On Wednesday night, the No. 5 Florida Gators traveled to Tuscaloosa to face off against the No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide in a highly anticipated SEC matchup for the last road game in the regular season for the Gators. It was a highly fast-paced, back-and-forth game throughout the first 30 minutes of play. Florida went on a run to go up by 12 with just under nine minutes remaining in the game, which limited a late Alabama run, as they went on to beat the Crimson Tide 99-94.

Gators forward Alex Condon led the way with an impressive 27-point, 10-rebound performance. Star guard Walter Clayton added 22 points of his own in route to a well-rounded team victory. Florida was able to go on runs thanks to their fast-paced play, dominating fast break points, and outrebounding the Tide 46-32. This win for the Gators comes off a dominant performance against the then No. 12 Texas A&M Aggies and sets the stage for senior night in Gainesville against Ole Miss on Saturday. Todd Golden’s Gators have now clinched the No. 2 seed in the SEC tournament, beginning next week.

This road victory adds to Florida’s impressive resume, as they have now beaten No. 7 Alabama and No. 1 Auburn on the road, as well as defeating then No. 1 Tennessee by 30 points and No. 12 Texas A&M by 19 points at home. These four massive wins bolster their hopes for one of the four coveted No. 1 seeds in March Madness. We will see the Gators match up against Ole Miss for senior night on Saturday night, followed by a six-day break, as their SEC tournament play will not begin until Friday, March 14th.

Todd Golden explains how Florida beat Alabama and Auburn on the road in same season

Todd Golden’s Florida basketball team has owned the state of Alabama this season. It started out with a Feb. 8 trip to Auburn, a game the Gators won 90-81.

Just over a month later, Florida beat Alabama 99-94. On Wednesday, after the win, Golden was asked what his team did to become so successful on the road.

“I think it’s the strength of our team,” Golden said. “We have a very mature team, workmanlike approach. We’re very consistent and for whatever reason, I feel like we really hone in and do a great job of preparing on the road and making sure we come in with a great mentality.”

The Gators beat the Crimson Tide with a strong rebounding effort. Golden’s squad outrebounded Alabama 50-35, grabbing 16 offensive boards, which it turned into 19 second-chance points.

Florida also won in transition, scoring 22 fast-break points to Alabama’s 10. The Gators fought off several UA comeback attempts to move to 26-4 on the season, 13-4 in SEC play.

“You’re gonna have to deal with some highs and lowes and you can’t allow your emotions to affect you negatively,” Golden said. “And I thought we did a great job doing that. But I think we’re one of the best teams in America, and to do that, you have to go on the road and beat good teams, and we did that with Auburn and we did that again tonight with Alabama.”

The Gators will be the No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament, which begins next Wednesday in Nashville. Auburn already earned the league’s regular season championship, while Alabama backed into clinching a double-bye on Wednesday, when Missouri lost at Oklahoma.

Florida closes out the regular season against Ole Miss in Gainesville on Saturday. Alabama and Auburn face off in Neville Arena that same day, tipping off at 1:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.