The 5th ranked Alabama Crimson Tide fell to the 4th ranked Florida Gators 102-84 on Saturday in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament. The Gators may very well be the best team in the country. The Tide fell to 25-8 overall while Florida improved to 29-4. The loss was Alabama second to the Gators in the last two weeks. Bama played a strong, spirited, first half, but UF proved too much in the second period and ran away with the game.
The Tide continued with their starting lineup of Mark Sears, Labaron Philon, Chris Youngblood, Grant Nelson, and Clifford Omoruyi. The contest was back and forth for the entirety of the half, with the Tide having as much as a six point lead and the Gators never leading by more than three points.
A cold spell over the last two minutes by the Tide allowed Florida to take a 47-45 lead into the locker room. Alabama also took a hobbled Sears and Nelson into the halftime break. Sears’ ankle did allow him to continue, but Nelson’s knee kept him out of the second half. It is yet to be determined how serious the injury is, and how long it may keep Nelson out.
In the half the Tide shot 17-35 for 49% with 5-17 from three point range and made only 5-11 free throws. Bama had 20 rebounds, two blocks, 10 assists, three steals, and five turnovers. The game was tight despite Philon being held scoreless and Sears not making a single three point shot. Nelson had a strong half prior to his injury with nine points, three rebounds, one assist, a block, and a steal. Jarin Stevenson had nine points. Omoruyi scored eight and Sears added seven points.
Florida shot 18-38 for 47%, 6-15 from three, and 5-9 at the charity stripe. The Gators grabbed 22 rebounds, had seven assists, four steals, and six turnovers. Dynamic guard Walter Clayton, Jr, led the charge with 12 points.
Things got away quickly in the second half, and the Tide never had a chance. Florida did as they pleased and went on an 11-0 run that ballooned to 17-2 over several minutes. When asked about why he didn’t call a timeout during the stretch, Oats said “what do you want me to say, play harder? We had already told them we needed to do that, they have to figure out it they want to be then hardest playing team on the floor or not.”
The Tide shot only 11-32 for 34% in the second half with 6-18 from deep and were 9-12 at the free throw line. Overall the team finished 28-67 for 42%, 11-35 for 31% from three, and 15-23 for 65% at the free throw line. Bama tallied 38 rebounds, 14 assists, four blocks, four steals, and 10 total turnovers. Youngblood’s 14 points led the scoring. Omoruyi scored 12 points put was only able to grab one rebound. Mo Dioubate scored 12 points and had 12 rebounds, five offensively, and added a block and a pair of steals. Stevenson scored 10 and had five rebounds as his improved play continues. Sears, Nelson, and Aden Holloway contributed nine points each.
Florida shot 19-34 for 56% in the second half, with 6-12 from deep, and made 13-19 free throws. Overall the Gators shot 37-72 for 51%, 12-27 for 44% from three, and made 18-28 free throws. UF had 43 rebounds, 17 assists, four blocks, eight steals, and seven turnovers. Clayton scored 22 to lead six players in double figures. Will Richard and Alijah Martin were next with 16 each.
Next up is selection Sunday. The Tide should be locked in as a two seed, hopefully in a region with favorable matchups where they can try to go on another magical run toward the Final Four.
Roll Tide
