Can Alabama beat Florida in the SEC Tournament? ESPN gives game odds
Alabama basketball looks to advance to the SEC Tournament championship game with a win today against the Florida Gators in a No. 3 vs. No. 2 seed matchup in the conference semifinals at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
Alabama (25-7 overall), ranked No. 5 in this week's AP Top 25 poll, cruised past the No. 15 Kentucky Wildcats 99-70 on Friday night in Nashville behind 21 points from freshman Labaron Philon. No. 4 Florida defeated No. 21 Missouri 95-81 on Friday with Walter Clayton Jr. leading the way with 18 points.
The Gators have had Alabama's number of late, winning the past three meetings against Nate Oats' squad dating back to March of last year when Florida beat the Crimson Tide twice in a span of four games: in the penultimate game of the 2023-24 regular season in Gainesville and again in Alabama's only SEC Tournament appearance. Both were blowout wins by Todd Golden's team.
Fast-forward a year later, and Alabama and Florida are set to meet for the second time in four games again Saturday. The Gators pushed the Tide around back on March 5 in Coleman Coliseum for a 99-94 victory, a game where Florida led by as many as 14 in the second half.
As for how the two teams stack up on a neutral court, Florida enters as a slight favorite by the oddsmakers, and ESPN for one seems inclined to give the Gators a similar edge entering Saturday's matchup against Alabama.
ESPN Analytics' Matchup Predictor, which offers a prediction model based on its College Basketball Power Index ratings and other variables, gives the Gators a 51.2 percent chance to win the top-five showdown, compared to the Crimson Tide's 48.8 percent.
ESPN defines BPI ratings as a "measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of performance going forward. BPI represents how many points above or below average a team is, adding: "Game predictions account for opponent strength, pace of play, site, travel distance, day's rest and altitude."
Alabama ranks No. 5 in ESPN's BPI with an overall rating of 19.6, with Florida at No. 4 (19.8).
Alabama-Florida is scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. CT tip at Bridgestone Arena. The game will be televised on ESPN. The winner will face the winner of No. 8 Tennessee (26-6) vs. No. 3 Auburn (28-4) in the SEC title game at noon CT Sunday.
HOW TO WATCH: Time, TV channel for Alabama vs. Florida
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