Jan 4, 2026; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators guard Liv McGill (23), Florida Gators guard Laila Reynolds (13), forward Jade Weathersby (1), guard Kn'isha Godfrey (4) and Florida Gators forward Me'arah O'Neal (8) huddle during a technical free throw against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the second half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. — Florida has played seven ranked teams this year. It hasn't beaten one. (Matt Pendleton/Imagn Images)

Florida Women’s Basketball Look to Roll the Tide Against Alabama

With three games remaining in the regular season, Florida women’s basketball (16-2, 4-9 SEC) returns to the swamp looking to take down No. 25/24 Alabama (20-7, 6-7 SEC) on Sunday.

After an 0-5 start to SEC play, the Gators have leveled out, going 4-4 since. They’ve leveraged a favorable schedule as of late, winning three of their last four games, though all against unranked teams. Most recently, it was Mississippi State that gave the Gators their first SEC road win since just over a year ago: Feb. 20, 2025, at Texas A&M.

Thus, this matchup against the Crimson Tide holds huge implications for the Gators’ tournament hopes. Currently tied for 12th in the SEC, alongside Missouri, Florida has gained momentum over the past couple weeks and hopes to carry that into its final three games. According to Charlie Creme’s ESPN Women’s Bracketology, the SEC is in line for 11 teams to make it in the field. With a win over Alabama and a Mississippi State loss at No. 4 Texas on Sunday, the Gators would move to 11th place in the SEC, keeping their March Madness hopes alive.

Alabama is coming off a Thursday night loss to No. 3 South Carolina, where it couldn’t cut the Gamecocks’ early lead the entire game, falling 76-57. Senior guard Jessica Timmons leads the Crimson Tide, averaging 15.9 points, but against the Gamecocks, she only had 8.

The Gators, opposingly, will continue to rely on the offensive dominance of sophomore guard Liv McGill. She had an elite performance against the Bulldogs, recording 30 points and seven assists. McGill is averaging 22.8 points per game this season, which is second in the SEC and eighth in the country. And last season, McGill helped the unranked Gators stun No. 19 Alabama in the second round of the SEC tournament with 29 points.

Another key to Sunday’s game will be the 3-ball. Alabama is fourth in the SEC in 3-pointers this season, hitting 36.8% of its attempts. Meanwhile, Florida is third in the conference in defending the 3 with its opponents shooting at a 28.3% clip. In all of the Gators’ four conference wins, they have held each of their opponents’ 3-point rates to 32% or worse. The Tide have not won a game in which it’s shot under 30% from 3.

The Gators also have home-court advantage as they return to the O’Dome for the first time in two weeks. Tipoff is set for 12 p.m. on SEC Network. WRUF 98.1-FM/AM-850 coverage will start at 11:40 a.m.

Category: Gator Sports, Gators Women's Basketball