Mar 16, 2025; Nashville, TN, USA; Florida Gators guard Will Richard (5) shoots the ball over Tennessee Volunteers forward Felix Okpara (34) in the first half during the 2025 SEC Championship Game at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
Walter Clayton Jr. scored 22 points and second-seeded Florida outclassed fourth-seeded Tennessee 86-77 on Sunday to win the Southeastern Conference tournament title at Nashville.
Will Richard added 17 points as the No. 4 Gators (30-4) earned the SEC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Florida is expected to be a No. 1 seed when the bracket is revealed later Sunday.
Alex Condon recorded 13 points and nine rebounds, Thomas Haugh tallied 11 points and Alijah Martin had 10 points for the Gators, who won their first SEC tournament title since 2014.
Jordan Gainey scored a season-best 24 points for No. 8 Tennessee (27-7), which will likely land a No. 2 seed in the NCAA field.
Zakai Zeigler added 23 points, eight assists, five rebounds and three steals for the Volunteers, who lost to the Gators for the second time in three meetings this season.
Tennessee leading scorer Chaz Lanier scored 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting before fouling out with 5:29 left.
The Gators shot 42.6 percent from the field, including 9 of 27 from 3-point range. Florida held a 39-25 rebounding advantage. Tennessee made 44.9 percent of its shots and was 8 of 26 from behind the arc.
Florida led 60-47 just before the midway point of the second half when Gainey’s less-than-a-minute 8-0 flurry brought the Volunteers back in the game.
Gainey began the spurt with a 3-pointer with 9:48 left. He drove through the lane for a hoop and was fouled and made the free throw 27 seconds later. Gainey then made two free throws with 8:56 left to bring Tennessee within 60-55.
A short time later, Clayton buried a 3-pointer to give Florida a 65-57 lead with 8:08 remaining. He nailed another trey with 6:49 left to again put the Gators ahead by eight.
Felix Okpara’s dunk pulled the Volunteers within six with 6:30 left but the Gators answered with eight straight points. Haugh scored five straight points, including a 3-pointer, before Richard made two free throws for a 78-64 advantage with 4:22 left.
Tennessee crept back within eight but Denzel Aberdeen’s layup and Martin’s dunk off Haugh’s lob with 33.3 seconds left sealed it.
Richard scored 11 first-half points as the Gators led 39-30 at the break. Gainey scored 10 in the half for Tennessee.
A jumper by Gainey tied the score at 16 with 11:30 left in the first half before the Gators scored nine of the next 10 points as part of a 16-4 burst.
Richard knocked down a trey to cap the surge and five Florida a 32-20 advantage with 5:11 remaining. Aberdeen buried a trey with one second left to give the Gators the nine-point halftime cushion.
–Field Level Media
