Florida basketball earns Stephen A. Smith's approval after defeating Alabama
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It has been nearly 20 years since Billy Donovan led the last Florida basketball team to a national title victory. The Gators won back-to-back national championships under the watch of Donovan in the 2005-06 and 2006-07 campaigns.
After the No. 2 seed Gators crushed the No. 3 seed Alabama Crimson Tide, 104-82, in the second half of a semifinal round encounter in the 2025 SEC Tournament on Saturday, ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith said that he believes that Todd Golden’s 2024-25 Florida squad has what it takes to win the upcoming Big Dance.
“I've been a very busy man. Haven't gotten to see too much@NCAABBall. But after just watching@GatorsMBKroll over@AlabamaMBB in the SEC Semis, I gotta admit: they look real as hell. Size. Athleticism. Shooting. Defense. @JoakimNoah and @AlHorford gotta be proud. They've got a great chance to win it all,” Smith shared in a post on X (formerly Twitter) following the Gators’ huge victory over Nate Oats’ team.
Florida only had a two-point lead at the half of the Crimson Tide game. But the Gators revved up their engine in the second half, as they took advantage of an Alabama side that didn’t have star power forward Grant Nelson in the final 20 minutes of the contest due to an injury. Florida dominated the glass, found good spots on offense and slowed down the Crimson Tide’s attack.
The Gators shot 51.4 percent from the floor and hit 12 of their 27 attempts from behind the arc while outrebounding Alabama, 43-38. Meanwhile, Alabama mustered just a 41.8 field goal percentage. Walter Clayton Jr. paced Florida with 22 points, while Will Richard and Alijah Martin contributed 16 points each. Florida’s bench stepped up as well, with Denzel Aberdeen and Thomas Haugh answering the call with 11 points apiece.
Florida basketball to face Tennessee in SEC Tournament title game
Now, Florida is just a win away from bagging the program’s first SEC Tournament title since Scottie Wilbekin and company did it in 2014 — the same season the Gators last won a regular-season championship.
The Gators can end their SEC Tournament title drought this Sunday when they meet the No. 4 seed Tennessee Volunteers for the third time in this campaign. Florida basketball defeated the Vols at home on Jan. 7, 73-43, but Tennessee returned the favor in February when they took down the Gators in Knoxville to the tune of a 64-44 score.
Regardless of the outcome of the SEC Tournament title game, the Gators should be able to earn a high score from the committee on Selection Sunday. Ranked fourth in the NET and with 10 wins in Quadrant 1 games, Florida basketball is widely expected to get a No. 1 seed in March Madness.
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