The Florida men’s basketball team (15-16) will take on the Alabama Crimson Tide (18-13) today in the first game of the second day at the SEC Tournament.
Florida is the tournament’s number eight seed, with Alabama the nine seed. The match up will be each team’s first in the 2015 conference tourney.
The Gators head into the contest having won two of three, showing improvement following their late season slide in which they lost six of seven games.
Dorian Finney-Smith’s re-entry into the lineup has been key for Florida, as the junior forward has averaged nearly 15 points per game in three games since returning from suspension. Finney-Smith was awarded for his season long production earlier this week when he was named to the All-SEC Second Team; his 13.1 points and six rebounds per game both lead Florida.
Alabama has lost seven of 12 games since starting off strong this season. The Tide are led by senior guard Levi Randolph, who’s first on the team in scoring at 15.2 points per game and second in rebounding with five per game.
The Gators might need to beat Alabama to have a chance at postseason play at the NIT. Of course if Florida wins the SEC Tournament, it will get an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. If Florida beats Alabama, unbeaten Kentucky would be UF’s next opponent.
Tip off this afternoon is at 1 pm, with coverage beginning at 12:25 on Country 103.7 The Gator.