Alabama basketball vs. Florida: Score prediction, scouting report
Florida basketball doesn't have a pristine record, but the Gators are a threat every game in the SEC.
Florida (13-10, 6-4 SEC) has conference losses to Texas A&M (twice), Auburn and Kentucky. All three of those teams are in the top five of the SEC standings.
The Gators beat the No. 2 SEC team, Tennessee, on Feb. 1, too.
Florida might not be the toughest test of the SEC slate for Alabama, but defeating the Gators should not be easy when the two teams play on Wednesday (8 p.m., ESPN2) at Coleman Coliseum.
Here's a look at Florida and how it stacks up with No. 3 Alabama (20-3, 10-0).
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Projected starting lineup for Florida
Guard Kyle Lofton (senior): 6-foot-3, 188 pounds. Averages: 9 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steals, 0.1 blocks, 1.3 turnovers.
Guard Myreon Jones (senior): 6-foot-3, 177 pounds. Averages: 5.3 points, 3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.2 blocks, 0.6 turnovers.
Forward Riley Kugel (freshman): 6-foot-5, 207 pounds. Averages: 6.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.2 blocks, 1.4 turnovers.
Forward Will Richard (sophomore): 6-foot-4, 206 pounds. Averages: 10.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.7 blocks, 1 turnover.
Center Colin Castleton (senior): 6-foot-11, 250 pounds. Averages: 15.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1 steal, 3.1 blocks, 2.6 turnovers.
Castleton leads the SEC in blocks per game.
Florida's rotation
Florida has about nine players who average 10 or more minutes per game. Outside of the starters, Alex Fudge (21.5 minutes), Kowacie Reeves (20.7 minutes), Trey Bonham (16.3 minutes) and CJ Felder (13.2 minutes) have been other contributors this season.
Reeves is fourth on the team in points per game (8.4). Bonham is fifth with 6.9 points.
How Florida stacks up with Alabama in scoring, defense and tempo
KenPom tracks adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency, which are points scored and allowed per 100 possessions. Florida is among the best in the nation defensively, but the offense isn't elite.
As far as tempo goes, Florida is in the upper half in the country. Alabama has moved into the No. 1 spot for this metric in the country. KenPom measures the adjusted tempo statistic based on the number of possessions per 40 minutes.
Adjusted offensive efficiency:
Florida: 107.2 (133rd nationally)
Alabama: 116.4 (20th)
Adjusted defensive efficiency:
Florida: 91.3 (10th nationally)
Alabama: 90.3 (5th)
Tempo
Florida: 69.1 (85th nationally)
Alabama: 73.6 (1st)
Score prediction
Alabama 72, Florida 63: The Gators have been competitive with some of the best teams in the SEC, but it hasn't yet faced the best SEC team. Florida will make it competitive for much of the game with strong defense. But in the end, the Crimson Tide still emerges with the victory.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama basketball vs. Florida: Score prediction, scouting report
