Florida Gators Chomp Alabama with 23-Point Win

A late run in the first half and early dominance in the second half thrust the Gators to a 100-77 win, its fifth-straight win over Alabama.

Florida dominated Alabama for its fifth-straight win over the Crimson Tide. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- 7-foot-9 walk-on Olivier Rioux hit a hook shot with 30 seconds left to put the 19th-ranked Florida Gators at 100 points. It also capped a 23-point win for the Gators over 23rd-ranked Alabama.

Alex Condon tied a season-high 25 points, marking his first 20-point game in nearly a month, with Thomas Haugh adding 23. Rueben Chinyelu, paired with Alabama-turned G League player-turned Alabama center Charles Bediako for most of the day, continued his dominance on the glass with 17 rebounds.

He added 17 points, marking his 13th double-double of the season.

Chinyelu's efforts, which included two blocks, as well as eight steals from Boogie Fland, were a part of a stifling defensive effort from Florida. The Gators forced 18 turnovers, leading to 25 points. Seven-footer Bediako, a controversial figure in the sport after returning to Alabama following three professional seasons in the G League, was held to six points and seven rebounds.

Bediako, the target of chants by the Rowdy Reptiles student section for most of the day, fouled out with 2:10 left on an and-one bucket from Chinyelu.

BEST DEFENDER IN ALL OF COLLEGE BASKETBALL

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— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) February 1, 2026

That battle in the paint dictated much of the game, with Florida scoring 72 points from that area, making the Gators the first SEC team in the last 20-plus seasons to score at least 70 points in the paint against a high-major opponent, according to ESPN's Jeff Borzello.

18 of Florida's first 24 points came down low, including eight early points from Condon, as the team's battled aggressively. Florida held a slight scoring until Alabama hit back-to-back 3-pointers to tie the game, 28-28, with 6:39 left. From there, Florida dominated the rest of the half.

The Gators turned the tie into an 11-point lead with a run during which Florida made 9 of its 11 field goal attempts, including a 3-pointer from Haugh to cap the stretch. Chinyelu dominated the paint, as well, with four-straight defensive rebounds as Alabama went scoreless for over two minutes.

The 41-30 lead with 3:07 left in the half turned into a 46-36 lead at the break in favor of the Gators, with Condon and Haugh combining for 27 points, Fland recording three steals and four assists and Chinyelu having eight rebounds.

Fland finished with 15 points, eight steals and eight assists and only had one turnover. As a team, the Gators only turned the ball over twice all game.

anotha one 😤

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— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) February 1, 2026

That late run sparked a strong start to the second half, as Florida extended its lead to 20 within the first four minutes while holding Alabama scoreless. The Crimson Tide missed its first four shots, three of which were blocked by Condon and Chinyelu, while committing five turnovers as the Gators took a 56-36 lead into the under-16 timeout.

By the end of the game, Florida had subbed in most of its reserves and walk-ons, including Rioux, and eventually winning its fourth game over a ranked SEC opponent this season.

Florida returns to the court on Saturday for a road game at Texas A&M. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. ET with television coverage on SEC Network.