TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Just four nights ago, Texas A&M—a team known for its toughness, defensive intensity, and low-scoring style—visited Gainesville and left with a 19-point defeat. On Wednesday, the Florida Gators traveled to face Alabama, the nation’s highest-scoring and fastest-paced team, and emerged with one of the season’s most impressive road victories.
Another statement win for the Gators.
Any style. Any venue. Any opponent. With a fully healthy roster, Florida is entering March with serious momentum and is now being recognized as a legitimate national championship contender.
"I think we're one of the best teams in America," UF coach Todd Golden said after the fifth-ranked Gators beat seventh-ranked Alabama 99-94 in a top-10 SEC matchup at a sold-out Coleman Coliseum. "To [be] that you have to go on the road and beat good teams."
Sophomore forward Alex Condon, back in the starting lineup, posted a career-high 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season. Senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. contributed 22 points, five rebounds, and eight assists across 36 minutes, directing the offense that shot nearly 49 percent from the floor. Sophomore forward Thomas Haugh came off the bench for the first time in five games, scoring 12 points in the second half, including two three-pointers. Fifth-year guard Alijah Martin added 10 points and five rebounds, helping Florida secure its first road victory in the series since 2019.
Guard Alijah Martin had a couple eye-popping dunks in the game.
The Gators (26-4, 13-4), winners of eight of their last nine games, dominated Alabama (23-7, 12-5) on the glass, out-rebounding the Crimson Tide 50-35, including a 16-10 advantage on the offensive boards that led to 19 second-chance points. Center Rueben Chinyelu led all players with 11 rebounds in just 20 minutes, four of which came on the offensive end. Although Florida did not make a field goal in the final 3:20, they converted 12 of 15 free throws to close out the game after Alabama attempted to extend the matchup with fouls. Coming off a game eight days earlier where they missed 11 free throws in a close loss at Georgia, the Gators stepped up, finishing 21-for-29 from the line (72.4 percent). They also committed only two turnovers in the second half.
This win marked UF’s second victory over a top-10 opponent on the road this season, joining their 90-81 triumph at No. 1 Auburn on Feb. 8. It was the first time in program history the Gators had two top-10 road wins in the same season. That accomplishment—combined with clinching second place in the SEC, earning the No. 2 seed, and a double-bye in next week’s SEC Tournament—should draw the attention of the NCAA Tournament selection committee.
With the Gators matching the second-most regular-season wins in program history, they present a strong case for a No. 1 seed.
"We think we've done enough. We think we've been winning games and shown who we are," said senior guard Walter Clayton Jr., who ended an 11-game streak without scoring 20 points. "If it happens, it happens. If it don't, it don't. We're going to go into the tournament regardless, with the same mentality, and try to beat whoever is in front of us."
Walter Clayton Jr. (1) made eight of 20 shots, with a pair of 3s, to go with his game-best eight assists.
Alex Condon, fully recovered and then some in his third game since a Feb. 11 ankle sprain, made the most of his first start in three weeks. In just over 30 minutes, he went 9-of-16 from the field, including two three-pointers, blocked two shots, and grabbed half of his rebounds on the offensive end. He also converted seven of nine free throws, a notable improvement after going 1-for-5 in Florida’s 89-70 win over No. 12 Texas A&M just four days earlier.
"I got a hundred up two days in a row," Condon said of his practice in the free-throw lab. "Just getting my routine down."
The Gators approached the road contest with a smooth, confident, businesslike style. Despite committing eight turnovers in the first half, they remained composed in a hostile environment against a Tide team coming off a buzzer-beating loss at No. 5 Tennessee and preparing to face No. 1 Auburn to close out the regular season. Alabama needed a win badly.
"Give Florida a lot of credit for the way they came in and played us tough. They looked like they had more energy than us," Alabama coach Nate Oats said after his third consecutive loss to the Gators. "They obviously destroyed us on the glass, they doubled us in second-chance points, and we gave up 26 fast-break points—about half of their points came on second chances or in transition, so we have to be better. It doesn't matter what your game plan is if you don't get back on defense and can't get a rebound."
The first half was tightly contested, but largely even. Florida carried a 41-40 lead into halftime, with Condon setting a physical and assertive tone inside, contributing 12 points and five rebounds.
"The first little section that I played I was just getting my feet back under me, getting used to starting again," said Condon, who struggled at Georgia last week with a 1-for-7 outing and just three rebounds. "Credit to our guys. I think they did a good job of getting me in the right spots tonight."
Alex Condon (left) and the Florida defense made All-American guard Mark Sears (1) work for his 30 points on 24 field-goal attempts.
Alabama, led by point guard and All-America candidate Mark Sears, who scored a game-high 30 points on his "Senior Night," built a five-point lead just four minutes into the second half. Florida responded with a 13-3 run, fueled by three-pointers from Walter Clayton Jr. and Thomas Haugh, along with a classic three-point play from Clayton, giving the Gators a five-point edge with just over 13 minutes remaining.
"We talked about it before the game, how they were going to go on runs," Clayton said. "They're a great shooting team, great offensive team. They're going to have their runs, so we had to battle through that adversity and went on a run of our own."
The Tide continued to press, forcing Florida to withstand another surge. Alex Condon scored 13 points over a seven-minute stretch, including a couple of alley-oop dunks off pinpoint feeds from Clayton. UF’s lead, which had stretched to 14 with 5:55 left, began to shrink as Alabama’s coach Nate Oats instructed his team to foul to extend the clock.
Florida handled most of the free-throw pressure, but the Crimson Tide stayed in the fight. Alabama made six consecutive free throws to cut the lead to five with 1:25 remaining. Condon and Haugh then converted four straight from the line to create a brief cushion. Labaron Philon (19 points) and Jarin Stevenson hit threes around two free throws by Alijah Martin to bring the Tide within four at 94-90 with 20.5 seconds left.
Haugh followed with two more free throws at 19.2 seconds, and after an Alabama basket, backup junior Denzel Aberdeen sealed the game with a pair of free throws at 12.4 seconds.
UF coach Todd Golden (right) and his team in the post-game (and winning) visitors' locker room.
Florida secured two major Quadrant 1 victories in consecutive games against highly ranked opponents, each with a completely different style of play.
The common thread in both wins was the Gators’ adaptability.
"Obviously, contrasting styles, [but] I think our group does a really good job of being able to execute different game plans," said Todd Golden, praising his collection of composed guards for their ability to penetrate Alabama’s defense, create space, and make smart decisions, resulting in 14 assists. "As coaches, we can do what we can to put our guys in good positions, but at the end of the day it's up to these guys to go out there and make plays. They did a wonderful job of that for 40 minutes tonight."
Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu
