Clayton scores 22 as No. 4 Florida beats No. 5 Alabama 104-82 in SEC semis

By JIM DIAMOND The Associated Press
Updated: March 15, 2025 - 10:37 PM
Published: March 15, 2025 - 10:29 PM

Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr. (1) reacts to a basket against Alabama during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the semifinal round of the Southeastern Conference tournament, Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/George Walker IV]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Walter Clayton Jr. scored 22 points, and No. 4 Florida pulled away from No. 5 Alabama for a 104-82 victory in the Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinals on Saturday.

Alijah Martin and Will Richard each had 16 points for the Gators (29-4) in their fifth consecutive win.

Next up for Florida is Sunday’s SEC championship game against No. 8 Tennessee, which beat No. 3 Auburn 70-65 in the first semifinal.

The second-seeded Gators led the Crimson Tide 47-45 after a first half that featured 10 lead changes. But Clayton and company really turned up their play down the stretch.

Chris Youngblood had 14 points for third-seeded Alabama (25-8). Clifford Omoruyi and Mouhamed Dioubate each had 12.

Clayton went 6 for 11 from 3-point range. The senior guard added six assists.

Takeaways

Alabama: The loss derailed the Crimson Tide’s hope of winning the program’s third SEC tournament title in the last five seasons. With 10 wins over AP Top 25 opponents this season, a program record for most in a single season, Alabama has a strong case for a good seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Florida: The Gators were impressive in the defensive end, holding the high-scoring Crimson Tide to just 82 points. Entering Saturday, Alabama had scored 90 points or more in 18 games this season, the most in Division I.

Key moment

Richard hit a 3-pointer with 9:24 remaining in the second half to give Florida a 21-point lead and put the game out of reach for Alabama.

Key stat

After a tightly contested first half, Florida outscored the Crimson Tide 57-37 over the final 20 minutes.

Up next

Florida and Tennessee split the two-game season series, with both teams winning on their home courts. The Crimson Tide wait to learn the team’s first opponent in the NCAA tourney.

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