Auburn Cruises in SEC Championship, Florida Loses Handlogten to Injury
Nashville, TN - From the opening moments, you could tell it was going to be extremely physical. Micah Handlogten got injured right away by the gators as he was stretchered off the floor, frozen in pain. The entire stadium went silent for multiple minutes as everyone was in shock at the brutal injury. The Florida offense seemed to be rattled by his injury as they struggled to score once he left the game. Auburn’s defense was smothering every shot attempt put up.
The saving grace for Florida was their efficiency at the free-throw line. They made 12/13 free throws to keep them within striking distance at the end of the half. The trio of big men left for the Gators were giving it their all to try and make up for the loss of Handlogten. Johni Broome was the most dominant player on the floor as he led the Tigers in scoring with 10 points, six rebounds, and three blocks all within the first 20 minutes.
Zyon Pullin, star point guard for the Gators, led the attack right away as he charged into the paint multiple instances. Todd Golden wanted his team to get into transition as quickly as possible before Auburn could set up their halfcourt defense. Bruce Pearl switched his team’s defense to a zone which slowed down Pullin and his teammates. As a result, Florida started forcing bad passes and turned the ball to Auburn which allowed them to get easy fast-break points. Then the three-pointer started falling for the Tigers and Florida had no response for it.
Broome took control down the stretch as he continued to be un-guardable inside the paint. With two minutes remaining, all the senior leaders were subbed off the floor to give one final recognition before they headed into the NCAA tournament. Broome recorded his 59th career double-double in Auburn's double-digit win, 86-67. Bruce Pearl was very emotional in his post-game interview with ESPN’s Marty Smith.
With Selection Sunday in just mere hours, both Florida and Auburn will await to see their spot in the tournament. Florida’s performance in this tournament has helped them greatly as they are a scary team to match up with in the first round. Auburn, according to KenPom, is the only team ranked top 10 in defensive and offensive efficiency. They will likely be a top-three or four seed when the official bracket comes out. Both of these teams have the potential to make a run in the NCAA tournament if they can stay healthy.
