Auburn basketball soars past Florida to win SEC Tournament championship
NASHVILLE — Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl had a message for those greeting him in the lobby.
Pearl handed out high fives and fist bumps as he weaved through the gathered crowd at the Westin Hotel, about a half mile down the road from the home of the SEC Tournament − Bridgestone Arena. Pearl rose his arms and waved as the fans showered him with a chant of his own name, and he turned as he reached the door to take an overarching view of Tiger Walk.
"Let's go bring home some nets!" Pearl shouted
Mission accomplished. The Tigers, who soared by Florida, 86-67, on Sunday, are SEC Tournament champions for the third time in program history and the second time under Pearl, who is now the only coach to ever lead Auburn (27-7) to multiple titles in the conference tournament.
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Florida center Micah Handlogten suffers leg injury against Auburn basketball
Florida center Micah Handlogten went down with a gruesome leg injury early in the first half that forced him to leave via a stretcher. It was an emotional moment, as the Gators all ran across the floor to talk to talk to Handlogten as he got wheeled off and Auburn organized in a circle to say a prayer for him.
The Gators (24-11) missed Handlogten's presence inside; All-SEC center Johni Broome finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds. More than 51% of Auburn's production came from within the paint.
Tre Donaldson is different in the postseason
Sophomore point guard Tre Donaldson has played in six postseason games. He's totaled 32 points and knocked down 60% of his 3-point attempts in those contests, including an eight-point performance against the Gators that saw him connect on two of his three triples.
The Gators pulled within one with 17 minutes remaining before the Tigers went on a 10-0 run, which was highlighted by Donaldson hitting a 3-pointer, getting a steal and assisting on a dunk to force a Florida timeout.
Triples escape Florida in SEC Tournament vs. Auburn
Florida missed all seven of its 3-point attempts in the first half and it went just 1-for-6 in the second half.
What's next?
The Tigers will find out their NCAA Tournament fate during the selection show Sunday (5 p.m. CT, CBS).
Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rich_silva18.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn basketball wins SEC Tournament after blowing out Florida
