SEC Tourney Champs Highlights

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Edited March 18 by aubiefifty

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[ScotsAU 1,331]

I’m going to say this again . I think this is Pearl’s best team. That final four run was incredible. This is a better team overall, regardless of how far we make it into the tourney. 

Edited March 17 by ScotsAU

[3rdgeneration 6,469]

Thanks, fifty, for sharing these! You’re the best!

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al.com

Alabama basketball earns 4 seed in NCAA Tournament, will play Charleston

Updated: Mar. 17, 2024, 5:54 p.m.|Published: Mar. 17, 2024, 5:34 p.m.

4–5 minutes

Follow the Crimson Tide off the court after their loss to Florida in the SEC tournament

By

Nick Alvarez | nalvarez@al.com

Alabama men’s basketball is headed to Spokane, Washington to start its quest for a national title. The Crimson Tide earned a four seed in the NCAA Tournament and a matchup with No. 13 Charleston in the round of 64.

The Tide is scheduled for Friday in Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. The Charleston Cougars (27-7) are coming off a CAA Tournament win.

Alabama will play the winner of fifth-seeded St Mary’s and No. 12 seed Grand Canyon.

The Tide will be in the West Region. North Carolina is atop that side of the bracket as the fourth-overall seed. Should the Tide advance to next weekend, it’ll move on to Los Angeles.

It is the ninth time since 2004 that UA is in March Madness and the fourth time under Nate Oats. Twenty years ago, Alabama reached the Elite Eight — its deepest run, which the program honored earlier this season. With an explosive offense and four-guard starting lineup, Oats will attempt to break the Sweet 16 wall he hit in 2021 and again last year.

The Tide is ranked second in adjusted offensive efficiency per KenPom, its 90.8 points per game lead the country. UA has scored fewer than 80 points once since Jan. 27 and has hit triple digits nine times overall. The attack is powered by first-time All-SEC guard Mark Sears (21.1 points per game) and a team 47.7% shooting percentage (36.5% from 3-point range) boosted by transfers Aaron Estrada and Latrell Wrightsell Jr.

Yet, for as productive as the scoring has been, Alabama’s defense is the biggest question mark. It ranks 112th in adjusted defensive efficiency and Rylan Griffen, who Oats has deemed their best perimeter defender, is battling a calf injury. Alabama’s guards have been continually pressed to track shooters better while the bigs have struggled with foul trouble. UA has conceded 100-plus points thrice since Feb. 24.

With a smaller starting lineup, matchups and enacting its pace will be critical to the Tide making a run.

“These guys are going to have to decide how bad they want to win in the NCAA Tournament, how much we want to continue to play defense for 40 minutes.” Oats said on Friday night after dropping its first game in the SEC quarterfinals.” If we play defense for 40 minutes, we can play with anybody in the country. If we decide to take 24 minutes off from the defensive end, it’s going to be hard to beat anybody in the NCAA tournament.”

After replacing four new starters and three new assistant coaches, Alabama has met expectations. Its biggest early-season win was against Oregon, matched with close losses to Clemson, Purdue, Creighton and Arizona. The Tide managed a six-game winning streak before it was routed by Tennessee in Knoxville, starting a trend of disappointing showings away from Coleman Coliseum (at Auburn, Kentucky and Florida). The Tide’s best win was over eventual SEC tournament champion Auburn, a 79-75 final on Jan. 24.

It began the year picked to finish fifth in the SEC media poll and finished fifth in the regular season. A month ago, Alabama was slotted ninth overall by the NCAA Tournament selection committee. But a late-season slide continued with a loss to Florida, putting the Tide 2-4 in its last six.

Still, records are wiped clean in the big dance and Alabama’s offense can compete with any team in the field. Alabama will see if the near week of rest can lead to the balanced efforts on both ends that it has lacked for most of the year.

Alabama assistant coach Austin Claunch returning home, named head coach at UTSA

Where Alabama basketball stands entering NCAA Tournament selection Sunday

Nate Oats talks new contract, building Alabama basketball program

3 takeaways from Alabama basketball’s blowout SEC Tournament loss vs. Florida

Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at NAlvarez@al.com.

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al.com

 

Get Auburn Tigers SEC Tournament championship gear ahead of NCAA Tournament

Updated: Mar. 17, 2024, 3:47 p.m.|Published: Mar. 17, 2024, 3:45 p.m.

