Florida’s two wins against Alabama last season were not easy victories by any means.
On March 2, 2013, the Gators trailed the Crimson Tide by eight points with 12:23 left in the contest but then went on a 27-7 run to close out the game and win 64-52.
Two weeks later in the Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinals, ‘Bama held a 37-27 advantage about four minutes into the second half. But Florida then outscored Alabama by 20 again down the stretch to snatch a 61-51 victory.
And tonight at 7 in Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Ala., the No. 6 Gators (15-2, 4-0 SEC) will try to avoid falling into a similar second-half hole against the Crimson Tide (8-9, 2-2 SEC).
“We obviously remember last year and know how good of a team they are,” senior forward Will Yeguete said. “They are aggressive and have really good guards. They played us well. I think they are going to be ready to go especially because they are going to be at home and we are undefeated in conference play, so we are going to need to be ready to play.”
While UF has won its past nine games, ‘Bama has struggled in SEC play with losses to Georgia (66-58) and Missouri (68-47).
During its non-conference slate — a gauntlet featuring then-No. 6 Duke, then-No. 11 Wichita State, UCLA, Xavier and Oklahoma — Alabama won only six of its 13 contests. But all of its non-conference losses came by 10 points or fewer.
“They’ve played the most difficult schedule of anybody in our league based on computer rankings and what other teams have done,” coach Billy Donovan said. “So I don’t think their record, per se, is any indication of what kind of team they are.”
While the Tide has failed to close out contests this year, the Gators have flourished, notching a 7-2 record in games decided by single digits.
“We’ve struggled to close games out that we’ve had opportunities in whether it be at home or on the road,” said Crimson Tide coach Anthony Grant, a former assistant of Donovan from 1996-2006.
“It’s a matter of our veterans have to step up and play like veterans when the game is on the line. Unfortunately, we haven’t had that consistently enough to be able to win some of those games.”
Senior guard Trevor Releford, who leads the team with 18.3 points and 33.6 minutes per game, has been the engine driving Alabama this season. In many aspects, Releford’s elevated play in the backcourt has compensated for the loss of guard Trevor Lacey, the Crimson Tide’s second-leading scorer last year who transferred to NC State in the offseason.
“I don’t think he’s going to sneak up on anybody,” Donovan said of Releford. “He’s been clearly one of the best point guards in this league since he’s come in here.”
“I think any point guard, especially for them, a lot’s going to flow through him and the ball’s going to be in his hands a lot.
“And he makes the game easier for (Rodney) Cooper, for (Shannon) Hale, for Nick Jacobs, for (Levi) Randolph. He makes the game easier for a lot of different people. The most difficult part for him is when he is scoring and distributing, they become a very difficult team to defend.”
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Billy Donovan studies the court during Florida’s 74-58 win against South Carolina on Jan. 8 in the O’Connell Center. Donovan’s former assistant, Anthony Grant, is the coach at Alabama.
