Furious Florida Comeback Earns Duel with Auburn in SEC Championship Game

Texas A&M looked like a locomotive, hell-bent on returning to the SEC Tournament Championship for the third straight year. The Aggies led from the get-go, jumping out to an 18-point first half advantage. Then Florida received help from an unlikely hero.

Denzel Aberdeen had 28 total points in SEC play. In the SEC Tournament semifinal he netted 4 of 5 three-pointers to score 20 points, sparking an incredible Florida comeback.

Will Richard added 19 for Florida. Walter Clayton scored 16 and provided the dagger in the form of a four-point play with just over three minutes remaining to give the Gators an 11-point lead.

Florida shot a blistering 53.8% from behind the three-point line as Texas A&M cooled. Wade Taylor had 20 first half points but could not keep up with the Gators down the stretch.

Todd Golden has Florida back in the SEC Championship Game for the first time since 2014, a narrow victory over Kentucky. The Gators have four SEC Tournament Titles, all coached by Billy Donovan. They’ll return to Bridgestone Arena on Sunday at 1 pm EST on ESPN. Florida won the previous meeting over Auburn 81-65 in Gainesville.

Auburn Outlasts Mississippi State

Bruce Pearl has Auburn in just the school’s fifth SEC Championship Game. The Tigers are looking for their first title since 2019, the same year they went to the Final Four.

Auburn and Mississippi State played a tightly-contested game, one that ultimately came down to the Tigers’ shot-making. Auburn made 50% of their field goal attempts in the 73-66 win, their best shooting performance in the SEC Tournament since 2005.

“It was a rock fight because both teams were playing really, really physical,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “That’s Mississippi State’s MO. Our MO is playing hard all the time, not always quite as physical. They beat us on the boards, but we hung in there. We hung in there. I thought that was really important.”

Miss. State took control of the game early, leading by as much as seven points, until a 12-4 Auburn run tied things up. Auburn broke the tie to start the second half and never relinquished the lead, pulling away with a pair of dunks down the stretch from backup center Dylan Cardwell.

Auburn had five players score in double figures. Mississippi State was led by freshman phenom Josh Hubbard, who scored 20 points but was only 1 of 8 from three-point land.

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