LIVE GAME THREAD: SEC CHAMPIONSHIP: Florida vs Tennessee + Game Notes
No. 4 Florida Men's Basketball (29-4, 14-4 SEC) vs. No. 8/6 Tennessee (27-6, 12-6 SEC)
Bridgestone Arena | Nashville, Tenn.
Sunday, March 16, 2025 | 1 p.m. EDT
TV/Streaming
ESPN | ESPN App
Play-by-Play: Dan Shulman | Analyst: Jay Bilas | Reporter: Jess Sims
Radio
Gators Sports Network from LEARFIELD |
Play-by-Play: Sean Kelley | Analyst: Lee Humphrey | Producer/Engineer: Steve Egan
The Tip-Off
* Florida plays for the SEC Tournament championship for the 12th time in program history, returning to the title game for the second straight season. Florida's most recent SEC Tournament championship came in 2014, and the Gators also claimed three straight from 2005-07.
* Sunday's game will be Florida's program-record seventh top-10 matchup this season (five in 2006-07). The Gators are 4-2 in top-10 showdowns this season, including both games in the regular season split with Tennessee. Prior to this season, Florida had gone 6-16 in top-10 matchups.
* Florida, Duke and Houston are the only three teams in the nation's top 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. Following Saturday's 22-point win vs. Alabama, the Gators rose to #2 in the KenPom ratings.
* First-team All-American Walter Clayton Jr.'s 1,190 points over his two seasons at UF trail only the legendary Neal Walk's scoring output over a two-season span (1,312; 1967-69). His 186 3-pointers are fourth-most by a Gator over two seasons. Clayton has made a 3-pointer in a Florida-record 55 consecutive appearances.
* Florida set an SEC Tournament record with 104 points in the semifinal win vs. #5 Alabama. Six Gators scored in double figures, led by Clayton's 22 with six 3-pointers. In a quintessential college basketball moment, walk-on Bennett Andersen -- a three-year manager, Tampa native, grad student and a 2025 SEC Community Service Team member -- scored the record-breaking basket.
* Florida's seven top-25 wins this season match UF's 1999-2000 squad for the program's second-most all-time, one shy of the 2006-07 record total of eight.
* On Saturday, Rueben Chinyelu became the first SEC player in more than 20 years to post a double-double vs. an SEC foe in just 16 minutes (Tennessee's Andre Patterson, 2/5/05 vs. LSU). Micah Handlogten also added 10 boards in 14 minutes.
2024-25 Highlights at a Glance
* UF earned a 99-94 road win at #7 Alabama, marking the first time in program history the Gators posted two top-10 road wins in a single season. Todd Golden's three such wins are the most all-time by any UF coach. Alex Condon had a career night in the win at Alabama with 27 points, 10 rebounds. He is just the fifth player this century to hit those marks in a top-10 road win (see page 6).
* Florida posted a decisive ranked win with the 89-70 victory vs. #12 Texas A&M, as Will Richard's 25 points led five Gators in double figures. UF outscored the Aggies 24-11 over the final eight minutes.
* The Gators set a program record with five straight games with five players scoring in double figures from Feb. 8-22. Denzel Aberdeen, Rueben Chinyelu, Thomas Haugh and Urban Klavzar all had career-high scoring performances during that stretch.
* UF won at Mississippi State to earn ranked road wins in back-to-back games for the first time in program history. Already without Alijah Martin, Florida lost Alex Condon to injury 30 seconds into the contest, and Florida's super-subs responded. Denzel Aberdeen poured in 20 points, while Thomas Haugh stuffed the box score with 16 points, nine rebounds, a career-best eight assists, two blocked shots and two steals.
* Florida earned its first all-time road win at a #1 team at Auburn, as Walter Clayton Jr.'s 19 points led five Gators in double figures. Alex Condon had 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Thomas Haugh scored 16 off the bench. The Gators became the fifth team all-time to post wins vs. two different #1 teams in a season.
* Denzel Aberdeen (22 points) and Thomas Haugh (20 points) went for career highs in the win vs. South Carolina.
* Will Richard's driving layup with 4.8 seconds left at South Carolina gave Florida its winning margin, as well as its first lead of the game to cap off a rally from 14 points down with 12 minutes to play.
* Florida earned its third all-time win vs. #1 and first in a regular season game with a 73-43 rout of top-ranked Tennessee. The Gators allowed just 12 field goals, the fewest by a #1 team in the shot clock era. Alijah Martin led Florida with 18 points, Denzel Aberdeen added 16, and Alex Condon posted a double-double (12/12).
