Sunday calls, and two lucky (or simply just good) teams are moving on to the finals of the SEC Tournament in Nashville.
Bubble teams were the story across the country on Saturday, but in the SEC Tournament, they went down, with Auburn and Florida sending Mississippi State and Texas A&M home. The Tigers and Gators will meet again (Florida won the first meeting 81-65) on Sunday to vie for the SEC Tournament championship crown.
Takeaway #1: Auburn should not be slept on to make a tournament run.
The Tigers defeated the Bulldogs by a 73-66 margin, thanks in large part to four of five starters making 4+ shots from the field. Both Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell recorded three blocks. Auburn’s ranked fourth in the latest KenPom ratings as of Saturday night, and now have 26 wins on the season. They might have the best depth in the country, and that’s not hyperbole.
Today, they more than doubled the amount of assists that Mississippi State managed, despite getting out-rebounded by a 29-37 margin. Holding Mississippi State to 3-15 from deep was a big part of that equation. If they can keep getting contributions from the bench (including 10 from Tre Donaldson today), the sky may be the limit for this team this month.
Takeaway #2: The Florida backcourt is in good hands
Who led the Gators in point at halftime? Not Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard, Riley Kugel (who didn’t play), or Zyon Pullin. It was a guard, though. Denzel Aberdeen, the sophomore from Orlando, scored 12 of his eventual 20 points in the first half after averaging 2.6 PPG on the season. In a game that ended up with a five-point margin, those 20 points, including four threes, were huge.
Florida might not be gifted with the services of their quartet of guards next season, but if Aberdeen’s in the fold, they won’t be too bad off. In the immediate future, Aberdeen will seemingly provide a solid bench presence while the Gators try to go on an extended run in the 2024 edition of March Madness.