After defeating the Tennessee Volunteers 86-77 to win the SEC Tournament, the Florida Gators are vying for their third national championship in college basketball. In 2006 and 2007, the Gators took home national championships in men’s collegiate basketball. Florida will face the No. 16 seeded team in a neutral venue as the top seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Florida’s head coach, Todd Golden, made his first participation in the NCAA Tournament last season. In the first round, he led the seventh-seeded Gators to a 102-100 loss to the tenth-seeded Colorado Buffaloes. Florida defeated Tennessee 86-77 on Sunday to wrap off the SEC Tournament in spectacular fashion. With 22 points, five rebounds, and two assists, Walter Clayton Jr. led the Gators.
Florida had an impressive regular season and entered the conference tournament as the No. 2 seed. The Gators entered the tournament with four losses, only losing to the No. 10 Kentucky Wildcats, Missouri Tigers, No. 8 Tennessee, and Georgia Bulldogs.
After earning a double bye, the Gators’ SEC Tournament trip began on Friday against the Missouri Tigers, who were seeded seventh. The Gators moved to the following round, where they faced the No. 3-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide, after easily defeating the Tigers 95-81. Florida defeated the fiery Crimson Tide attack and Mark Sears 104-82. Sears was restricted to just nine points on Saturday, despite his season-long average of 18.7 points per game. Against Tennessee on Sunday, the Gators demonstrated their physical prowess. Florida beat Tennessee 15–5 on offense and 24–20 on defense.
