Florida & Alabama Pre-Game News & Notes
RV/#25 Florida Men's Basketball (20-9, 10-6 SEC) vs. #16/17 Alabama (20-9, 12-4 SEC) Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center | Gainesville, Fla.
Tuesday, March 5, 2024 | 7 p.m.
TV/Streaming
ESPN | ESPN App
Play-by-Play: Tom Hart | Analyst: Jimmy Dykes | Sideline: Marty Smith
Radio
Gator Sports Network from LEARFIELD | The Varsity Network App | SiriusXM 106 or 190 & SXM App
Play-by-Play: Sean Kelley | Analyst: Lee Humphrey | Producer/Engineer: Steve Egan
The Tip-Off
* Florida gets a rematch against Alabama on its home court two weeks after the Tide edged out the Gators in an overtime thriller, 98-93. Walter Clayton Jr. scored a game-high 27 in the first meeting, while Zyon Pullin and Tyrese Samuel added 17 points each.
* Zyon Pullin ranks second in the nation and is on pace to set Florida's all-time record with and assist/turnover ratio of 4.16, and his 4.96 assists per game rank second in the SEC.
* Walter Clayton Jr., meanwhile, has 11 20-point outings this season, most by a Gator since Kenny Boynton's 13 in 2011-12. Clayton has scored 490 points this season and looks to become the first Gator since Jalen Hudson in 2017-18 to post 500. UF has had 38 previous individual 500-point seasons.
* Florida has two of the top three offensive rebounders in the SEC in Micah Handlogten (3.63) and Tyrese Samuel (3.07). UF's 39.1% offensive rebounding rate is third-highest in the nation, while Handlogten's 18.2% offensive rebounding rate ranks fourth nationally.
* Florida hosts a ranked vs. ranked matchup in March for the fifth time in program history, the first since #1 Florida defeated #25 Kentucky to cap the Gators' 18-0 2014 SEC slate. UF split the prior four such games, all since 2001 against UK.
2023-24 Highlights
* Tyrese Samuel's career-high 28 points led the Gators in the win vs. Missouri. Samuel (10 rebounds) and Micah Handlogten (12 points/12 rebounds) both posted double-doubles, while Zyon Pullin added 21 points.
* Walter Clayton Jr. posted a four-game run of 20-point outings from Feb. 10-21, matching Colin Castleton, Tre Mann and Nick Calathes for the longest such streak by a Gator since Dwayne Schintzius' five straight in 1989.
* Florida's win vs. #12 Auburn marked the Gators' 15th in a row at home vs. the Tigers. Riley Kugel's 22 points led the Gators, along with 20 points from Walter Clayton Jr. and 19 by Zyon Pullin, while the Gators matched a season low with just seven turnovers.
* The Gators notched a big resume win in their victory at 10th-ranked Kentucky, led by a trio of 20-point scorers in Walter Clayton Jr. (23), Tyrese Samuel (22) and Zyon Pullin (21). Clayton's 3-pointer with 3.0 seconds left in regulation forced overtime and another with 1:42 left in overtime put the Gators ahead for good.
* Micah Handlogten posted 23 points and 17 rebounds in the home win vs. Georgia, while Zyon Pullin scored seven of his 20 points in the overtime period. The Gators completed the sweep in Athens for a 10th straight win vs. Georgia behind 21 points from Walter Clayton Jr. and 17 by Thomas Haugh.
* The Gators outlasted LSU at home, led by Walter Clayton Jr.'s 21 points, along with 15 points from Tyrese Samuel and 14 by Zyon Pullin. Florida overcame LSU's 11-for-21 3-point game by scoring 20 points off 19 offensive rebounds while committing just eight turnovers.
* Will Richard led the Gators with 23 points and nine rebounds in the win vs. Mississippi State as Florida committed a season-low seven turnovers. Zyon Pullin and Walter Clayton Jr. each added 15 points.
* Zyon Pullin scored 22 and Tyrese Samuel posted 21 points and 11 rebounds in the Gators' double overtime victory vs. Michigan in Charlotte. Pullin's 3-pointer with 8.9 seconds remaining in the first overtime forced the second extra session, where an 11-0 UF run put the game away.
* The Gators topped Pitt in the first game of the NIT Season Tip-Off behind 28 points from Walter Clayton Jr. on 6-for-8 shooting from 3-point range, a 20-point, 10-rebound performance from Tyrese Samuel and a 24-to-8 assist-to-turnover showing as a team.
