Back in January, freshman Labaron Philon vowed that Alabama basketball wouldn’t lose in Coleman Coliseum again.
That was working out alright until Alabama (23-6, 12-4 SEC) received a visit from Auburn last month, but ending the 2024-25 regular season with a 13-2 home record wouldn’t be too shabby. It’ll just take a win over No. 5 Florida on Wednesday to do it.
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The Crimson Tide has won its last three home games against the Gators. After suffering heartbreak in Tennessee, a want to keep that streak alive can outweigh any fear that might come from facing a Florida team that beat Alabama twice on its run to the Final Four.
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Here’s what to know before this year’s last SEC showdown in Tuscaloosa:
Picks, score prediction for Alabama basketball vs Florida
Alabama 89, Florida 85: Nate Oats wants big games from Aiden Sherrell, Mo Dioubate and Jarin Stevenson to manage Florida’s frontcourt, highlighted by 6-foot-11 Alex Condon. After an upset from unranked Georgia, the Gators bounced back with a 19-point win over the top-rebounding team in the country, so this week will bring another game won on the glass for the Crimson Tide, who took down the Aggies 94-88 on Jan. 11.
Entering this week, Florida (25-4, 12-4 SEC) is outrebounding opponents by a margin of eight and is led by sophomores Reuben Chinyelu and Thomas Haugh, who are each collecting over six per game.
Gator guards are tough, too. Walter Clayton Jr. leads Florida in scoring with an average 16.9 points per game, supported by 14.7 per game for Alijah Martin and 13.6 per contest by Will Richard, all seniors.
Considering Florida is holding opponents to 39% from the floor and 29% from deep, it’s a good time for Alabama to have the nation’s top scoring offense. Rounding out the regular-season slate, the Crimson Tide is putting up 91 points per game, which is nearly four points more than No. 2 in the country Gonzaga.
Alabama basketball vs Florida injury updates
Despite some surprise names showing up on the availability report over the last few games, Oats said Crimson Tide seniors Mark Sears, Grant Nelson, Chris Youngblood and Cliff Omoruyi will be good to go this week, adding that graduates Houston Mallette (knees) and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. (Achilles tendon) are expected to be granted medical redshirts in order to return for another season.
Freshman Derrion Reid (hamstring), who hasn’t been available since Auburn, is also expected to be out for Alabama once again.
For Florida, 7-foot-9 freshman center Olivier Rioux has sat out for the season with a redshirt. The Gators could also be without forward Sam Alexis, who has been unavailable since Feb. 11 as he nurses an ankle injury.
How to watch Alabama basketball vs Florida: Start time, TV channel, streaming
TV channel: ESPN2
For the last time in Coleman Coliseum this season, Alabama and Florida will tip off at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN2, which can be streamed via ESPN+ and Fubo.
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at [email protected].
