When walking through the doors of Florida basketball’s practice facility, it’s easy to feel drawn to the shiny championship hardware safely tucked away inside a trophy case. It had previously been 11 years since the Gators added an SEC Tournament championship trophy to it. If UF could take care of business in Sunday’s SEC Title game, however, it would have a new piece of hardware to add to its collection.
As they continued to distance themselves from the Volunteers in the game’s home stretch, it seemed the Gators were a few big plays from celebrating with confetti falling from the rafters. When UF senior guard Alijah Martin soared into the air for an alley-oop in the final minute of regulation, he paved the way for a moment the Gators, and their fanbase, will likely never forget.
Florida sophomore forward Thomas Haugh held the ball on the baseline with two players in his line of sight. One was a UT defender, the other was Martin. With a precise touch, Haugh lofted a pass to Martin who ferociously slammed it, sending UF’s bench into utter jubilation.
With a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament potentially hanging in the balance, Florida (30-4, 15-4 SEC) likely solidified itself on the top-seed line. The Gators defeated Tennessee (27-7, 12-7) in the SEC Championship 86-77 in Nashville.
The depth of Florida’s roster has been evident all season, and that narrative held true against the Volunteers. Five Gators finished with double-digits, as senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. led the way with 22 points and five rebounds en route to winning SEC Tournament MVP.
Fellow senior guard Will Richard followed with 17 and a perfect 8-for-8 outing from the charity stripe. UF sophomore forward Alex Condon was just one rebound away from a double-double with 13 points and nine boards. Haugh and Martin rounded out Florida’s leading scorers with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Going into the afternoon, it was evident that Tennessee would need a high-flying offensive performance to take down Florida. UT senior guard Zakai Zeigler and senior forward Igor Milicic Jr. initially looked up to the task. The duo knocked down a pair of 3-pointers in the first minute of the game to give the Vols an early 6-3 edge.
Florida’s backcourt getting has been pivotal in its offensive success this season. It’s been difficult for its opponents to pinpoint which Gator is going to deliver. This time around, it was Richard. His first of a trio of 3-pointers came from the right wing, hitting nothing but net while putting the Gators ahead 8-6 over three minutes in.
It wasn’t just Richard’s hot hand that kept Florida afloat early on. After Zeigler and Milicic Jr.’s quick early three balls, the Vols couldn’t seem to buy a bucket as the first half went on. Tennessee went on an 0-for-5 shooting skid and went scoreless for nearly four minutes, trailing 10-6.
Florida remained in control on the scoreboard near the midway point of the opening period, but didn’t use its typical flashy, fast-paced offense to do so. Instead, it was UF junior guard Denzel Aberdeen and sophomore forward Thomas Haugh, who have been invaluable off the bench for the Gators this season, entering Saturday averaging 8.0 and 9.4 points per game, respectively, that took over.
Aberdeen used a screen at the top of the key to get past his defender before he drew a hard foul at the rim and made both free throws. Haugh followed with a 2-for-2 trip at the charity stripe just over one minute later that put Florida ahead 16-14 with 12 minutes remaining in the first half.
Tennessee senior guard Jordan Gainey’s ability to consistently keep the Vols’ head above water was remarkable. He scored seven points in the first 8 and a half minutes of action. Nevertheless, Gainey’s hot hand wasn’t enough to halt another shooting skid by UT.
A 1-for-7 stretch from the floor for the Volunteers, along with a silky step back 3-pointer by Richard, allowed Florida to extend its lead to 25-17 with under eight minutes before halftime. Aberdeen followed with a shifty layup that forced a UT timeout, nearly pushing Florida’s lead to double-digits with a 29-20 advantage.
Just as the SEC title seemed to be slipping away from Tennessee, senior guard Zakai Zeigler buried a 3-pointer that brought UT back within six points of Florida in the final minute of the first half. However, Aberdeen wasted no time swinging the momentum back in UF’s favor. The junior guard drilled a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer from well beyond the arc, giving UF a 39-30 advantage at the half.
Throughout his tenure at Tennessee, head coach Rick Barnes has always courted teams that show no signs of quitting at any point in the game. Despite the Gators keeping the Volunteers at bay in the initial minutes of the second half, Tennessee still had one final comeback attempt brewing in the afternoon.
Clayton Jr. cashed a 3-pointer off the dribble to open the scoring for Florida out of the break, quickly pushing the UF lead back to double digits. As the Gators momentarily hushed the Tennessee crowd who made the short trip to Nashville, the Vols’ comeback came into effect. Gainey single-handedly ripped off an 8-0 run in less than one minute with a 3-pointer, layup and three free throws to shrink UT’s deficit to 60-55 with under nine minutes left.
Being an elite guard in college basketball often means making big time shots in clutch situations that could make or break any given game. Clayton Jr. has also been all too familiar with this throughout the season, and it certainly didn’t change on Sunday. The Florida senior guard drained two 3-pointers less than two minutes apart, hushing the hostile Tennessee crowd. It also gave UF some much-needed breathing room with a 70-62 advantage.
From there, Florida remained in control. The Gators earned their largest lead of the game (14) with four minutes left on a pair of free throws by Richard. Clayton Jr. followed with a 2-for-2 trip to the free throw line just over one minute later.
Despite Zeigler and Gainey combining for 47 points, the Gators held the rest of the Vols to just 30. Their defensive effort was fueled by tight coverage on the perimeter, while containing UT to just 8 of 26 (31%) from distance. Perhaps an even bigger advantage for Florida came on the glass, as the Gators dominated the rebounding battle 39-25.
Offensively, UF was impressive at the free throw line, shooting 25-of-28 (89%). Seven Gators scored four or more points amid their balanced attack, as the team as a whole tallied 32 points inside the paint to Tennessee’s 20.
Next, Florida will shift its focus to the Selection Sunday show to find out who it will take on in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Gators are currently projected as a No. 1 seed in the West Region, according to the majority of bracket predictions.
Contact Max Tucker at mtucker@alligator.org. Follow him on X @Max_Tuckr1.
Max Tucker is a senior transfer student at UF. After obtaining his A.A. in Journalism from Santa Fe College in 2023, he chose to further his education at Florida's College of Journalism and Communications. Max is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Journalism with a specialization in sports and media. He enjoys golfing and going to the beach with his friends in his free time.
