The race to the top of the SEC isn’t just about position for the SEC Tournament in Nashville next week, it’s about grabbing a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday. At 25-4 (12-4) No. 5 Florida could easily make a case as the fourth No. 1 seed, alongside Auburn, Duke, and likely Houston from the Big 12, but with a win on Wednesday night, 23-6 (12-4) No. 7 Alabama, could snatch that spot away from the Gators.
Despite sitting two spots behind in the AP Top 25 and two games back in the loss column, Alabama has as much opportunity as any team to climb up into a top-four spot before season’s end. On Saturday, the Crimson Tide lost a heart-breaker in Knoxville, falling 79-76 to now No. 4 Tennessee on a Jahmai Mashack buzzer-beater, but Nate Oats’s group still has a matchup with Todd Golden’s Gators and a rematch with Bruce Pearl’s No. 1 ranked Auburn Tigers on the road this weekend. Two wins could change the landscape in college basketball’s best conference.
As the season winds to a close, there is still a lot on the line, and no game this week is bigger than this top-10 matchup in Tuscaloosa. Here’s how you can watch this SEC shadow on ESPN2.
How to watch No. 5 Florida vs. No. 7 Alabama
- Date: Wednesday, March 5
- Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
- Venue: Coleman Coliseum
- How to Watch (TV): ESPN2
- Streaming: fubo TV
- Florida record: 25-4 (12-4)
- Alabama record: 23-6 (12-4)
Florida vs. Alabama odds, spread and total
Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook
Moneyline
- Florida +126
- Alabama -152
Spread
- Florida -2.5 (-104)
- Alabama +2.5 (-118)
Total
- 178.5 (over -115/under -105)
Florida injury report
- Sam Alexis, F: Questionable (undisclosed)
Alabama injury report
- Grant Nelson, F: Questionable (undisclosed)
- Derrion Reid, F: OUT (undisclosed)
- Latrell Wrightsell Jr. G: OUT (Achilles)
- Houston Mallette, G: OUT (undisclosed)
Alabama and Florida series history
- Alabama all-time record vs. Florida: 79-72
Florida vs. Alabama prediction
Both of these teams head into March as serious threats to win a national championship. Mark Sears and Walter Clayton Jr. are two of the best guards in the country and their head-to-head matchup on Wednesday night will go a long way to deciding this game. Both teams have interior presences that attack the offensive boards relentlessly, and both teams aggressively hunt efficient shots from beyond the arc while playing at a blistering pace. If nothing else, this one should be fun.
Alabama’s weakness on the defensive end of the floor is not nearly as profound as it was a year ago and that’s due in large part to the offseason addition of Clifford Omoruyi, but if Grant Nelson, who is listed as questionable, is unable to go, the Crimson Tide may not have enough rim protection to slow down the Gators. 35.1% of Florida’s field goal attempts come at the rim where they shoot 66.2% and with Clayton, Alijah Martin, and Will Richard slashing to the paint, the Gators are nearly impossible to stop. If Nelson plays, Alabama will at have a fighting chance on that end of the floor.
These two teams are so similar, both in terms of talent and shot selection. Two analytically driven coaches will let their experienced guards push the pace all night and we’ll have a shootout on our hands. There really isn’t a huge statistical edge to find, frankly, I just think Florida is the better two-way team, so I’ll take the Gators.