Tense atmosphere ahead of showdown between No. 19 Florida, No. 23 Alabama

The atmosphere always is tense when Florida and Alabama meet, but the intensity is increasing to new heights.

Gators coach Todd Golden isn't happy about Alabama coach Nate Oats making a controversial roster move. That player, 7-footer Charles Bediako, will be on the court Sunday afternoon when the No. 23 Crimson Tide face No. 19 Florida in Southeastern Conference play at Gainesville, Fla.

Golden was one of the coaches who disagreed publicly with Oats' decision to allow Bediako to rejoin the squad. Bediako played two seasons with the Crimson Tide, wasn't selected in the 2023 NBA Draft, and was released by three NBA teams before seeking college eligibility through the courts earlier this month.

A Tuscaloosa (Ala.) judge issued a temporary restraining order allowing Bediako to play, and the game against Florida will be his third since the decision.

Last week, Golden was asked about the situation knowing the contest against Alabama was on the horizon.

"They were able to finagle the situation where they got a judge in Alabama that is actually a donor at Alabama to write a temporary restraining order to let this guy play games at Alabama," Golden said.

"We're going to beat them anyways. If he plays, we'll beat him anyways."

The defending national champion Gators have won the past four meetings with Alabama by an average of 14.8 points. Florida (15-6, 6-2 also has won 10 of its past 12 games and is tied for second place in the SEC.

Oats said Friday that he didn't know of Golden's comments.

"They're the defending national champs," Oats said. "They should be planning on beating us. That's how it's supposed to look. ... I wouldn't expect anything less. He should be trying to kick our butt whether we have Charles or not."

Bediako averaged 13.5 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field over his first two games, providing a much-needed inside presence for an underachieving team. The Crimson Tide (14-6, 4-3) are tied for seventh in the SEC despite winning three of their past four games.

"For this game, we got him, and I think he helps us win," Oats said of Bediako.

Labaron Philon Jr. has been Alabama's key cog and leads the SEC with a 22.0 scoring average. He had 18 points in Tuesday's 90-64 home rout of Missouri.

Latrell Wrightsell Jr. led the way with 21 points on a career-best seven 3-pointers, and Aiden Sherrell added 16 points.

"He ends up getting a career high in threes made, and I couldn't be happier for him," Oats said of Wrightsell. "He is a great leader trying to get the team focused on getting stops and playing in the flow. All of his three's came off the flow and not any off sets we ran to get him open."

Aden Holloway is second on the Crimson Tide with a 16.9 scoring average. Amari Allen (ankle injury) leads in rebounding (7.8 average) and is expected to return after a two-game absence.

Sherrell ranks second in the SEC with 47 blocked shots.

Florida is coming off a 95-48 rout of South Carolina on Wednesday. The 47-point margin of victory was the largest road win in program history.

The romp came four days after the Gators were humbled at home in a 76-67 loss to Auburn.

"It was a speed bump, but every speed bump in the SEC is about learning," said Thomas Haugh, who had 18 points against South Carolina. "We lost to Georgia last year and learned from that one and won a national championship. We're going to keep learning from that Auburn game and keep pushing forward."

Haugh leads Florida in scoring with a 17.5 average. Alex Condon averages 13.2 points and 8.2 rebounds to go with a team-leading 29 blocked shots while Rueben Chinyelu is contributing 12.0 points and a team-best 11.0 rebounds per game to go with 22 rejections.

--Field Level Media