RV/#25 Florida Men's Basketball (20-9, 10-6 SEC) vs. #16/17 Alabama (20-9, 12-4 SEC) Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center | Gainesville, Fla.
Tuesday, March 5, 2024 | 7 p.m.
TV/Streaming
ESPN | ESPN App
Play-by-Play: Tom Hart | Analyst: Jimmy Dykes | Sideline: Marty Smith
Radio
Gator Sports Network from LEARFIELD | The Varsity Network App | SiriusXM 106 or 190 & SXM App
Play-by-Play: Sean Kelley | Analyst: Lee Humphrey | Producer/Engineer: Steve Egan
The Tip-Off
* Florida gets a rematch against Alabama on its home court two weeks after the Tide edged out the Gators in an overtime thriller, 98-93. Walter Clayton Jr. scored a game-high 27 in the first meeting, while Zyon Pullin and Tyrese Samuel added 17 points each.
* Zyon Pullin ranks second in the nation and is on pace to set Florida's all-time record with and assist/turnover ratio of 4.16, and his 4.96 assists per game rank second in the SEC.
* Walter Clayton Jr., meanwhile, has 11 20-point outings this season, most by a Gator since Kenny Boynton's 13 in 2011-12. Clayton has scored 490 points this season and looks to become the first Gator since Jalen Hudson in 2017-18 to post 500. UF has had 38 previous individual 500-point seasons.
* Florida has two of the top three offensive rebounders in the SEC in Micah Handlogten (3.63) and Tyrese Samuel (3.07). UF's 39.1% offensive rebounding rate is third-highest in the nation, while Handlogten's 18.2% offensive rebounding rate ranks fourth nationally.
* Florida hosts a ranked vs. ranked matchup in March for the fifth time in program history, the first since #1 Florida defeated #25 Kentucky to cap the Gators' 18-0 2014 SEC slate. UF split the prior four such games, all since 2001 against UK.
2023-24 Highlights
* Tyrese Samuel's career-high 28 points led the Gators in the win vs. Missouri. Samuel (10 rebounds) and Micah Handlogten (12 points/12 rebounds) both posted double-doubles, while Zyon Pullin added 21 points.
* Walter Clayton Jr. posted a four-game run of 20-point outings from Feb. 10-21, matching Colin Castleton, Tre Mann and Nick Calathes for the longest such streak by a Gator since Dwayne Schintzius' five straight in 1989.
* Florida's win vs. #12 Auburn marked the Gators' 15th in a row at home vs. the Tigers. Riley Kugel's 22 points led the Gators, along with 20 points from Walter Clayton Jr. and 19 by Zyon Pullin, while the Gators matched a season low with just seven turnovers.
* The Gators notched a big resume win in their victory at 10th-ranked Kentucky, led by a trio of 20-point scorers in Walter Clayton Jr. (23), Tyrese Samuel (22) and Zyon Pullin (21). Clayton's 3-pointer with 3.0 seconds left in regulation forced overtime and another with 1:42 left in overtime put the Gators ahead for good.
* Micah Handlogten posted 23 points and 17 rebounds in the home win vs. Georgia, while Zyon Pullin scored seven of his 20 points in the overtime period. The Gators completed the sweep in Athens for a 10th straight win vs. Georgia behind 21 points from Walter Clayton Jr. and 17 by Thomas Haugh.
* The Gators outlasted LSU at home, led by Walter Clayton Jr.'s 21 points, along with 15 points from Tyrese Samuel and 14 by Zyon Pullin. Florida overcame LSU's 11-for-21 3-point game by scoring 20 points off 19 offensive rebounds while committing just eight turnovers.
* Will Richard led the Gators with 23 points and nine rebounds in the win vs. Mississippi State as Florida committed a season-low seven turnovers. Zyon Pullin and Walter Clayton Jr. each added 15 points.
* Zyon Pullin scored 22 and Tyrese Samuel posted 21 points and 11 rebounds in the Gators' double overtime victory vs. Michigan in Charlotte. Pullin's 3-pointer with 8.9 seconds remaining in the first overtime forced the second extra session, where an 11-0 UF run put the game away.
* The Gators topped Pitt in the first game of the NIT Season Tip-Off behind 28 points from Walter Clayton Jr. on 6-for-8 shooting from 3-point range, a 20-point, 10-rebound performance from Tyrese Samuel and a 24-to-8 assist-to-turnover showing as a team.
