Gators blow out Bama, make a statement for overall No. 1 seed

Micah Handlogten (3) blocks Mark Sears' shot (UAA Photo)

In the first minute of the second half Saturday in Nashville, the Florida Gators threw up four SCUDs, came down with three offensive rebounds and missed two free throws. The Gators were leading Alabama by just two points at the time, so each clank of the rim was greeted by collective moans. Florida fans couldn’t believe the Gators couldn’t put the ball in the basket. Alabama fans couldn’t believe the Crimson Tide couldn’t corral a rebound.

What neither fan base could comprehend was that 4th-ranked Florida was about to drop the hammer and turn an expected fight to the finish into another blowout win. The rebounding was the dead giveaway. When the Gators are dominating the backboards and getting second or third shots for their teammates, the other team is in trouble.

Very deep trouble as it turned out.

Once Alabama claimed its first possession of the second half, Chris Youngblood nailed a 3-pointer with 18:46 left in the game for a 48-47 lead. That was the last time Florida trailed the Crimson Tide.

Florida answered with an Alijah Martin 3-pointer 15 seconds later. That had the effect of the call to post by the bugler at Churchill Downs. The Gators were off to the races on a 17-2 flurry over the next 5:50 that should have ended any speculation that Florida isn’t deserving of a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament.

“I think we secured a 1-seed today,” Florida coach Todd Golden said after the Florida’s 104-82 blowout win in the Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinals that left Bama (25-8) belly up, legs stretched to the heavens like dead roaches.

The Gators (29-4) certainly are a No. 1 seed. What they should have secured with two blowout wins in the Southeastern Conference Tournament is the No. 1 seed for the entire NCAA Tournament. For some odd reason, bracketologists Joe Lunardi and Jerry Palm have Auburn as the overall No. 1 with Duke and Houston the next two. The NCAA selection committee, which announces the tournament field tonight, might not agree with Mr. Lunardi and Mr. Palm.

Auburn has lost three of its last four and lest we forget, lost at home to Florida in a game that wasn’t nearly as close nine points would seem to indicate. Prior to Saturday night’s Atlantic Coast Conference championship over 13th-ranked Louisville, Duke hadn’t played a ranked team since December 4 when it got a home job win over Auburn at Cameron Indoor Stadium. To put it mildly, the ACC stinks. As for Houston, the Cougars have lost to both Auburn and Alabama.

“We have four losses, 29-4 right now,” Golden said. “We've won I think 11 out of the our last 12 or 10 out of our last 11, something along those lines. I think we have the best collection of high-level wins in college basketball across the board … Our conference schedule is different. We had to play some really good teams on the road, and we didn't get them at home.”

The Gators have also had to endure a rash of injuries, the likes of which would have derailed lesser teams. Whether at full strength or having to play quality teams with a patchwork lineup, the Gators have kept on winning because the guys Golden brings off the bench deliver quality minutes. Walter Clayton Jr. (22 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals against Alabama)  went down with an ankle injury at Tennessee that caused him to miss the Vanderbilt game, which the Gators won with Denzel Aberdeen in the starting lineup. Alijah Martin (16 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal) missed three games with a hip pointer suffered in the Vandy game. Aberdeen was the starter while Martin recovered. He’s back to being efficient off the bench as he proved against Alabama (11 points, 2 assists, 0 turnovers). Will Richard (16 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal) has been playing most of the season on a bad toe that requires injections to keep him on the court. Joining Aberdeen in the front court rotation has been Urban Klavzar (4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal), who has played well enough to carve out some playing time every game.

Alex Condon (8 points, 4 rebounds, 1 blocked shot) sprained an ankle that caused him to miss all but 30 seconds on the road at Mississippi State and the next three games. In the same game, Sam Alexis suffered a high ankle sprain that has kept him in recovery ever since. He is expected to be ready to go next week in the NCAA Tournament. Those injuries have increased the playing time of Tommy Haugh (11 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 blocked shot), who should have been SEC Sixth Man of the Year. Micah Handlogten (4 points, 10 rebounds, 1 blocked shot, 1 steal) missed the first 24 games while recovering from a devastating leg fracture suffered in the SEC Tournament championship game in 2024. He’s been the missing link in the front court rotation since he elected to burn a medical redshirt to get the Gators over the hump.

In some respects, the injuries have been a blessing because they forced Golden to give minutes to Haugh, Aberdeen, Klavzar and Handlogten. Their contributions off the bench against Alabama meant no starter played more than 30 minutes.

The Gators will enter the NCAA Tournament with the deepest team in the country, five deep in the backcourt, five deep up front. The depth came in handy in the second half against Alabama.

