The crowd should’ve chanted “G-League foul out” instead.
PublishedFebruary 1, 2026 5:40 PM EST•UpdatedFebruary 1, 2026 4:48 PM EST
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Todd Golden had every opportunity to take his starters out as the clock wound down in the second half.
His Florida Gators were up by 20 for most of the second half, but Golden waited until there were less than 70 seconds in the game to empty the benches.
The message was sent.
Ten days earlier, Golden sat down for his weekly radio show, Gator Talk, and quietly but confidently proclaimed the Gators would beat the Alabama Crimson Tide, with or without their G-League addition, Charles Bediako.
Fast-forward to Sunday’s showdown, and the Gators made good on their coach’s boast, embarrassing the Tide and Bediako in the process.
READ: Another Pro Basketball Player Is Heading Back To Campus As NCAA Is Quickly Losing Control Over Hoops
The Florida faithful even got in on the action, as the sold-out crowd at Exactech Arena made sure Bediako heard from them every chance they got, chanting “G-League dropout” every time he touched the ball.
They should’ve been chanting “G-League foul out,” too, as Bediako accrued his fifth foul late in the game and was dominated most of the afternoon by Florida’s big men Rueben Chinyelu and Alex Condon.
After the game, which the Gators won by 23 points in the process of hanging 100 on the scoreboard, most of social media took some time to revel in the Tide’s misery.
Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide are 1-2 since adding Bediako to their roster, and although the Bama head coach can claim all he wants that he’s just playing within the rules, it looks like that hasn’t helped him much in the past week and a half.
The Crimson Tide will likely fall out of the top-25 on Monday, and a team that looked poised to make another deep tournament run has some questions to answer after another beatdown at the hands of their reptilian rivals.
As for Golden, it has to feel damn good to call your shot the way he did and be able to back it up when the ball is tipped.
It’s not uncommon for a national-championship winning head coach to be confident, but Todd Golden takes that word to a different level, and he has the Gators peaking at the perfect time.
It probably didn’t help Oats’ chances today when he tried to accuse the Gators of bending the rules a little themselves a few days prior.
Oats might want to see if there are any other professional basketball players with Alabama ties, because it looks like they need all the help they can get.
