No. 3/3 Alabama Hosts Florida at Coleman Coliseum Wednesday Night - University of Alabama Athletics
No. 3/3 Alabama men's basketball faces Florida at Coleman Coliseum on Wednesday.
rolltide.com
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ā No. 3/3 Alabama men's basketball faces Florida at Coleman Coliseum on Wednesday (8 p.m. CT) as the Crimson Tide look to improve to 11-0 in the Southeastern Conference for just the second time in program history (Alabama finished the 1955-56 conference season with a perfect 14-0 record).
Two of the SEC's best will square off as Alabama's Brandon Miller ranks No. 1 in scoring, averaging 18.8 points per game, while Florida's Colin Castleton's 15.6 points per contest ranks No. 7 in the SEC. In addition to scoring, Castleton averages an SEC-best 3.1 blocks per game while the Tide's Charles Bediako ranks No. 5 in the conference with 1.5 blocks per contest.
The Broadcast
Wednesday's game is set for an 8 p.m. CT tipoff and will be aired on ESPN2 with Tom Hart (play-by-play) and Jimmy Dykes (analyst) on the call.
The radio broadcast can be heard on the Crimson Tide Sports Network with Chris Stewart (play-by-play) and Bryan Passink (analyst) on the call, while Tom Stipe (engineer) is turning the dials. The pregame show will begin one hour prior to tipoff.
Notes You Need To Know
- On Feb. 3, 2023 Alabama Head Coach Nate Oats received a contract extension to keep him in charge of the Crimson Tide basketball program through March 14, 2029
- Alabama is looking to improve to 21-3, which would match the program's best-ever record through 24 games and first since the 1975-76 season
- Alabama's is looking to improve to 11-0 in SEC play for the second time in program history (1955-56 finished with a 14-0 record)
- Alabama is ranked No. 3 in AP Top-25 Poll, which is the highest ranking in program history this late into the season
- The Tide is one of four teams and the only Power 5 team left this season with an unbeaten record in conference play
- The Crimson Tide is one of three schools (UConn and Houston) to rank in the top-20 in both defense adjusted efficiency (No. 5) and in offense adjusted efficiency (No. 20) according to KenPom
- Alabama has posted five wins over top-25 opponents in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history, going 10-5 over the span
- Over the last five contests, UA's bench is averaging 33.8 points per game
- Brandon Miller is averaging 18.8 points per game, the most by any freshman in the country and No. 45 overall
- Miller is the only player in Division I to score 430 points, record 185 rebounds and make 70 three-pointers this season
- Miller is shooting .442 percent from three-point range, which ranks No. 13 in Division I
- Miller is one of nine players in Division I, the only player in the SEC and the only freshman in the country that has scored 430 points and recorded 185 rebounds this season
About Florida
- Florida ranks 10th in defensive efficiency nationally (KenPom) as Florida has held SEC opponents to .363 from the field and .308 from 3-point range. The Gators have held 11 of their last 13 opponents under .400 from the field.
- Colin Castleton leads UF in scoring (15.6), rebounding (7.7), blocked shots (71), free throws made (96), steals (22), and in assists (63). Will Richard paces Florida with 37 made 3-pointers and a .411 3-point percentage.
- As a team, the Gators' 5.9 blocked shots per game rank third in the NCAA. Individually, Castleton's 3.09 blocked shots per game also rank third the nation.
- Todd Golden is the first Florida coach in 49 years to post multiple top-25 wins in his first season leading the program, joining John Lotz (two in 1973-74) and Tommy Bartlett (three in 1966-67) as the only UF coaches to do so.
- Myreon Jones has posted a 7.25 assist-to-turnover ratio in SEC play, dishing 29 assists vs. four turnovers against conference foes.
- Florida has held its opponents to .430 two-point field goal percentage, seventh-best in the nation and 7% below the national average (.500).
