Alabama students troll Florida hoops with Florida State war chant

Alabama students troll Florida hoops with Florida State war chant

For a moment Wednesday night, Tuscaloosa sounded a little bit like Tallahassee.

Students have come out in force for Alabama’s history-making men’s basketball season, and even as the rest of Coleman Coliseum cleared out in the closing minutes of a 97-69 win over Florida, most of the students remained.

With less than two minutes remaining and Florida lining up to shoot free throws, the Tide’s student section serenaded the visiting Gators with their rival Florida State’s war chant — the “tomahawk chop” also used by Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Braves fans.

No. 3 Alabama improved to 21-3 and 11-0 in the SEC with its win over Florida, which kept the Tide an undefeated 12-0 in Coleman Coliseum this season.

The arena’s production staff had some fun with Florida, too.

With three minutes remaining in the game and Alabama leading, 92-62, the Tom Petty song “I won’t back down” played as the Gators’ Colin Castleton lined up for a free throw. The song has been played at the start of football fourth quarters in Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium since the death of Petty, a Gainesville native, in 2017.

Mike Rodak is an Alabama beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @mikerodak.