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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) – Alabama certainly wasn't alone in
feeling overwhelmed and defenseless against a Florida team on a
roll. It was how the Crimson Tide reacted that left a distinctive
impression Saturday.
|  | | Alabama's Erwin Dudley shoots between Florida's Teddy Dupay and Matt Bonner, but the Gators cruised to victory. |
Udonis Haslem scored a career-high 28 points to lift the
seventh-ranked Gators to an 89-68 victory over No. 14 Alabama. The
game was marked by the ejection of Tide coach Mark Gottfried as
part of a 34-second flurry of bad temper that resulted in three
Alabama technical fouls.
"It came quickly," Tide forward Rod Grizzard said. "There's
really nothing you can do about it. Coach got a little ahead of
himself. He said he wouldn't do it, but he did, and it kind of
snowballed from there."
Moments after Gottfried's exit, forward Erwin Dudley showed his
displeasure with a call by slapping the ball hard against the
scoreboard above the basket. He got hit with a technical. Then,
officials gave guard Gerald Wallace a 'T' for tangling with Florida
forward Matt Bonner.
Thus closed a stretch in which Alabama's 13-point deficit
climbed as high as 20, and the Crimson Tide's hopes for just its
second road win in the last 23 attempts vanished.
"Some things took place that certainly helped Florida," Gators
coach Billy Donovan said, when asked about the outburst. "I
wouldn't use the word self-destructed."
Neither would Gottfried, who figured Florida (20-5, 10-4
Southeastern Conference) pretty much had the game won by then
anyway. Much calmer after the game, he nonetheless complained about
the officials, pointing out that Alabama normally makes a living
shooting free throws -- it has the second most attempts in the SEC --
yet went to the line just 14 times, compared to 35 for the Gators.
At one point, Dudley missed a shot in front of the Alabama bench
and fell to the ground, a call Gottfried obviously felt had been
missed.
"I guess he just fell down on his own," Gottfried said.
"Those are frustrating things. That's part of the game. We need,
as a young team, to handle that better."
Grizzard led Alabama with 21 points, while Terrance Meade had
14, as the Crimson Tide (20-7, 8-6) lost consecutive games for the
first time this season.
While Alabama imploded, Florida continued on a hot streak,
winning for the ninth time in 10 games, and winning by 20-plus
points for the second time in four days against a Top 15 opponent.
Bonner had his second consecutive double-double, finishing with
15 points and 13 rebounds, as Florida barely seemed to miss forward
Brent Wright, who didn't play because of an injured foot.
Of course, injuries have become as much a part of Florida's
season as dribbling and shooting, and Donovan said he was amazed at
how well his team continues to adjust.
"I don't know if we would have handled this as well if this was
the first time it had happened," he said. "The key was that our
guys stayed out of foul trouble. I'd say, as a whole, it was as
good a performance as we've had."
By reaching the 20-win plateau for the third straight year,
Florida pulled within 1½ games of No. 13 Kentucky in the SEC East.
Still, the Gators might be willing to sacrifice that title for
being one of hottest team in the country.
Haslem has been huge in that effort, scoring 49 points over the
last two games. He established himself early in this one, making
two three-point plays and a layup in the first seven minutes.
He made a 17-footer and a pair of short shots during an 11-5 run
in the second half that gave Florida a 71-58 lead before
Gottfried's outburst.
"I try to feel like that every night, to be honest," Haslem
said, when asked if he felt like he was going to score every time
he touched the ball. "My teammates did a great job getting me the
ball. The next game might be different."
Brett Nelson had eight points and five assists for Florida,
which finished with 20 assists against just five turnovers.
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ALSO SEE
Men's College Basketball Scoreboard
Alabama Clubhouse
Florida Clubhouse
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