2–3 minutes

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Auburn Tigers Blue 84 2024 SEC Men's Basketball Conference Tournament Champions Locker Room T-Shirt - Navy - at Fanatics.Mark Heim

The Auburn Tigers are SEC Tournament champions. Get the gear the players get for being tops in the conference, thanks to Fanatics, and be ready for March Madness to continue in the NCAA Tournament.

Johni Broome scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as No. 12 Auburn won the Tigers’ third SEC Tournament championship by beating Florida 86-67 on Sunday.

The Auburn Tigers Blue 84 2024 SEC Men’s Basketball Conference Tournament Champions Locker Room T-Shirt - Navy - is $31.99.

Auburn Tigers Zephyr 2024 SEC Men's Basketball Conference Tournament Champions Locker Room Adjustable Trucker Hat - White - at Fanatics.Mark Heim

Auburn Tigers Zephyr 2024 SEC Men’s Basketball Conference Tournament Champions Locker Room Adjustable Trucker Hat - White - is $42.99.

Auburn Tigers Original Retro Brand 2024 SEC Men's Basketball Conference Tournament Champions Bracket T-Shirt - Heather Navy - at Fanatics.Mark Heim

.Auburn Tigers Original Retro Brand 2024 SEC Men’s Basketball Conference Tournament Champions Bracket T-Shirt - Heather Navy - is $34.99.

The Tigers (27-7) avoided the upset bug that took out the SEC’s top three seeds in Friday’s quarterfinals, leaving them as the highest seed still standing. They never trailed in the final, adding titles to those won in 1985 and 2019 and earning a second under coach Bruce Pearl.

Denver Jones scored 11 points for Auburn. Chad Baker-Mazara added 10 before going to the bench along with Broome and getting a standing ovation with two minutes left.

Check out all the Auburn gear Fanatics has to offer.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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al.com

Bruce Pearl frustrated with Auburn’s selection as No. 4 seed in Spokane pod

Published: Mar. 17, 2024, 6:18 p.m.

~3 minutes

Highlights from Auburn's 86-67 win over Florida to claim 2024 SEC Tournament title #wareagle #auburn

A year after Auburn got lucky as No. 9 drawn to Birmingham, head coach Bruce Pearl appeared frustrated about winning the SEC Tournament championship and being sent across the country to Spokane as a No. 4 seed.

Auburn was drawn in the East Region as a No. 4 seed against No. 13 seed Yale. Also in the pod are No. 5 seed San Diego State and No. 12 seed UAB.

“Well they’ve been talking about us being out in Spokane a lot for some reason,” Pearl said to local reporters at the team’s hotel after the Selection Show. “Maybe that’s because that’s where the 4s are. We were hoping that an SEC Tournament championship and wherever we are in the NET, maybe we’re 5 or so in the NET, would get us to the 3-line. But it obviously didn’t, so. Are we paying a price for being in Birmingham last year and getting an incredible opportunity against Houston, the one seed? Perhaps. It’s a long way to travel for our fans. We’ve been in this for a few times now. We got San Diego. We got Salt Lake City. Yes, we did get Birmingham but we also now got Spokane. So this is three times now that they’ve shipped us quite a ways away from our fans.”

Auburn has been successful when traveling across the country before. When Auburn went to the Final Four in 2019, it played in Salt Lake City in the first weekend.

No time has been announced for Auburn’s game Friday against Yale, but Auburn opened as an 11.5 favorite over Yale.

During Pearl’s press conference, Alabama was drawn into a different pod also playing in Spokane. So that means three different schools from Alabama will be traveling across the country.

“I mean, Alabama, UAB and Auburn in Spokane, Washington? Enough said,” Pearl said.

Matt Cohen covers sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

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al.com

3 takeaways as Auburn wins SEC tournament title 86-67 over Florida

Updated: Mar. 17, 2024, 4:59 p.m.|Published: Mar. 17, 2024, 2:26 p.m.

5–6 minutes

About two hours before the SEC championship game tipped off Sunday when Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl walked through a Westin lobby packed to the walls with orange-clad fans and as he walked up the steps toward the door, he turned around to look back one more time.

“Let’s go bring home some nets,” Pearl yelled out.

