The SEC Tournament couldn't have gotten off to a better start for Alabama basketball as they rolled to a 99-70 win over Kentucky, their third win this season over the Wildcats, which is a first in school history.
Alabama's reward is a rematch against Florida, the team that came into Coleman Coliseum and beat the Crimson Tide just 10 days ago. On the line will be a berth in Sunday's SEC Championship Game. A win over the Gators might be enough to lift the Crimson Tide to the fourth and final No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, too.
The Gators rolled to a 95-81 win over Missouri right before the Alabama-Kentucky game. Florida has clearly separated themselves as one of the best teams in the country and Saturday afternoon's matchup between these two will have a Final Four type feel. With Auburn and Tennessee playing in the other Semifinal, it might as well be the Final Four with four teams good enough to win the whole thing in a few weeks.
Florida provides a tremendous challenge, but Alabama is playing well enough right now to beat anyone. If they can bring a similar effort on the defensive end and hit some shots, the Crimson Tide has a great shot at pulling it out.
Alabama is a small underdog against Florida in SEC Semifinals
Odds courtesy of FanDuel
Spread: Alabama +3.5
Over/Under: 170.5
How to Watch:
Tip Time: 2:30 PM CT**
TV: ESPN
Streaming: Fubo TV
Prediction:
Alabama and Florida is the second game tomorrow and will tip-off roughly 25 minutes after the conclusion of Auburn and Tennessee, which tips off at 12 PM CT. 2:30 is a rough estimage, but it will likely be after 3 PM before this game ultimately tips off.
In the first and only meeting between the Tide and Gators this season, Florida bullied Alabama on the glass, winning the rebounding battle 50-35. Alabama cannot afford a repeat of that in Nashville.
You have to think that Grant Nelson and Cliff Omoruyi will both take this game personally as they both struggled against Florida's bigs. That doesn't necessarily mean that they will win the battle, but they will be more engaged and will not be beaten again due to a lack of effort.
With the blowout over Kentucky, Oats didn't have to play anyone more than 30 minutes. Alabama should be as well rested as you can be for a back-to-back.
I think this game is a toss-up and could go either way. Before the tournament, I picked Alabama to win it and I'll stick with it here.