Another Rematch For Florida At SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament

Walter Clayton Jr scored 18 points, Will Richard and Alijah Martin added 17 apiece and the No. 4 Florida Gators defeated the No. 21 Missouri Tigers 95-81 in the Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinals Friday night at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.

The second-seeded Gators (28-4) avenged their only home loss of the season, an 83-82 defeat to Missouri (22-11) on Jan. 14 by never trailing and shooting 62% from the floor, including 38% from 3-point range.

Florida began the game with a 10-0 run and held a 50-37 lead at the half. The Tigers could only draw as close as four in the second half before the Gators put the game out of reach. Missouri kept the game close largely in part to forcing 16 Florida turnovers and scoring 22 points off of those turnovers.

in case you missed it last night 🎥

some highlights for your saturday morning ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/C48bNyGXq4

— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) March 15, 2025

Florida now plays No. 5 Alabama (24-7) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in the semifinals. The Gators defeated the third-seeded Crimson Tide, a 99-70 winner against Kentucky in another Friday quarterfinal. UF beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa 99-94 on March 5.

Top-seeded Auburn (28-4) plays four-seeded Tennessee (26-6) at 1 p.m. Saturday in the other semifinal. Saturday winners play for the league tourney title at 1 p.m. Sunday. All three games will be on ESPN, with the Gators’ game also on the radio at 103.7-FM.

In the last 10 games, the Gators are 9-1, averaging 87.0 points, 36.4 rebounds, 17.6 assists, 7.1 steals and 4.3 blocks per game while shooting 48.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 74.2 points per game.

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Gators -3.5; over/under is 174.5.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.