Wednesday night is Senior night for Alabama basketball as it will be the last game in Coleman Coliseum for a handful of Tide players.
Mark Sears, Grant Nelson, Chris Youngblood, and Cliff Omoruyi are all graduate seniors who will have exhausted their eligibility after this season. Sears will leave Alabama as one of the most decorated Crimson Tide players in program history and he and Nelson will forever be rememered for last year's Final Four run.
Nelson put the team on his back in a Sweet 16 win over North Carolina. Sears did the same in the Elite 8 against Clemson.
In a move that defies tradition, Nate Oats has said that the seniors will be honored after the game on Wednesday night and urged fans to stick around regardless of the outcome.
Nate Oats says on "Hey Coach" that Alabama will hold its senior day ceremony *after* Wednesday night's game vs. Florida, so he's requesting fans stay around to honor Mark Sears, Grant Nelson, Chris Youngblood and Cliff Omoruyi.
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) March 4, 2025
It will not be an easy game. The Crimson Tide can't even remember what an easy game feels like after this stretch to finish the season. Florida will prevent a tremendous challenge and will not be intimidated by the environment. The Gators earned perhaps the most impressive win of the regular season when they went to Auburn and beat the Tigers in February.
Alabama comes in having lost three of its last five games and has seen its NCAA Tournament projection shift from a 1-seed to a 2-seed in the aftermath of its buzzer beating defeat at the hands of Tennessee on Saturday in Knoxville.
A lot is riding on Alabama's game against Florida
While Alabama is now a projected 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament, they have two big opportunities left to flip that to finish the regular season. Alabama will face two Top 5 opponents to close out with Florida in Tuscaloosa on Wednesday and then a road trip down to Auburn on Saturday.
Win both of those games and Alabama will be a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament regardless of what happens in the SEC Tournament. Win one of those games and they'll have a shot, but likely will need to win a couple games in Nashville.
Beating Florida is important for another reason, too. A win over the Gators will clinch a double bye in the SEC Tournament for the Crimson Tide. It would also give Alabama the tiebreaker over Florida and put them on the opposite side of the bracket from Auburn, meaning a third matchup with the Tigers wouldn't occur until the SEC Championship Game.
Losing to Florida would probably mean that Alabama has to beat Auburn on the road on Saturday to avoid playing on Thursday of the SEC Tournament. A Florida loss would mean Alabama wouldn't have the tiebreaker against Florida, Tennessee, or Missouri. Missouri could win out and steal the double bye from Alabama if the Tide loses out.
Missouri is projected to win both of its final two games: they play on the road at Oklahoma on Wednesday and host a beaten-up Kentucky team on Saturday.
Winning at Auburn will be an uphill battle. That's why it is imperative that the Crimson Tide takes care of business at home against Florida tomorrow night. Even if Alabama did go to Auburn and beat the Tigers after losing to Florida, the Tide would likely be the 4-seed in the SEC Tournament, putting it on the same side of the bracket as Auburn and setting up a matchup on Saturday with the Tigers.
KenPom views Alabama's matchup with Florida as a toss-up. He gives the Tide a 51% chance of winning and projects an 88-87 game. It will take a tremendous effort to beat the Gators. Alabama has no choice but to get it done.