showdown at sold-out Coleman Coliseum.
UF, which has won eight of the last nine, used 50-percent shooting in the second half to turn a one-point halftime lead into a 14-point cushion inside six minutes to go, then had to hold off one of the nation’s most lethal offenses with some timely baskets and clutch free throws. The Crimson Tide twice managed to get the margin down to five, then once to four with 20 seconds left, but five different Gators combined to hit 12 of 15 free throws over the final 1:23, helping push the visitors across the finish line after going the final 3:20 without a field goal.
Condon was spectacular. In the starting five in his third game since missing four straight with an ankle injury, the 6-foot-11, 230-pound Australian made nine of 16 shots, including two of four from the 3-point line, seven of his nine free throws and grabbed half his 10 boards on the offensive end. Clayton hit eight of 20 shots, including a pair of second-half 3s, to go with five rebounds and several spot-on lobs to Condon for dunks.
Sophomore forward Thomas Haugh came off the bench to score 12 points, all in the second half (with a pair of 3s), and fifth-year Alijah Martin had 10 points and five rebounds.
Bama, which returned three starters from its 2024 Final Four team, got 30 points from point guard Mark Sears.
The first half was a back-and-forth track meet, with UF going up by as many as seven and Bama by four, with the Gators taking a 41-40 lead to the locker room. In the second half, the Tide worked out to a five-point lead, at 52-47, but Clayton hit a 3-pointer and senior guard Will Richard scored on a run-out slam to start a 13-3 run with eight straight on the back end to go up by five. The Tide got within two, but never led again, with a run of nine straight points pushing the Gators to their first double-digit lead inside 10 minutes to go.
From there, Florida closed, but not without some pressure-packed shots.
UF shot 48.6 percent for the game, but under 30 from the 3-point line (8 of 27). The Gators, though, smashed the Tide on the glass, winning the rebound battle 50-35 overall, including 16-10 on the offensive end on the way to a 19-10 advantage in second-chance points. Bama, which shot 47.2 percent for the game and went 9-for-25 from deep (36 percent), came in to the game with plus-7 average margin on the glass.
What it Means
UF now owns the best pair or road wins in all of college basketball, full stop: at No. 1 Auburn on Feb. 8 and now at No. 7 Alabama, two teams being trumpeted as No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament. Time for the Gators to get back in that conversation — they’re 7-4 now in Quadrant 1 games, per the NCAA Evaluation Tool — after clinching the No. 2 seed (and double-bye) in next week’s SEC Tournament at Nashville. Their 26th regular-season win ties the 2006-07 squad that won a second straight national championship for the second-most in program history.
In the Spotlight
“Condo” was a force, but Clayton managed the game and worked through some first-half sloppiness (8 turnovers) and never allowed the crowd really to dictate.
Staggering Statistic
For the first time in program history, the Gators have defeated two top-10 opponents on the road (Auburn and Alabama). Last year, UF defeated 10th-ranked Kentucky at Lexington, so that makes Todd Golden, in his third season, the first coach in Florida history to win three games against top-10 teams on the road.
Up Next
Florida (26-4, 13-4) is home for the regular-season final Saturday night against Ole Miss (20-9, 9-7), with the guard trio of Clayton, Richard and Martin being honored in a pre-game “Senior Night” tribute. The Rebels, who have lost three of four, host fourth-ranked Tennessee later Wednesday night. Alabama (23-7, 12-5), meanwhile, will wrap its season Saturday at rival and top-ranked Auburn.
Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu