How to Watch: No. 7 Alabama Basketball vs. No. 5 Florida

Everything you need to know, including TV and radio information, about the Crimson Tide's 17th game of SEC play against the Gators.

Alabama Forward Grant Nelson (2) dunks the ball during the game against Florida at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, AL on Wednesday, Feb 21, 2024. | Photo by Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics

After losing back-to-back games, Alabama basketball responded strongly with victories over then-No. 17 Kentucky and then-No. 24 Mississippi State in the last few days. But the momentum was turned down a couple of pegs on Saturday as then-No. 5 Tennessee defeated the then-No. 6 Crimson Tide on a buzzer-beating shot from the logo.

The win over Mississippi State helped Alabama overtake the second-place spot in the SEC following then-No. 3 Florida's loss to Georgia a bit after Alabama-Mississippi State tipped off. However, while the Tide lost on Saturday, the Gators dominated No. 12 Texas A&M, meaning Florida regained its previous status.

Prior to Alabama's loss to Tennessee, No. 1 Auburn clinched the SEC regular season title, meaning just the No. 2 spot in conference standings is up for grabs. The Crimson Tide will face Florida at home in Coleman Coliseum on March 5 in an extremely high-stakes penultimate game of the regular season.

How to Watch: No. 7 Alabama vs. No. 5 Florida

Who: No. 5 Florida (25-4, 12-4 SEC) at No. 7 Alabama (23-6, 12-4 SEC)

When: Wednesday, March 5 at 6 p.m. CT.

Where: Coleman Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network (Play-By-Play: Chris Stewart, Color: Bryan Passink). The pregame show will begin one hour prior to tipoff.

TV: ESPN2

Series vs. Florida: The Crimson Tide leads 79-72 with the first matchup occurring on Feb. 18, 1927. Alabama is 55-24 all-time at home against the Gators and is 5-5 in the last 10 overall matchups, including a current two-game losing streak.

Last meeting with Florida: Last season, Alabama defeated Florida in overtime at home, but then fell to the Gators two weeks later on the road in the penultimate game of the regular season. The Crimson Tide and Gators proceeded to meet in the SEC Tournament quarterfinal as then-No. 19 Alabama was demolished by Florida 102-88 after a rough first half. Alabama had four players finish in double figures, including guard Mark Sears who led with 22 points but it wasn't enough as Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr. had 23 and four additional players tallied at least 10-plus points. Nevertheless, this would be the Tide's last loss of the season until the NCAA Tournament Final Four against UConn.

Last time out, Alabama: The No. 6 Crimson Tide fell to No. 5 Tennessee 79-76 on the road on Saturday afternoon. The Volunteers got it done in March Madness fashion as guard Jahmai Mashack hit a deep three at the buzzer. This was the last part of a 7-0 run by Tennessee in the final 30 seconds. This was Battle of the Guards as Sears (24 points), Labaron Philon (13), Aden Holloway (11) and Chris Youngblood (2) combined for 50 of Alabama's points, while Chaz Lanier (18), Jordan Gainey (18), Zakai Zeigler (15) and Mashack (11) went for 62. The backcourts for both teams scored 112 of the game's 155 points (72.3 percent).

Last time out, Florida: The No. 3 Gators cruised past No. 12 Texas A&M 89-70 at home on Saturday evening. Florida guard Will Richard went off for 25 points on 9 of 13 from the field and 6-for-9 from long range. Gators forward Thomas Haugh finished with 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting while Alijah Martin (14 points), Alex Condon (11) and Walter Clayton Jr. (10) also scored in the double digits. Condon led the way defensively with team-highs in total rebounds (9) and blocks (3).

Alabama Stat Leaders

• Points: Mark Sears (19.1)
• Rebounds: Grant Nelson (8.0)
• Assists: Mark Sears (5.0)

Florida Stat Leaders

• Points: Walter Clayton Jr. (16.9)
• Rebounds: Alex Condon (7.7)
• Assists: Walter Clayton Jr. (4.0)