Florida Men’s Basketball Sneaks Away With Win In Tuscaloosa

The No. 5 Florida Gators defeated No. 7 Alabama 99-94 on Wednesday in Tuscaloosa, the first time in the men’s basketball program’s history to have a road win against a top-10 team twice in one season.

Alex Condon had 27 points and 10 rebounds and Walter Clayton Jr. added 22 points and eight assists to help Florida (26-4, 13-4 SEC) strengthen its NCAA Tournament resume to become a No. 1 region seed. The Gators are alone in second place in the SEC behind regular-season champ Auburn. The SEC tournament begins next week in Nashville, Tenn.

It was a back-and-forth battle all night. Florida ended up being ahead by a point at 41-40 at the half. Condon has been playing with a sense of urgency since his return from an ankle injury and it showed against the Crimson Tide. Condon finished the first half with 12 points, five rebounds and a block.

what a night for Condo 🥹 pic.twitter.com/CLNpXaWNCe

— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) March 6, 2025

While Florida was producing both offensively and defensively, the Crimson Tide (23-7, 12-5) came firing on all cylinders as well.  Guard Mark Sears ended the first half with 16 points, two rebounds and two assists. Sears finished the game with 30 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Clayton Jr. assisted Condon on two dunks within a minute of each other in the second half, the second one put the Gators up 12 with under eight minutes to go. Alabama was unable to cut the deficit under five points until the final 90 seconds of the game and never got within a single possession.

The Senior gets guys going. pic.twitter.com/ncklkkKJFR

— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) March 6, 2025

Despite Florida shooting poorly from 3-point range, it was the free-throw shooting that helped close the game out. With a little more than a minute left, the Crimson Tide had no choice but to foul the Gators hoping they would miss their free throws. With the Gators shooting 72.4% from free-throw range, it was just what they needed to secure the win to add it to the 90-81 victory against No. 1 Auburn on Feb. 8 in the state of Alabama.

Up Next

Neither team can rest just yet though. The Gators will host the Ole Miss Rebels (21-9, 10-7) at 6 p.m. Saturday (SEC Network, 103.7-FM). The Rebels defeated No. 4 Tennessee 78-76 on Senior Night in Oxford.

For the Crimson Tide, they have another huge game coming up for them when they travel to “The Jungle” to face off against their rivals the No. 1-ranked Auburn Tigers. Tip-off is set for 2:30 p.m. on Saturday on ESPN.