‘It's a new season now’: Gators react to SEC Tourney loss vs. Auburn

NASHVILLE — The Gators had a runner-up finish in this year’s SEC Tournament for the seventh time in program history, falling in the title game to the Auburn Tigers, 86-67.

Despite Sunday’s loss, Florida picked up 3 wins at the SEC Tournament for just the fifth time in school history and advanced to the championship game for the 11th time.

Here’s everything UF graduate transfers Zyon Pullin and Tyrese Samuel said after the final.

Zyon Pullin

On having to play on after losing Micah Handlogten:

Pullin: “I mean, yeah, it’s definitely tough to see him go down like that, a guy like that. We just tried to rally together and kind of focus on staying together. We were going to check on him after the game.”

On whether the fatigue factor set in on Sunday:

Pullin: “I mean, definitely tough playing four games. They had to play three. Just trying to dig deep. Championship on the line. Got to dig from within.”

On how Auburn’s defense caused issues:

Pullin: “I thought they did a good job being physical, making our looks tough. I mean, they’re converting on the other end some of the stuff. Did a good job on some of the stuff. We just gotta find ways to learn from it.”

On flushing this loss and regrouping for March:

Pullin: “Knowing we got one more game promised, I think it’s just staying together. Learn from this. Give ourselves the best chance to win and go on a run here.”

Tyrese Samuel

On having to play on after losing Micah Handlogten:

Samuel: “Yeah, like Micah is so valuable for our team, especially on the offensive rebounding side of things. Losing him early kind of affected us a little bit. We were trying to win the championship for him. We really care about him. He’s part of our family. We’re going to go out there next week and keep on playing for him.”

On whether the fatigue factor set in on Sunday:

Samuel: “Like obviously we’re tired. Also, Auburn, they’re tired, too. They probably played one less game than us. Everybody is tired. A lot of basketball in a short period of time. At the end of the day, it’s about grinding it out. It’s March. Not a lot of rest time in between. We have to come ready to play. Today, Auburn came and did that.”

On how Auburn’s defense caused issues:

Samuel: “Like they’re very aggressive. In passing lanes, they push you off your spot. It disrupts offense. A really good offensive team. Yeah, like obviously the fatigue got to us a little bit. We’re just going to bounce back, go back to practice, go back to the drawing board, make sure we come prepared for whoever we’re going to play next week.”

On flushing this loss and regrouping for March:

Samuel: “It’s a new season now. Nothing matters from before pretty much. Just kind of going into practice, finding new tactics and ways just to complement each other without Micah. Just go out there and play hard. I feel like when we play hard, rebound, play in transition, I feel like we’re one of the best teams in America.”

On winning the offensive glass without Micah:

Samuel: “Yeah, we still did pretty good. We still pursued the ball pretty well. But I feel like our defensive rebounding, they were scoring a lot, and our defense wasn’t there today. That’s all right. We’ll be back. We’ll get back.”