And there will be nets hanging around the necks of those on this No. 4 seeded Auburn basketball team Sunday. They’ll cut them down in Nashville after an 86-67 win over No. 6 seed Florida in the SEC title game.

Auburn’s championship came against a shellshocked Florida team after center Micah Handlogten’s serious left leg injury. Just over three minutes into the game, Handlogten landed, and his left leg bent awkward. It was a horrifying moment; the whole arena was reduced to silence. Auburn got a run-out layup before play was stopped as Handlogten lay on the court in tears. His parents were brought down from the stands and after several minutes, medical staff stabilized his leg and carried him off on a stretcher.

Somehow, Florida was expected to play a basketball game after that. The Gators never really emotionally were able to get back in the game. But that seems like an impossible ask. Several players on the Gators bench were in tears, heads buried in towels, attempting to handle the shock of the moment before re-entering a championship basketball game.

Handlogten was taken to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center for treatment.

Auburn let Florida back into the game briefly at the beginning of the second half before pulling away for good with a mid-second stretch fueled by Denver Jones and Tre Donaldson.

Auburn gets its fourth overall SEC title under Bruce Pearl

The SEC Tournament championships is Auburn’s third all-time. First in 1985, then 2019 and now 2024.

Auburn hadn’t won a game in the SEC Tournament since the 2019 championship before this year. So maybe it’s just boom or bust for Auburn in this event under Pearl. Win the whole thing again in 2019. Don’t win a game again until winning the whole thing in 2024.

It’s the fourth overall SEC title under Pearl. Auburn pairs its two tournament championships with 2018 and 2022 SEC regular season crowns.

There will be a new year printed on the banners of Neville Arena.

In a week of upsets, Auburn stays clean

This was a terrible week for bubble teams. Auburn of course wasn’t one of them. But for there to be a bad week for bubble teams, it means there were several top teams upset across the country.

Auburn was one of those top teams, but it fell into the upset trap so many of the other top teams faced.

In the SEC alone, all of the top three seeds lost on Friday. Auburn, the fourth seed and final team with a double-bye, didn’t.

In a way, the upsets cleared Auburn’s path. It was the better seed in every game it played.

But it also was the toughest stretch Auburn has faced this season. Three games in three days is hard no matter what teams it’s against. Auburn had not won any close games this year. Each of its first 25 wins came by double digits.

But Auburn got a single-digit win Saturday against Mississippi State and eventually pulled away against Florida after the Gators mounted a second-half comeback.

There were upsets everywhere this week. Possible No. 1 NCAA Tournament seeds North Carolina and Houston were each upset in their conference title games. Several No. 1 seeds in one-bid leagues were upset in their conference tournaments. N.C. State won the ACC. Oregon won the PAC-12. Upsets happen. This is March.

Auburn just kept winning.

The Selection Show is next, don’t go anywhere

So suddenly, Auburn’s resume looks a lot different.

It entered this week 1-7 against Quad 1 teams. It’s now 3-7. Auburn will enter the selection show with a 24-0 record against Quads 2, 3 and 4. It will have picked up two Quad 1 wins in the last two days before the brackets are revealed.

And Auburn now has another resume piece: SEC champion. That will matter.

As of Sunday morning, most projections had Auburn as either a No. 3 or No. 4 seed. That was before the game against Florida of course. It seems that will still likely be the debate in the Selection Committee room before the brackets are finalized.

There are other results to keep track of today — namely the Big Ten Tournament — which could have an impact on Auburn’s ultimate selection.

Auburn has one championship now. It will have time to celebrate before turning its attention to another.

March Madness is here. Auburn enters it with a trophy.

Matt Cohen covers sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

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Auburn men’s basketball wins 2024 SEC Tournament championship

Updated: Mar. 17, 2024, 5:00 p.m.|Published: Mar. 17, 2024, 2:26 p.m.

3–4 minutes

Auburn players, Bruce Pearl cut down nets after winning SEC Tournament

This Auburn team — the deepest and maybe the most energetic, fun bunch to come through in head coach Bruce Pearl’s tenure — will forever be commemorated with this year printed on banners hanging from the Neville Arena rafters.

For the third time in program history, Auburn men’s basketball has won the SEC Tournament championship.

Auburn beat Florida in Sunday’s championship game of the 2024 tournament, 86-67, surviving a run through an upset-driven tournament to the trophy. Auburn received a top-four seed and a double-bye to the quarterfinals where it blew out No. 5 seed South Carolina 86-55 on Friday.

