#24/RV Florida Men’s Basketball (18-7, 8-4 SEC) at #13 Alabama (18-7, 10-2 SEC)
Florida Game Notes<https://floridagators.com/documents/2024/2/19/2024.02.21_atAlabama.pdf> | 2023-24 Media Guide<https://floridagators.com/documents/2023/10/30/2023-24_Media_Guide_Web.pdf> | Media Resources<https://www.dropbox.com/sh/iv6cc1nl98a49pv/AAD_LkZm6hKvVz7FpyboOUR1a?dl=0>
Coleman Coliseum | Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024 | 7 p.m. EST
TV/Streaming
ESPN2 | ESPN App<http://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=5351041a-3535-4bef-b993-eef2cc722f27>
Play-by-Play: Tom Hart | Analyst: Jimmy Dykes
Radio
Gator Sports Network from LEARFIELD | FloridaGators.com<https://floridagators.com/showcase?Live=5324> | The Varsity Network App | SiriusXM 380 & SXM App<https://sxm.app.link/970>
Play-by-Play: Sean Kelley | Analyst: Lee Humphrey | Producer/Engineer: Steve Egan
The Tip-Off
* Florida and Alabama square off for the first of two meetings in a 14-day span, bringing together two of the hottest teams in the SEC. Florida has won seven of eight, its best in-season eight-game stretch since a nine-game win streak in Jan.-Feb. 2017. UF entered the nation’s top-25 rankings for the first time since Dec. 6, 2021.
* The Gators’ recent success has been powered by taking care of the ball as UF has committed single-digit turnovers in six of its last eight games, including a season-low seven in the wins vs. Mississippi State and Auburn.
* Zyon Pullin leads the SEC in assist/turnover ratio both overall (4.1) and in conference play (4.4), and his 4.9 assists per game rank second in the SEC. Pullin has scored 10+ points in every appearance this season, and his 22-game double-figure scoring streak is the fifth-longest by a Gator since 1996-97. Pullin is one of six active players with 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists, joining RayJ Dennis (Baylor), Xavier Johnson (Indiana), Dayvion McKnight (Xavier), Tristen Newton (UConn) and Baylor Scheierman (Creighton).
* Florida has two of the top three offensive rebounders in the SEC in Micah Handlogten (3.7) and Tyrese Samuel (3.2). UF’s 40.1% offensive rebounding rate is second-highest in the nation, while Handlogten’s 18.6% offensive rebounding rate ranks third nationally.
2023-24 Highlights
* Florida’s win vs. #12 Auburn marked the Gators’ 15th in a row at home vs. the Tigers. Riley Kugel’s 22 points led the Gators, along with 20 points from Walter Clayton Jr. and 19 by Zyon Pullin, while the Gators matched a season low with just seven turnovers.
* The Gators notched a big resume win in their victory at 10th-ranked Kentucky, led by a trio of 20-point scorers in Walter Clayton Jr. (23), Tyrese Samuel (22) and Zyon Pullin (21). Clayton’s 3-pointer with 3.0 seconds left in regulation forced overtime and another with 1:42 left in overtime put the Gators ahead for good.
* Micah Handlogten posted 23 points and 17 rebounds in the home win vs. Georgia, while Zyon Pullin scored seven of his 20 points in the overtime period. The Gators completed the sweep in Athens for a 10th straight win vs. Georgia behind 21 points from Walter Clayton Jr. and 17 by Thomas Haugh.
* The Gators outlasted LSU at home, led by Walter Clayton Jr.’s 21 points, along with 15 points from Tyrese Samuel and 14 by Zyon Pullin. Florida overcame LSU’s 11-for-21 3-point game by scoring 20 points off 19 offensive rebounds while committing just eight turnovers.
* Will Richard led the Gators with 23 points and nine rebounds in the win vs. Mississippi State as Florida committed a season-low seven turnovers. Zyon Pullin and Walter Clayton Jr. each added 15 points.
* Five Gators in double figures highlighted UF’s win vs. Arkansas, as Riley Kugel scored 20 points off the bench to lead the way and Tyrese Samuel added a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
* Zyon Pullin scored 22 and Tyrese Samuel posted 21 points and 11 rebounds in the Gators’ double overtime victory vs. Michigan in Charlotte. Pullin’s 3-pointer with 8.9 seconds remaining in the first overtime forced the second extra session, where an 11-0 UF run put the game away.
* The Gators topped Pitt in the first game of the NIT Season Tip-Off behind 28 points from Walter Clayton Jr. on 6-for-8 shooting from 3-point range, a 20-point, 10-rebound performance from Tyrese Samuel and a 24-to-8 assist-to-turnover showing as a team.
