In Nashville, Tennessee, No. 12 Auburn invited its fans to come to the Southeastern Conference Tournament final and support their team.
The fans responded positively.
The Tigers also performed well on the court.
Auburn won its third SEC Tournament title by beating Florida 86-67, with Johni Broome scoring 19 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Unfortunately, the game was overshadowed by a serious injury to Gators center Micah Handlogten.
Coach Bruce Pearl mentioned, “All of the Auburn family came from different parts of Alabama to show their support.”
The Tigers (27-7) managed to avoid the upsets that eliminated the top three seeds in the quarterfinals. They led the final from start to finish, securing titles just like in 1985 and 2019 and earning Pearl's second championship.
Broome, who was named the tournament MVP, expressed, “It is extra special. I wanted it for myself, but I also wanted to see happiness on my teammates’ and coaches’ faces because we worked hard for this.”
Auburn's Denver Jones scored 11 points, and Chad Baker-Mazara added 10 before receiving a standing ovation along with Broome, with two minutes left.
The Gators, seeded sixth, were playing their fourth consecutive game, aiming to win their fifth SEC Tournament title and first since 2014. However, they lost Handlogten to a severe leg injury within the first three minutes.
Florida coach Todd Golden mentioned, “It's an extremely rare injury, not often seen in this game.”
Both teams returned to their benches to pray as the arena fell silent.
Pearl commented, “Losing Handlogten further impacts their depth.”
Zyon Pullin led the Gators with 15 points, followed by Walter Clayton Jr. with 13, Tyrese Samuel with 12, and Thomas Haugh with 11.
Despite trailing by as much as 12 points in the first half, the Gators attempted a comeback, reducing the deficit to 38-30 at halftime.
Florida managed to narrow the gap to 45-44 with 17 minutes remaining, thanks to a 3-pointer from Clayton.
Auburn responded to each surge, with Pearl coaching against his former assistant, Golden. Notably, Pearl achieved his 200th career win at Auburn and became the first coach in program history to win the tournament twice.
Displaying their offensive strength, the Tigers scored seven consecutive points in 55 seconds, including a spectacular dunk from Jones with 14:08 left. Auburn led by as many as 21 points.
Golden acknowledged, “They simply outplayed us, and that's alright. It happens. We will regroup and prepare for the NCAA Tournament.”
BIG PICTURE
For Florida, freshman Alex Condon replaced Handlogten after the injury. He contributed six points and seven rebounds. The Gators struggled from 3-point range, making only 1 of 13 attempts, which may have been influenced by playing four games in as many days.
As for Auburn, they avenged their biggest loss of the season by defeating the Gators 81-65 in Gainesville on Feb. 10. This victory followed their only single-digit win, a 73-66 semifinal triumph over Mississippi State. Moreover, they recorded a 64.3% shooting percentage (18 of 28) in the second half.
TERRIBLE INJURY
The game paused when Handlogten got hurt with 17:39 remaining in the first half. Handlogten had grabbed two rebounds and was attempting to grab a third when he landed on his left foot in a strange way. He immediately fell in pain and rolled onto his side, putting his hands on his face.
The noise of a bone breaking was apparently heard on TV, and blood was immediately visible on the back of Handlogten’s calf.
The game had continued as Aden Holloway received a pass for a layup on the opposite end for Auburn. The game then stopped as trainers hurried out to Handlogten, with his parents coming down to be by his side.
UP NEXT
Auburn will head into the NCAA Tournament with a six-game winning streak.