Auburn was the only higher seed to advance out of Friday. No. 1 seed Tennessee, No. 2 Kentucky and No. 3 Alabama all lost their tournament opening games. It became the presumptive favorite as the clear top seed remaining in the field after the carnage.

But Auburn was pushed far more against No. 9 seed Mississippi State on Saturday. All of Auburn’s first 25 wins had come by double-digits. But the 26th win, beating Mississippi State 73-66, was Auburn’s first win in a close game this season. It has lost several games by single digits. Until Saturday, it hadn’t managed to win one.

It put Auburn back in SEC championship for the first time since 2019. And it was a title game against Pearl’s coaching mentee in Todd Golden and a Florida team that beat Auburn 81-65 in Gainesville during the season’s only previous matchup. It was the biggest thrashing Auburn took all season.

The Tigers got their revenge in the biggest game of the season thus far. A game that ended in a shower of confetti.

Auburn has been very much boom-or-bust in this tournament under Burce Pearl. Auburn hadn’t won a game in the SEC Tournament at all since the championship game in 2019.

And in the first year it has won a game since, Auburn went all the way to the trophy again.

Auburn now has won the SEC Tournament title in 2024, 2019 and 1985. It’s Auburn basketball’s eighth overall SEC title. Auburn has five SEC regular season championships in 1928, 1960, 1999, 2018 and 2022.

It’s the fourth overall SEC title under Pearl — two regular season and two conference tournament championships.

Going back to Auburn’s 2018 SEC regular season title, Auburn or Alabama has won either the regular season or tournament championship every year except 2020 where there was no tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Auburn will now await its selection into the 2024 NCAA Tournament, where it is likely to be either a No. 3 or No. 4 seed.

Matt Cohen covers sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

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SEC Champs! Rewinding Auburn’s SEC title win over Florida

Updated: Mar. 17, 2024, 4:57 p.m.|Published: Mar. 17, 2024, 11:51 a.m.

6–7 minutes

For the second time this season, the Auburn Tigers and Florida Gators will meet on the hardwood Sunday afternoon — except there’s a lot more on the line this time around as the two teams will meet on the floor of Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena with an SEC Tournament title hanging in the balance.

Auburn and Florida both advanced to the title game after similar experiences in the quarterfinals and semifinals.

While Auburn cruised by South Carolina in the quarterfinals with a 31-point win, Florida took care of business against Alabama with a convincing 14-point win of their own.

Meanwhile, come the semifinal, both the Tigers and Gators played in much tighter contests as Auburn squeaked past Mississippi State 73-66 and Florida survived against Texas A&M in a 95-90 win.

Now, the fourth-seeded Tigers and sixth-seeded Gators draw each other in the biggest game of the weekend, which is set to tip off at noon.

Follow along for live updates from the big game:

Pregame

AUBURN STARTING LINEUP:

Guard — Aden Holloway

Guard — Denver Jones

Forward — Jaylin Williams

Forward — Johni Broome

Forward — Chad Baker-Mazara

FLORIDA STARTING LINEUP:

Guard — Zyon Pullin

Guard — Walter Clayton Jr.

Guard — Will Richard

Forward — Tyrese Samuel

Center — Micah Handlogten

First half

18:34 — A step-back 3-pointer from Auburn’s Chad Baker-Mazara gives the Tigers a 5-0 lead early.

17:39 — After recovering a loose ball, Auburn goes down the floor and Aden Holloway converts with a made layup to put Auburn out front 7-2.

During the play, Florida’s Micah Handlogten goes down with what the ESPN broadcast called a “very severe” injury to his left ankle. He will need a stretcher to get off the floor.

16:27 — A pair of made free throws from Johni Broome gives him four early points and gives Auburn a 9-4 lead.

14:38 — Auburn’s Chris Moore plays through contact to hit a short jumper. After drawing the foul, Moore made the and-one free throw to convert the three-point play. The sequence brings Auburn’s lead to 12-6.

11:13 — Johni Broome works his way to the rim and finishes a layup to stretch Auburn’s lead to eight. Broome now has six points.

9:30 — Chaney Johnson hits a 3-pointer to give the Tigers two on the day. Johnson’s long ball gives Auburn a 19-11 advantage.

