Records: Florida 26-4, 13-4 SEC; Alabama 23-7, 12-5 SEC
Next Up: Saturday, March 8, 6 p.m. EST, RV Ole Miss, SEC Network
Notable
* Alex Condon posted a career-high 27 points along with 10 rebounds as Walter Clayton Jr. tallied 22 points and eight assists to lead the Gators to a 99-94 win.
* After falling behind 52-47 at the 16:19 mark in the second half, UF outscored Alabama 32-13 over the next 10 minutes to lead 79-65.
* The Gators scored their final 12 points at the free throw line to seal the victory.
* Florida has posted two top-10 road wins for the first time in program history.
* The Gators now have eight top-10 road wins all-time.
* Todd Golden’s three top-10 road wins are the most by any Florida head coach in program history.
* The Gators have tied the team’s second-most regular season wins, matching the 2006-07 total (29 in 2013-14).
* Florida has won eight of its last nine games and locked up the No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament.
* Florida picked up its fifth top-25 win of the season: #1 Tennessee, at #1 Auburn, at #22 Mississippi State, #12 Texas A&M. Five ranked wins are the Gators’ second-most over the last decade (six, 2017-18).
* The Gators’ 66 wins under Todd Golden through 99 games are the team’s most all-time through a head coach’s first 100 games (65, Mike White; 62, Tommy Bartlett & Sam McAllister; 58, Billy Donovan).
* In Florida’s two top-10 road wins, Clayton averaged 20.5 points, 8.5 assists and 5.5 rebounds (19p/9a/6r at Auburn).
* With Clayton’s eight assists, he has 214 as a Gator to pass Tyree Appleby (207) for most assists by a Florida transfer.
* Clayton extended his UF-record streak to 52 consecutive appearances with a 3-pointer.
* Rueben Chinyelu snagged a team-leading 11 rebounds and chipped in nine points, helping the Gators go +15 on the glass (50-35).
* Florida posted a 22-10 edge in fastbreak points.
Head Coach Todd Golden
Opening statement…
“Really proud of our group tonight, just an amazing win obviously going up against a fantastic team here, a club that’s been one of the best teams in college basketball over the last couple years. Coach Oats has done an incredible job just getting this program to be a perennial top-10 team, and for us to be able to come in here and play with a lead for 27 minutes and not ever get behind [late] in the second half was a great effort for us. Obviously, these two guys sitting next to me [Alex Condon and Walter Clayton Jr.] had remarkable games. I thought Walter did a great job controlling the game – eight assists, one turnover, five rebounds, 22 points and just really kept us poised, making great decisions. Condo obviously had his best game as a Gator tonight, just did a remarkable job finishing around the rim, hitting big threes in the first half, just playing with great physicality and effort and setting the tone. Twenty-seven and 10, remarkable game for him. I’m just incredibly proud of our guys. This is a big win, obviously both clubs competing for the last 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament, and this was a big one for us.”
On the team’s ability to win against top teams on the road…
“I think it’s a strength of our team. We have a very mature team, workman-like approach. We’re very consistent. For whatever reason, I feel like we really hone in and do a great job of preparing on the road and making sure we come in with a great mentality. To win a game like this, like Walt said, you’re going to have to deal with some highs and lows and you can’t allow your emotions to affect you negatively, and I thought we did a great job of doing that. But I think we’re one of the best teams in America, and to do that you have to go on the road and beat good teams. We did that with Auburn, and we did that tonight with Alabama.”
Senior G Walter Clayton Jr.
On the conversation when Alabama took a five-point lead…
“Just staying together. We talked about it before the game. Coach talked about how they were going to go on runs. 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.”
Sophomore F/C Alex Condon
On playing with physicality…
“The first little section that I played I was just getting my feet back under me, getting used to starting again. Credit to our guys, I think they did a good job of getting me in the right spots tonight.”
