Takeaways: Auburn beat Florida 86-67 to win SEC Tournament Championship
The No. 12 (No. 4 seed) Auburn Tigers beat the No. 6 seed Florida Gators 86-67 in the SEC Tournament Championship game at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., this afternoon.
Auburn got out in front early. Florida made it competitive in the second half and even cut Auburn's lead to one, but a 12-2 run at that point put the Tigers in the driver's seat and they never lost the momentum.
What are the biggest things to take away from the game?
Auburn got out-rebounded again
For the second game in a row, the Tigers were out-rebounded by their opponent.
Both teams had 39 rebounds, but Florida had a 13-6 advantage on the offensive side, but Auburn had a 33-26 advantage on the defensive side.
Second-chance points were a factor as well...
Fouls plagued Auburn
The Tigers struggled to stay out of foul trouble.
With 15 minutes left in the game, Chad Baker-Mazara, Chaney Johnson and Jaylin Williams each had three fouls.
Florida was capitalizing on these fouls as well, shooting 18-25 from the free-throw line. The Gators were also in the bonus at the 13:05 mark of the second half.
Auburn will need to avoid a fouling performance like that in its NCAA Tournament games or that could be the thing that sends it home.
Auburn shared the load offensively
The Tigers once again had a lot of contributors on the offensive end.
Johni Broome led Auburn in scoring with 19 points, but two other Tigers posted double figures and six others scored more than five points.
Depth has been one of Auburn's biggest strengths this season and that was proven to be true once again today.
What's Next?
The Tigers will find out their region, seeding, and first round opponent in the NCAA Tournament during the Selection Show on ESPN today at 5 p.m. CT.
