One of the weekend’s premier college basketball games will feature the Gators as they take on the Alabama Crimson Tide on Sunday.
This game will have all kinds of implications–first of all, in the SEC standings. Florida is currently second at 6-2 while Alabama is back at seventh at 4-3, and with both teams expected to finish near the top of the league the Crimson Tide are desperate to get a win that keeps them in the hunt. Additionally, from an NCAA Tournament resume standpoint both teams offer the possibility of a marquee win and both teams would love to get that boost.
Then, finally, you’ve got a little bit of off court drama.
If you haven’t heard the story that has registered as one of the biggest in the college basketball universe, Alabama was able to get center Charles Bediako available for their January 24th game against Tennessee. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Bediako played for the Crimson Tide–back in 2023. That’s not a typo–the 2022-23 season. Since then he willingly entered the NBA Draft (where he was not selected) and signed contracts, though he never appeared in an NBA game. His case to be reinstated to college basketball was incredibly flimsy, but an Alabama judge who was later revealed to be a six-figure Crimson Tide booster granted him a temporary waiver to play the game against Tennessee, and the expectation was that following this game the NCAA would overrule the temporary restraining order and rule him ineligible. However, the storms ravaging the eastern United States didn’t allow the necessary officials to travel and make a ruling, and Bediako was given 10 more days.
Here is where the drama comes in.
Todd Golden, clearly not a fan of the situation, made his opinions known on the Gator Talk radio show:
“They were able to finagle the situation where they got a judge in Alabama that is actually a donor at Alabama to write a temporary restraining order to let this guy play games at Alabama. I think there’s a lot of people that aren’t necessarily happy about it and don’t necessarily agree with it, but with all this intervention from judges, there’s only so much the league can do. There’s only so much other member schools in the league can do and we just need some people to stand up and start taking a stand. This guy had a great opportunity. He was at Alabama for two years. He played there. He was there during the NIL era. He was aware of what he was giving up by declaring to go to the draft. He stayed in past the date. It’s always been if you stay in and you sign a contract, you’re done, so I think this is a slippery slope.
But, the cherry on top from Golden:
“We’re going to beat them anyways. If he plays, we’ll be him anyways.”
Alabama head coach Nate Oats is not one to shy away from any confrontation, and he’ll certainly be aware of the comments of Golden and it will add some spice to the matchup no doubt.
The Charles Bediako story is massive when it comes to the state of college basketball and the future of eligibility, in the short term it has rather large basketball implications. Alabama had been playing good basketball fueled by their electric guards, but they were not getting any production from the center position and lacked the size, muscle, and athleticism required in the SEC. Bediako was literally the exact piece they needed, a 7’0”, 225 leaper who is excellent at defending the rim and guarding pick and rolls. Despite essentially arriving on campus and immediately playing despite not practicing much with the team he had 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 blocks off the bench against Tennessee and 14 points and 6 rebounds against Missouri in just 18 minutes of action. Now that he has had several practices with the team you can expect his impact to grow even further, and he’ll be an important part of Alabama’s battle with Florida’s frontcourt.
What Nate Oats has done at Alabama to build up a regular contender is nothing short of remarkable especially when you consider the fact they have much less NIL available to basketball than most teams in the league, and while you see those lack of resources when it comes to the frontcourt you can see the concentration of talent with the guards.
Leading the way is returner Lebaron Philon who is one of the top scorers in the country averaging 22.0 points and 5.1 assists per game while hitting 37% from three. Taking the torch passed to him by the graduating Mark Sears, Philon has taken over as the lethal ball handler who can break down a defender one on one or use a ball screen to meticulously pick apart a defense, able to either launch from anywhere beyond the three-point line or knife downhill and finish with a layup before the help defense can even arrive. Philon is one of the most dangerous guards in not only the SEC but the country and slowing him down will be at the top of Florida’s scouting report.
One of the strengths of Alabama’s perimeter isn’t just the talent but the rare element of continuity as Philon isn’t the only returner, he’s joined with running mates Aden Holloway and Latrell Wrightsell who came back to Tuscaloosa. Holloway has been one of the best shooters in college basketball this season hitting 45% of his threes on a solid amount of volume, and he’s made even more dangerous in that he isn’t just a shooter that hangs around on the perimeter but is someone with great quickness who can get to the rim. Wrightsell doesn’t have the same gear but he’s crafty, and while he hasn’t shot the ball yet this season he is a proven marksman who is set to get hot at any moment.
When it comes to how Alabama has been successful, it’s a familiar script that now seems to be the case every year–they are explosive offensively, but they will struggle defensively. Currently the Crimson Tide are 3rd in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency metric fueled by the backcourt and a modern style of offense that is always creating open looks. However, they are 58th in adjusted defensive efficiency, a product of their small lineup that isn’t particularly athletic and lacks the physical tools to shut down an opponent. Of course, this is all based on their play without Bediako, and his addition, which could be temporary, really helps the defense and rebounding that were huge vulnerabilities. Alabama is currently 301st in the country in defensive rebounding percentage, and that means the Gators could feast if not slowed down by Bediako.
One last note on the Bediako situation–if he is to be ruled ineligible when the NCAA is able to rule on his case, it’s unknown what would happen to the games he did play in. Would Alabama have to forfeit? At this point, it’s completely unknown, and that can’t affect the way the Gators see the matchup. Florida’s key to the game will be slowing down Alabama’s scoring guards as everything goes through them–keeping them out of the paint and not allowing the kick out threes that fuel them.
Florida and Alabama will tip off Sunday, February 1st at 1PM ET and it will be televised on ABC.