Potential 2026 First-Round Picks Clash as Florida Defeats Alabama

Sunday featured an important contest in the SEC as two teams battling for NCAA Tournament positioning squared off.

No. 23 Alabama travelled to No. 19 Florida for matchup that would have major implications in the SEC stanings. In addition to the college basketball ramifications, multiple NBA Draft prospects were in action as the Gators and Crimson Tide sqaured off.

In the end, Florida came away with a big win, taking down Nate Oats' team 100-77 to improve to 16-6 on the season and 7-2 in conference play.

For the Gators, potential first-round pick Thomas Haugh finished with 22 points, 5 rebounds, an assist, a block, a steal and just one turnover while shooting 9-of-16 from the field, 2-of-6 from 3-point range and 2-of-3 from the free throw line.

Listed at 6-foot-9 and 215 pounds, Haugh's size and production have likely cemented the junior's position as first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. After helping Florida to a national championship as a role player in 2025, Haugh is averaging 17.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal per game while shooting 47.3% from the field and 34.8% from 3-point range this season.

In a recent mock draft for NBA Draft on SI, Derek Parker slotted Haugh to the Atlanta Hawks at No. 16 overall.

Haugh wasn't the only potential first-round pick in action during Sunday's SEC showdown, though. Alabama's Labron Philon tallied 14 points, 3 assists and 2 rebounds against the Gators, shooting 5-of-13 from the field, 4-of-7 from beyond the arc and 0-of-1 from the free throw line while turning the ball over five times.

Despite his struggles against Florida, Philon has had a strong year after testing the NBA Draft waters in 2025. At the NBA Combine, the Crimson Tide standout measured 6-foot-2 and three quarters of an inch without shoes, also recording a 6-foot-6 and a quarter of an inch wingspan.

Now a sophomore, Philon is averaging 22 points, 5.1 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 51.6% from the field and 37% from 3-point range. Philon's size may be a concern for some NBA teams, but his scoring prowess and playmaking ability should makethe former 4-star recruit a premier prospect in the 2026 class.

Philon went No. 9 to the Dallas Mavericks in Parker's latest mock draft.

Alongside the two potential first-round picks, Florida's Alex Condon was the game's leading scorer with 25 points. The junior shot 11-of-15 from the field, 0-of-1 from beyond the arc and 3-of-7 from the free throw line, adding 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks and 2 steals while comitting 0 turnovers.

Condon hasn't secured a surefire spot as a first-round pick in the 2026 class, but could climb into the conversation with a strong close to the season. Just a junior, though, the Gators' big man could elect to return to school, as well.

Last summer, Condon tested the NBA Draft waters, measruing 6-foot-11 and a quarter of an inch while recording a 7-feet and a quarter of an inch wingspan.

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