Florida is coming into Saturday's game after one of the best performances of their season. The struggled heavily down the stretch of the regular season, but the 13th ranked Gators proved they are a top seed by cruising to a victory over LSU. Alabama came out of a must-win game against Tennessee with a victory, keeping their tournament dreams alive. A win Saturday would be vital if the team has any hopes of getting into tournament contention.
Florida looked nothing short of impressive in the team's win Friday. They shot 50.9 percent overall and went 11 for 20 from behind the arc. The Gators led by as many as 35 in the 80-58 victory. A healthy Gator's team came out with high intensity while multiple players had career-best performances. Senior Erik Murphy had a career high 27 points and matched a career best of making five 3-pointers. Scottie Wilbekin tied a career-high of four 3-pointers, scoring 16 in the game.
The Gators face a much improved Alabama team, coming off a 58-48 win against Tennessee on Friday. A bubble team when it comes to the NCAA tournament, a victory over the Gators could assure the Tide a tournament invite. Alabama is one of the nation's top defensive teams. The allow an average of 58.9 points per game. They held the Volunteers to 32.1 percent shooting, including going 5 for 23 from the 3-point line. Levi Randolph led Alabama on Friday with 15 points, a season-best performance.
The two teams faced off two weeks ago with Florida pulling out the last minute win. Alabama has not won the SEC tournament since 1991.