After dispatching Alabama, Florida basketball eager for second shot at SEC Tournament title
NASHVILLE, Tenn ― How Florida basketball is playing right now suggests that UF is not just a No. 1 seed heading into Selection Sunday, but perhaps the best team in college basketball.
The Florida Gators showcased their talent and depth once again at Bridgestone Arena in the SEC Tournament semifinals, running Alabama off the floor in a 104-82 win that was close for a half until Tide starting forward Grant Nelson went down with a knee injury. Six different players scored in double figures for UF, led by 22 points and six assists from senior point guard Walter Clayton Jr. Even walk-on guard Bennett Andersen got in on the act with a driving layup at the end of the game, which brought a roar from the bench.
"Our depth wore on them in the second half, proved out, showed out, in the second half," Florida basketball coach Todd Golden said. "We were able to get in their bench a little bit and our bench stepped up, made some big time plays and allowed us to get some rest for our starters, and we just kept coming in waves,"
Now comes a matchup with Tennessee in the SEC Tournament Finals (Sunday, 1 p.m., ESPN) and the chance for Florida (29-4) to win an SEC Tournament title for the first time since 2014. The Vols upset top-seed Auburn 70-65 earlier Saturday afternoon.
"It would be another milestone for our program, since we got here." said Golden, who improved to 69-33 in three years at UF. "Winning a championship regardless of whether it's regular season SEC, SEC Tournament, NCAA Tournament, they are all really hard to get. Especially this year, best conference of all-time in college basketball, I think it would just say a lot about the progress of our program."
Just don't tell Golden the game will determine whether Florida or Tennessee will get the final No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. He believes the Gators already has that locked up. Some prognosticators think otherwise, which will add further spice to the Sunday matinee.
"I think we secured a No. 1 seed today," Golden said. "We're second on KenPom, beat 'Bama twice, beat Auburn at Auburn. I don't think it's really a debate, regardless of the result tomorrow."
Florida basketball looking to avenge a loss in SEC Tournament finals last season
Last season, Florida made a run to the SEC Tournament finals as a six-seed, but playing its fourth game in four days, fell short 86-67 to Auburn. The game was remembered for a gruesome injury to center Micah Handlogten, who suffered a compound fracture to his lower leg in the first five minutes of the game, The 7-foot-1 Handlogten was taken off the court on a stretcher. Emotionally, Florida never recovered.
This year, Florida is a deeper team playing just its third game in three days. Still, there's adversity. Florida will face basically a road crowd against the home-state Vols, whose creamsicle-clad fans will try to rattle UF players any opportunity they get.
"Anytime you get a chance to win a championship, it's special," Clayton said. "We've done a lot of winning together with these guys so it's definitely going to create a bond, we're going to be talking with each other for a lifetime. If we win a championship, we're definitely going to be talking with each other for a lifetime."
Handlogten was back on the floor Saturday, less than a year removed from the compound fracture, blocking shots and grabbing rebounds over Alabama defenders, His 10 rebounds in 14 minutes helped UF enjoy a 43-38 edge on the boards.
Florida has won 11 of its last 12 and appears to be peaking at the right time. Beyond the results and execution, Golden is pleased how teammates are taking joy in one another.
"That is why we are who we are," Golden said. "We have really, really good individual players but what makes this team special and gives us a chance to play deep into March and hopefully early April is just our unselfishness."
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun's Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida basketball on cusp of first SEC Tournament title since 2014
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