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A year after coming up short in the conference championship game, the Florida Gators have claimed the fifth SEC Tournament title in program history with an 86-77 win over the Tennessee Volunteers on Sunday in Nashville.
Florida led by double digits for most of the second half, denying several comeback attempts by Tennessee. Walter Clayton Jr. led the Gators' scoring effort with 22 points. Will Richard delivered an efficient 17-point performance, burying all eight shots from the free-throw line, and Alex Condon finished a rebound shy of a 13-and-10 double-double.
Both teams battled for 40 minutes, leading to several scrums and a combined 46 fouls. Tennessee lost two starters in the game's final minutes to fouls, but it stayed in the game thanks to a game-high 24 points from Jordan Gainey off the bench. Zakai Zeigler also had 23 points, but it was Florida's all-around performance that won them the game.
Florida's semifinal matchup against Alabama was a battle between two top-5 offenses and resulted in more than 180 total points, but Tennessee brought a top-5 defense to the table in the championship game. The Gators do a fine job adapting to other teams' play styles, and Todd Golden's squad brought a heightened level of physicality to the matchup on Sunday.
Both teams slugged it out, especially whenever the ball came off the rim and into the air. Florida won the rebounding battle in the first half, 19-15. Florida fouled more than Tennessee, 9-7, but the Volunteers' fouls were more concentrated. Three Tennessee starters finished the first half with two fouls, yet both squads stayed out of the double bonus.
The same story continued in the second half, with Florida fouling more often and the Tennessee starters racking up more individual fouls. The Volunteers' best shooter, Chaz Lanier, fouled out with five minutes left in the game, and Jahmai Mashack followed shortly after. Even with Gainey and Zeigler on the court, Florida was in control of the final moments of the conference tournament.
The Gators have been a top-10 team for the better part of the season, but they might just be finding their groove after dealing with several injuries throughout the winter months of the season. Sam Alexis is still out, but the addition of Micah Handlogten to a frontcourt that features Rueben Chinyelu, Condon and Thomas Haugh has provided more than enough depth. Condon looks like a potential draft pick when he's at his best, and Haugh is the best sixth man in the country. With the defensive prowess of Chinyelu and Handlogten, it's hard to find a better four-man rotation than what Florida has.
Florida's backcourt rotation might be even better. The starting trio of Clayton, Alijah Martin and Richard is the best in the country, and they can all defend as well as they score. With Denzel Aberdeen and Urban Klavzar coming off the bench to keep everyone rested, only injuries can slow this team down.
Duke is the only other team in the country ranked inside the top 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, according to the KenPom ratings. The Gators will rightfully earn a No. 1 seed and might have moved into the conversation for the top overall seed with this tournament win.
Florida hasn't won the SEC Tournament since 2014, which is coincidentally the last time the program made the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament. Golden said that the goal was to win nine straight before the team traveled to Nashville for the conference tournament, and three wins against three top-25 programs — No. 8 Alabama, No. 6 Tennessee and No. 22 Missouri — over as many days is a fine start to accomplishing that goal.
The Gators will find out later on in the day what path they must navigate to win it all. No. 1 seeds have the best odds to get out of the first two rounds, but it takes consistency and perhaps a bit of luck to advance beyond that point.
Golden has already turned this program around in three years. Can he enter his name into the history books along with the most dominant Florida team the college basketball world has in more than a decade? We'll find out over the next three weeks.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida Gators men's basketball wins SEC Tournament vs. Tennessee
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Florida led by double digits for most of the second half, denying several comeback attempts by Tennessee. Walter Clayton Jr. led the Gators' scoring effort with 22 points. Will Richard delivered an efficient 17-point performance, burying all eight shots from the free-throw line, and Alex Condon finished a rebound shy of a 13-and-10 double-double.
Both teams battled for 40 minutes, leading to several scrums and a combined 46 fouls. Tennessee lost two starters in the game's final minutes to fouls, but it stayed in the game thanks to a game-high 24 points from Jordan Gainey off the bench. Zakai Zeigler also had 23 points, but it was Florida's all-around performance that won them the game.
Let's get physical
Florida's semifinal matchup against Alabama was a battle between two top-5 offenses and resulted in more than 180 total points, but Tennessee brought a top-5 defense to the table in the championship game. The Gators do a fine job adapting to other teams' play styles, and Todd Golden's squad brought a heightened level of physicality to the matchup on Sunday.
Both teams slugged it out, especially whenever the ball came off the rim and into the air. Florida won the rebounding battle in the first half, 19-15. Florida fouled more than Tennessee, 9-7, but the Volunteers' fouls were more concentrated. Three Tennessee starters finished the first half with two fouls, yet both squads stayed out of the double bonus.
The same story continued in the second half, with Florida fouling more often and the Tennessee starters racking up more individual fouls. The Volunteers' best shooter, Chaz Lanier, fouled out with five minutes left in the game, and Jahmai Mashack followed shortly after. Even with Gainey and Zeigler on the court, Florida was in control of the final moments of the conference tournament.
Florida is the scariest team in the country heading into the Big Dance
The Gators have been a top-10 team for the better part of the season, but they might just be finding their groove after dealing with several injuries throughout the winter months of the season. Sam Alexis is still out, but the addition of Micah Handlogten to a frontcourt that features Rueben Chinyelu, Condon and Thomas Haugh has provided more than enough depth. Condon looks like a potential draft pick when he's at his best, and Haugh is the best sixth man in the country. With the defensive prowess of Chinyelu and Handlogten, it's hard to find a better four-man rotation than what Florida has.
Florida's backcourt rotation might be even better. The starting trio of Clayton, Alijah Martin and Richard is the best in the country, and they can all defend as well as they score. With Denzel Aberdeen and Urban Klavzar coming off the bench to keep everyone rested, only injuries can slow this team down.
Duke is the only other team in the country ranked inside the top 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, according to the KenPom ratings. The Gators will rightfully earn a No. 1 seed and might have moved into the conversation for the top overall seed with this tournament win.
This team is ready to make history
Florida hasn't won the SEC Tournament since 2014, which is coincidentally the last time the program made the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament. Golden said that the goal was to win nine straight before the team traveled to Nashville for the conference tournament, and three wins against three top-25 programs — No. 8 Alabama, No. 6 Tennessee and No. 22 Missouri — over as many days is a fine start to accomplishing that goal.
The Gators will find out later on in the day what path they must navigate to win it all. No. 1 seeds have the best odds to get out of the first two rounds, but it takes consistency and perhaps a bit of luck to advance beyond that point.
Golden has already turned this program around in three years. Can he enter his name into the history books along with the most dominant Florida team the college basketball world has in more than a decade? We'll find out over the next three weeks.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Florida Gators men's basketball wins SEC Tournament vs. Tennessee
Continue reading...