No. 4 Florida Men's Basketball (29-4, 14-4 SEC) vs. No. 8/6 Tennessee (27-6, 12-6 SEC)
Bridgestone Arena | Nashville, Tenn.
Sunday, March 16, 2025 | 1 p.m. EDT
TV/Streaming
ESPN | ESPN App
Play-by-Play: Dan Shulman | Analyst: Jay Bilas | Reporter: Jess Sims
Radio
Gators Sports Network from LEARFIELD |
Play-by-Play: Sean Kelley | Analyst: Lee Humphrey | Producer/Engineer: Steve Egan
The Tip-Off
* Florida plays for the SEC Tournament championship for the 12th time in program history, returning to the title game for the second straight season. Florida's most recent SEC Tournament championship came in 2014, and the Gators also claimed three straight from 2005-07.
* Sunday's game will be Florida's program-record seventh top-10 matchup this season (five in 2006-07). The Gators are 4-2 in top-10 showdowns this season, including both games in the regular season split with Tennessee. Prior to this season, Florida had gone 6-16 in top-10 matchups.
* Florida, Duke and Houston are the only three teams in the nation's top 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. Following Saturday's 22-point win vs. Alabama, the Gators rose to #2 in the KenPom ratings.
* First-team All-American Walter Clayton Jr.'s 1,190 points over his two seasons at UF trail only the legendary Neal Walk's scoring output over a two-season span (1,312; 1967-69). His 186 3-pointers are fourth-most by a Gator over two seasons. Clayton has made a 3-pointer in a Florida-record 55 consecutive appearances.
* Florida set an SEC Tournament record with 104 points in the semifinal win vs. #5 Alabama. Six Gators scored in double figures, led by Clayton's 22 with six 3-pointers. In a quintessential college basketball moment, walk-on Bennett Andersen -- a three-year manager, Tampa native, grad student and a 2025 SEC Community Service Team member -- scored the record-breaking basket.
* Florida's seven top-25 wins this season match UF's 1999-2000 squad for the program's second-most all-time, one shy of the 2006-07 record total of eight.
* On Saturday, Rueben Chinyelu became the first SEC player in more than 20 years to post a double-double vs. an SEC foe in just 16 minutes (Tennessee's Andre Patterson, 2/5/05 vs. LSU). Micah Handlogten also added 10 boards in 14 minutes.
2024-25 Highlights at a Glance
* UF earned a 99-94 road win at #7 Alabama, marking the first time in program history the Gators posted two top-10 road wins in a single season. Todd Golden's three such wins are the most all-time by any UF coach. Alex Condon had a career night in the win at Alabama with 27 points, 10 rebounds. He is just the fifth player this century to hit those marks in a top-10 road win (see page 6).
* Florida posted a decisive ranked win with the 89-70 victory vs. #12 Texas A&M, as Will Richard's 25 points led five Gators in double figures. UF outscored the Aggies 24-11 over the final eight minutes.
* The Gators set a program record with five straight games with five players scoring in double figures from Feb. 8-22. Denzel Aberdeen, Rueben Chinyelu, Thomas Haugh and Urban Klavzar all had career-high scoring performances during that stretch.
* UF won at Mississippi State to earn ranked road wins in back-to-back games for the first time in program history. Already without Alijah Martin, Florida lost Alex Condon to injury 30 seconds into the contest, and Florida's super-subs responded. Denzel Aberdeen poured in 20 points, while Thomas Haugh stuffed the box score with 16 points, nine rebounds, a career-best eight assists, two blocked shots and two steals.
* Florida earned its first all-time road win at a #1 team at Auburn, as Walter Clayton Jr.'s 19 points led five Gators in double figures. Alex Condon had 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Thomas Haugh scored 16 off the bench. The Gators became the fifth team all-time to post wins vs. two different #1 teams in a season.
* Denzel Aberdeen (22 points) and Thomas Haugh (20 points) went for career highs in the win vs. South Carolina.
* Will Richard's driving layup with 4.8 seconds left at South Carolina gave Florida its winning margin, as well as its first lead of the game to cap off a rally from 14 points down with 12 minutes to play.
* Florida earned its third all-time win vs. #1 and first in a regular season game with a 73-43 rout of top-ranked Tennessee. The Gators allowed just 12 field goals, the fewest by a #1 team in the shot clock era. Alijah Martin led Florida with 18 points, Denzel Aberdeen added 16, and Alex Condon posted a double-double (12/12).
