Alabama at Florida: Analysis, injury report, broadcast info for Tuesday’s game
The Alabama men’s basketball team will look to bounce back from a tough home loss to the Tennessee Volunteers as the Tide travels to Gainesville to take on the Florida Gators in a ranked battle on Tuesday night.
Despite an impressive first-half comeback that had Alabama in the lead at halftime, the team fell into a bit of an offensive slump in the second half against the Vols. If guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. could get healthy and reinserted into the lineup, the Alabama offense would be in much better shape.
With just two regular-season games remaining, Coach Nate Oats and the Tide need to finish the season on a strong note.
Below is all the information you need for Tuesday night’s matchup between Alabama and Florida, including how to watch, injury report, projected starting lineups, and predictions.
How to watch
Date: Mar. 5, 2024
Time: 6 p.m. CT
TV Channel: ESPN
Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)
Injury report
Alabama:
Latrell Wrightsell Jr. is questionable (head)
Florida:
Alex Szymczyk is out (foot)
Alabama's projected lineup
Player | Pos. | Class | PPG | RPG | APG |
Mark Sears | G | Senior | 20.7 | 4.2 | 4.2 |
Aaron Estrada | G | Graduate | 13.3 | 5.4 | 4.5 |
Latrell Wrightsell Jr. | G | Senior | 9.0 | 3.2 | 1.5 |
Rylan Griffen | G | Sophomore | 11.4 | 3.7 | 1.9 |
Grant Nelson | F | Senoir | 11.9 | 5.5 | 1.8 |
Florida's projected lineup
Player | Pos | H/W | Class | Pts. | Reb. | Ast. |
Walter Clayton Jr. | G | 6-2/195 | Junior | 16.9 | 3.7 | 2.7 |
Zyon Pullin | G | 6-4 /206 | Sophomore | 15.4 | 3.8 | 5.0 |
Will Richard | G | 6-4 /206 | Junior | 11.0 | 3.8 | 1.4 |
Tyrese Samuel | F | 6-10/239 | Graduate | 13.5 | 7.8 | 1.7 |
Micah Handlogten | C | 7-1/235 | Sophomore | 6.2 | 7.5 | 0.9 |
Alabama player to watch: Rylan Griffen
Regardless of the status of Latrell Wrightsell Jr., Alabama needs Rylan Griffen to step up on Tuesday night. He must become a factor not only on the offensive end but on the defensive end of the floor, as well. Griffen is perhaps Alabama’s best two-way player and they will need him to play well to earn a road victory against a quality Gators team.
Florida player to watch: Zyon Pullin
Zyon Pullin and Walter Clayton Jr. make up one of the better backcourts in the country. Pullin is averaging 19.5 points over his last two games and is capable of doing some damage if the Alabama guards don’t defend well.
KenPom comparisons
Offensive Efficiency:
Alabama: No. 1
Florida: No. 15
Defensive Efficiency:
Alabama: No. 101
Florida: No. 88
Overall:
Alabama: No. 8
Florida: No. 31
BPI prediction
Alabama is currently the favorite according to ESPN’s BPI predictor with a 63.1% chance of earning a road victory in the marquee SEC matchup. Alabama defeated the Gators in Tuscaloosa 98-93 in overtime on Feb. 21.
Score prediction
This will be Alabama’s final road game of the regular season and the Tide will need to play well to take down a solid Florida team. If Latrell Wrightsell Jr. is healthy and plays up to his abilities, I expect the Tide to win by double-digits. If not, this will be a tight game from start to finish. I think Alabama is the overall better team and, after losing at home, they will play with an edge on Tuesday night. I’ll take the Tide in another epic showdown with the Gators.
Alabama 88, Florida 80
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