Florida @ Alabama preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 27, 2018 ) Florida 73, Alabama 52

Florida visits Alabama on Saturday in an SEC game that shapes up as a must-win situation for teams sitting mid-pack in the conference standings. The Crimson Tide are in sixth place after Tuesday's 81-62 loss at Mississippi State while the Gators are in a four-way tie for seventh after surviving Vanderbilt 66-57 on Wednesday despite its leading scorers having an off game.

"You have to credit our bench,'' Florida coach Mike White told reporters after senior guard KeVaughn Allen and freshman guard Noah Locke - the Gators' only double-figure scorers on the season - combined for nine points and were 2-for-19 from the field. "Our bench has struggled this year. They've been challenged daily and they were very good. We got contributions from a lot of guys in a game when we probably needed it the most. Hats off to those guys." Alabama seems to have an easier schedule down the stretch with four home games and only one contest against a Top 25 foe (No. 21 LSU) while the Gators play four of seven on the road with games remaining versus LSU (twice) and at No. 5 Kentucky. The teams have split the last four meetings with the visitor winning each time, including Florida's 73-52 victory in the most recent encounter last February behind 27 points from Jalen Hudson. The senior guard was a key factor off the bench Wednesday with 10 points, including seven straight when the Gators took control in the second half.

TV: 2 p.m. ET, ESPNU

ABOUT FLORIDA (13-11, 5-6 SEC): Freshman starting forward Keyontae Johnson (7.1 points, 5.7 rebounds per game) matched a career high with 15 points while grabbing nine boards against Vanderbilt. Allen (12.5 points), who needs two points to become the ninth player in school history with 1,600, and Locke (11.3) have exceeded their season averages by scoring 15.1 and 13.6, respectively, in conference games. Senior center Kevarrius Hayes (6.9 points, team-high 6.1 rebounds) is second in the SEC with 2.8 offensive rebounds per game while freshman guard Andrew Nembhard (7.3 points, club-best 5.4 assists) is third in the conference with a 2.5 assist-to-turnover ratio.

ABOUT ALABAMA (15-9, 6-5): Freshman guard Kira Lewis Jr. (team-high 14.4 points) is averaging 19.7 points over the last three games while shooting 52.5 percent from the floor, raising his season number to 46.1. Senior forward Donta Hall (11.0 points, 8.6 rebounds) has an SEC-most 10 double-doubles this season and his 9.2 boards are the most in conference games. Sophomore guard John Petty (11.2 points) failed to score against Mississippi State - his first scoreless game of the season - after averaging 11.8 in his previous four contests.

TIP-INS

1. The Gators lead the SEC in scoring defense at 63.5 points but have held a conference opponent below that number only three times.

2. Alabama is 0-6 when scoring fewer than 70 points.

3. Florida has won seven straight in Tuscaloosa since an 82-77 loss on Feb. 26, 2006 - their final setback before winning 11 straight en route to the national championship.

PREDICTION: Alabama 69, Florida 68