Miller scores 24, No. 3 Alabama races past Florida 97-69

Published Feb. 8, 2023 11:23 p.m. ET

Associated Press

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Brandon Miller scored 24 points and made 4 of 8 3-pointers to lead No. 3 Alabama to a 97-69 victory over Florida on Wednesday night.

The Crimson Tide (21-3, 11-0 Southeastern Conference) raced to a 29-point halftime lead against the Gators (13-11, 6-5), who had knocked off then-No. 2 Tennessee a week earlier.

Alabama matched the 1975-76 team for the program's best record through 24 games.

Miller added nine rebounds and three assists for the Tide. Mark Sears made 4 of 6 3s and scored 19 for Alabama, which buried 15 shots from long range. Jahvon Quinerly had 11 points.

Colin Castleton led Florida with 29 points and 10 rebounds. He accounted for 13 of his team's 23 in the first half and made 11 of 14 free throws. Riley Kugel added 15 points and Will Richard scored 11.

Alabama built a 52-23 halftime lead on a combination of scorching 3-point shooting, and the Gators' own shooting woes. The Tide made 9 of 17 3s by halftime while Florida missed its five attempts.

Miller hit 3 of 4 3s in the first half, including a pair in the final three minutes.

The Gators got as close as 17 in the second half but Miller answered with eight points in less than two minutes: a 3-pointer, a one-handed dunk and a basket and subsequent foul shot.

BIG PICTURE

Florida: Has faced four different top 5 teams for the first time in program history, going 2-2. Castleton tied Al Horford (2004-07) for third place in career blocks at Florida with his 188th and 189th.

Alabama: Made 15 of 34 3-pointers (44%) against a defense that came in allowing opponents to hit only 29%. Has won its first 11 SEC games for only the second time and first since going 14-0 in 1955-56.

UP NEXT

Florida faces Vanderbilt on Saturday.

Alabama visits in-state rival Auburn on Saturday.

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