7:44 — Auburn’s Chad Baker-Mazara collects a steal and goes coast-to-coast for a layup. The Tigers lead 25-15.

6:49 — At the media timeout, Auburn’s lead sits at double digits with a 27-17 advantage. Nine of Florida’s 17 points have come from the free throw line and the Gators are just 4-for-19 from the field.

3:09 — Tre Donaldson pulls up for a jumper near the free throw line and adds another two points to Auburn’s lead. The Tigers lead the Gators 33-24.

2:02 — A dunk from Florida’s Thomas Haugh brings the Gators back within five points.

0:45 — Johni Broome is good from underneath to give Auburn a 38-30 lead and bring his point total to 10 points.

Halftime — Auburn 38, Florida 30

Auburn holds Florida to 9-for-32 shooting during the first half, but the Gators are 12-for-13 from the free throw line, which is keeping them in the game.

Leading all scorers is Auburn’s Johni Broome with 10 points.

Second half

19:52 — With the help of freshman Aden Holloway’s 3-pointer, Auburn comes out strong to open the second half and leads Florida 41-30.

18:22 — After contesting a dunk, Auburn senior Jaylin Williams is slow to pick himself up off the floor after a collision under the rim. He eventually gets up on his own power and doesn’t appear that he’ll have an issue returning to action.

17:48 — A made jumper from Walter Clayton Jr. brings Florida within two points. Auburn is holding onto its 43-41 lead.

16:56 — Walter Clayton Jr. nails a 3-pointer in front of Florida’s bench to bring the Gators within one point.

15:48 — At the under-16 media time out, Auburn is holding onto its 45-44 lead after Florida opened the second half on a tear. The Gators have outscored the Tigers 14-7 in the opening minutes of the second half.

15:00 — Auburn’s Chris Moore intercepts a pass and takes it the other direction for a layup to add to Auburn’s narrow lead. The Tigers lead the Gators 47-44.

14:06 — Auburn goes on an absolute tear of a sequence that was sparked by a deep 3-pointer from Tre Donaldson. The Tigers then forced a turnover and capitalized with a dunk from Denver Jones. Auburn now leads Florida 52-44.

13:28 — Tre Donaldson hits another 3-ball for the Tigers, giving Auburn a 55-46 advantage.

11:51 — Auburn’s Denver Jones hits from deep to give Auburn its fourth made 3-pointer of the second half. With the make, the Tigers are out front by 12 points.

9:07 — With a made layup, Auburn’s Johni Broome collects his 14th point of the game, which brings his career total to 2,000 points — 986 points at Morehead State and 1,014 points (and counting) at Auburn.

Auburn leads 68-53.

5:18 — Johni Broome gets crafty to get to the rim and drops in his 17th and 18th point to give Auburn a 76-59 lead — the biggest lead of the game for the Tigers.

2:53 — Dylan Cardwell goes coast-to-coast for a layup and Auburn maintains its tear, stretching it out to an 8-0 run. Auburn currently leads Florida 80-61 and is nearing its first SEC tournament title since 2019.

1:29 — Auburn’s Bruce Pearl empties the bench to let the Tigers’ reserves get a taste of the SEC title game, which appears well in hand as Auburn leads Florida 83-65.

Final — Auburn 86, Florida 67

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[aubiefifty 16,791]

Ok my pretties this might satisfy yall for a while!   WA R  EAGLE!

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[au1985 55]

What is Bruce's message at the 14:50 mark in the presser when he recognizes Auburn fans willingness to travel and says he want the SEC commissioner to recognize Auburn as one of the better basketball programs in the league.   May be reading too much into this but got the feeling Bruce didn't think Auburn basketball got the respect it should in the SEC office by Commissioner or his assistant?  Anyone read it differently or know the back story?

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1 minute ago, au1985 said:

What is Bruce's message at the 14:50 mark in the presser when he recognizes Auburn fans willingness to travel and says he want the SEC commissioner to recognize Auburn as one of the better basketball programs in the league.   May be reading too much into this but got the feeling Bruce didn't think Auburn basketball got the respect it should in the SEC office by Commissioner or his assistant?  Anyone read it differently or know the back story?

i thought he was just rewarding the fans with love but i am buzzed at the moment so i am not sure. but it sure is great to be an auburn tiger!

[AUfaninNM 20]

A slightly longer version of them cutting down the nets..............