Florida Gators

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— The Gators will travel to Tuscaloosa and open up SEC play against the No. 19 Crimson Tide. The conference matchup is set for a 7 p.m. tip inside Coleman Coliseum on Thursday, Jan. 2, and will be available on SECN+.
 
Florida enters the contest on a two-game win streak, holding a 9-5 non-conference record and Alabama concluded 2024 at 13-1. Both teams are eager to tally a win and start conference play at 1-0.

No. 19 Alabama (13-1, 0-0 SEC)

• Date: Thurs., Jan. 2
• Time: 7 p.m. ET
• Site: Coleman Coliseum
• Stream: SECN+
• Radio: ESPN Gainesville 98.1 FM / 850 AM
• Stats: StatBroadcast
• Tickets

 
A FLORIDA WIN WOULD:

• Be UF's first win over a ranked opponent since Feb. 6, 2022
• Mark Florida's first win to open SEC play since 2014
• Tally the program's 31st all-time win over Alabama
• Give Coach Finley's her 66th win as Florida's head coach
• Extend the Gators current win streak to three
• Make the Gators 2-1 on the road for the 2024-25 season

 
TALE OF THE TAPE:

Florida		Alabama
81.1	PPG	84.5
63.7	OPP PPG	56.1
+17.4	SCORING MARGIN	+28.4
48.2	FG %	47.5
35.9	OPP FG%	34.5
30.0	3 FG%	37.9
72.4	FT %	67.9
42.9	REBOUNDS PG	42.5
15.4	ASSISTS PG	16.8
15.9	TURNOVERS PG	14.4
9.0	STEALS PG	10.4
4.4	BLOCKS PG	4.9

THE SERIES:
The all-time series between Florida and Alabama favors the Crimson Tide by two at 32-30.

GATORS x ALABAMA HISTORY:
Florida and Alabama have an extensive history in the SEC, recording 62 meetings. The first contest dates back to 1976, and the most recent matchup between the Gators and Crimson Tide was on Feb. 29, 2024. Alabama defeated UF in the 2024 contest by one possession (76-73), evening out the last 10 matchup record to 5-5.
 
Florida will travel to Coleman Coliseum for the second time in less than a year, and look to open up conference play with their first win over the Tide since 2023.

PROJECTED FLORIDA STARTERS:

Florida	No.	Height	Position	Class	Hometown/Previous School
Alexia Dizeko	9	5-11	F	Sr.	Sion, Switzerland
Laila Reynolds	13	6-1	G	So.	PG County, MD
Jeriah Warren	20	6-0	G	Sr.	Lake Charles, LA
Liv McGill	23	5-9	G	Fr.	Minneapolis, MN
Ra Shaya Kyle	24	6-6	C	Sr.	Marion, Ind. / Purdue

FLORIDA'S LAST TIME OUT:
The Gators will initiate SEC play after defeating Alabama State 88-31 at home on Dec. 29. The final non-conference matchup was a joint Gators effort with four players in double figures for scoring. Ra Shaya Kyle led the Gators across the stat sheet with 16 points and 11 rebounds, marking her eighth double-double of the season. Liv McGill followed on the offense end with a 15-point performance. McGill also distributed nine assists to match her career high, and snagged seven steals to help Florida reach a season high of 20.

GATOR QUICK HITS:

• Florida is ranked No. 5 in the SEC and No. 20 in the NCAA for field goal percentage (48.2)
• Four Gators are averaging in double figures for scoring, Liv McGill (16.1), Ra Shaya Kyle (16.0), Jeriah Warren (13.3), and Laila Reynolds (10.4)
• UF has two players in the SEC's top-20 for scoring
  • No. 12 McGill and No. 15 Kyle
• McGill is the No. 1 freshman in the NCAA for total assists (74), and average assists per game (5.3)
• The Gators have secured 20+ points in 33 of 56 quarters played this season
• Kyle has posted eight double-doubles in her 14 outings to rank No. 8 in the NCAA
• Kyle is No. 3 in the SEC and No. 6 in the NCAA with a field goal percentage of 65.9
• Kyle is No. 4 in the SEC for an average of 9.9 rebounds per game
• Alexia Gassett leads Florida in total blocks with 12 on the season

 
PROJECTED ALABAMA STARTERS:

Alabama	No.	Height	Position	Class	Hometown/Previous School
Zaay Green	14	6-2	G	Gr.	Duncanville, Tex.
Sarah Ashlee Barker	3	5-10	G	Gr.	Birmingham, Ala.
Aaliyah Nye	32	6-0	G/F	Gr.	East Lansin, Mich.
Karly Weathers	22	5-11	G	Jr.	Loretto, Tenn.
Essence Cody	21	6-4	F	So.	Valdosta, Ga.

 
ALABAMA QUICK HITS:

• Alabama is No. 28 in the NCAA for blocks per game (4.9)
• The Crimson Tide are currently on a four-game win streak
• When playing inside Coleman Coliseum, Alabama is undefeated at 7-0
• In 13 of Alabama's 14 contests in 2024 they have held the lead at half
• Four of Alabama's starters average in double figures for scoring, Barker (16.1), Green (15.6), Cody (11.4), and Nye (14.9)
• Alabama is No. 15 in the nation for offensive scoring with an average of 84.5 ppg
• Cody leads the Crimson Tide on the boards averaging 6.7 rebounds per game
• Nye is No. 3 in the nation and No. 1 in the SEC for three pointers per game (3.71)
• Barker is No. 10 in the SEC for total points with a combined 225 during non-conference play

 
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