What to know: #23 Florida Gators basketball at Alabama Crimson Tide
Game Information
When: Tuesday, January 10, 2017 at 9 p.m. (ET)
Where: Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Records: Florida (12-3), (3-0 SEC); Alabama (9-5), (2-0 SEC)
Coaches: Mike White- 33-18 (2nd season at Florida), 134-58 (6th season overall); Avery Johnson- 27-20 (2nd season at Alabama/overall)
TV: ESPNU
Streaming: WatchESPN
Radio: Gator IMG Sports Network
Projected Starters
Florida | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Class | Per Game |
Devin Robinson | F | 6-8 | 200 | Junior | 12.1 pts / 5.3 reb |
Justin Leon | F | 6-8 | 206 | Senior | 7.2 pts / 3.4 reb |
Kevarrius Hayes | C | 6-9 | 218 | Sophomore | 5.4 pts / 3.9 reb |
Kasey hill | G | 6-1 | 175 | Senior | 9.1 pts / 5.0 asts |
Kevaughn allen | G | 6-2 | 183 | Sophomore | 14.7 pts / 2.6 reb |
alabama | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Class | Per Game |
riley norris | F | 6-7 | 205 | Junior | 7.4 pts / 3.9 reb |
braxton key | F | 6-8 | 225 | Freshman | 9.4 pts / 5.5 reb |
donta hall | F | 6-9 | 223 | Sophomore | 5.6 pts / 5.5 reb |
avery johnson JR. | G | 5-11 | 186 | Sophomore | 7.4 pts / 1.6 reb |
dazon ingram | G | 6-5 | 205 | R-Freshman | 9.9 pts / 5.3 reb |
Preview
Florida and Alabama both come into this game hot. The Gators are on their second five-game winning streak of the season, while the Crimson Tide are on a four-game streak of their own. Like Florida, Alabama has an unscathed SEC record with wins at Mississippi State and over Vanderbilt at home.
Last time out, the Gators took a hard-fought 83-70 victory over Tennessee. SEC Player of the Week, KeVaughn Allen, led the team with 23 points. Justin Leon found some life in the game to get out of a personal slump and posted a career-high 19 points.
The Tide enter the game without a double-digit scorer this season. Dazon Ingram leads Alabama averaging 9.9 points per game, followed by Braxton Key with 9.4. The offense comes in last in the SEC scoring just 67.9 points per game and is 13th in the conference at 31.1 percent from beyond the arc.
Key and Donta Hall lead the team with 5.5 rebounds per game. Jimmie Taylor comes up big for the Tide’s defense with 24 blocks so far this season.
Alabama ended an 11-game Florida winning streak by defeating the Gators 61-55 in Gainesville last season. Florida struggled offensively, shooting just 28.6 percent (18-for-63) from the field and 14.3 percent from long-range (3-for-21).
Florida still trails Alabama with a 66-74 record in this series and are 0-1 under Mike White. Despite winning five consecutive games in Tuscaloosa, the Gators still hold an abysmal 19-47 record on the road to the Tide.
With the disappointing home loss from last season still looming in the Gators’ minds, they look to return the favor on Tuesday.