“I simply think our depth wore them out in the second half … We were able to get into their bench a little bit,” Golden said. “Our bench stepped up, allowed us to get some rest for our starters. We kept coming in waves in the second half. Thought we did an incredible job wearing them down. That's one of the best teams in America we played today.”

Alabama was able to hang with the Gators for a half. Alabama got off to a good start shooting the ball and it took awhile for the Gators to get their legs under them. The Gators shot the ball okay – 18-38 (47.4 percent) overall, 6-15 (40 percent) on 3-pointers – but they gave up 11 second chance points and eight offensive rebounds. The offensive rebounds had plenty to do with the Gators scoring only two fast break points in the first 20 minutes.

Florida’s shaky lead ballooned from 47-45 to a max of 24 in the second half. The same Alabama team that scored 99 and blew out Kentucky Friday night couldn’t keep up with the Gators.

The depth will be tested today at 1 p.m. when the Gators face Tennessee (27-6) in the SEC Tournament championship game. Saturday, the Vols won a rock fight of a semifinal game with Auburn, 72-67. Both Lunardi and Palm seem to think Tennessee could be the second SEC team as a No. 1 if the Vols can beat the Gators.

That is all the more reason why Florida needs to win the tournament for the first time since 2014. The Gators don’t have to take a backseat to anyone after 16 wins in the best conference in the country, perhaps the best conference in history. The SEC is so deep it should get a record 13 teams in the NCAA Tournament, 14 if the selection committee eases Texas in.

Whether it’s 13 teams or 14, Florida should be the No. 1 team from the SEC. This is a very special team that is just now starting to play at a peak level.

“We have good individual players,” Golden said. “What makes this team special and gives us a chance to play deep into March and hopefully early April is our unselfishness, our willingness to make the extra pass. When it's opportunistic for other guys to take the shots, to move the ball to them. We just have a very mature, unselfish group that way."

SEC Bracket Busting

No. 5 Alabama (25-8): Joe Lunardi has Alabama No. 2 in the East in Cleveland while Jerry Palm has the Crimson Tide No. 2 in the East in Lexington. Alabama is No. 6 at kenpom.com.

Arkansas (20-13): Lunardi still has Arkansas No. 10 in the Midwest, first game in Lexington. Jerry Palm has the Razorbacks No. 10 in the Midwest in Cleveland. The Razorbacks are No. 40 at kenpom.com.

No. 3 Auburn (28-5): Both Lunardi and Palm have the Tigers No. 1 in the South. Auburn is No. 4 at kenpom.com.

No. 4 FLORIDA (29-4): It’s really strange that Lunardi and Palm have the Gators No. 1 in the West, first game in Raleigh. The Gators are No. 2 at kenpom.com.

Georgia (20-12): Jerry Palm has the Bulldogs No. 9 in the Midwest at Wichita. Georgia is No. 34 at kenpom.com.

No. 15 Kentucky (22-11): Lunardi has the Wildcats No. 3 in the South in Milwaukee while Palm also has them starting in Milwaukee as the No. 3 in the West.

Mississippi State (22-12): Jerry Palm has the Bulldogs No. 7 in the West at Providence while Lunardi has them No. 9 in the East at Raleigh. Mississippi State is No. 32 at kenpom.com.

No. 21 Missouri (22-11): Both Lunardi and Jerry Palm have the Tigers No. 7 in the South. Lunardi has them starting in Cleveland while Palm has them starting in Wichita. Missouri is No. 15 at kenpom.com.

Oklahoma (20-13): Jerry Palm has the Sooners in the East as a No. 9 in Raleigh while Lunardi has them No. 10 in the West in Providence. The Sooners are No. 37 at kenpom.com.

Ole Miss (22-11): Jerry Palm has the Rebels No. 5 in the West at Seattle while Lunardi has them No. 6 in the East in Providence. The Rebels are No. 25 at kenpom.com.

No. 8 Tennessee (27-6): Both Lunardi and Jerry Palm bracket Tennessee at No. 2 in the Midwest, with Lunardi sending them to Lexington and Jerry Palm to Cleveland. The Vols are No. 5 at kenpom.com.

Texas (19-15): The Longhorns are in the first four out for both Lunardi and Jerry Palm. Longhorns are No. 43 at kenpom.com.

No. 14 Texas A&M (22-10): Both Lunardi and Palm have the Aggies No. 4 in the Midwest. Lunardi starts them at Seattle while Palm starts them at Denver. The Aggies are No.17 at kenpom.com.

Vanderbilt (20-12): Jerry Palm has the Commodores starting in Lexington as No. 10 in the East. Lunardi has them in a No. 11 play-in game with the winner going to the Midwest at Milwaukee. The Commodores are No. 50 at kenpom.com.