Florida Outclasses Tennessee to Capture SEC Championship, Earn No. 1 NCAA Seed
Walter Clayton Jr. scored 22 points, leading No. 4 Florida to an 86-77 win over No. 8 Tennessee in the SEC Tournament championship game in Nashville.
Will Richard contributed 17 points, while Alex Condon (13 points, nine rebounds), Thomas Haugh (11 points), and Alijah Martin (10 points) helped the second-seeded Gators (30-4) secure their first SEC title since 2014.
Clayton was named tournament MVP, as Florida’s dominant performance earned them a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament when the bracket was revealed later Sunday.
Tennessee (27-7), which secured a No. 2 seed in March Madness, saw Jordan Gainey explode for a season-high 24 points, while Zakai Zeigler added 23 points, eight assists, five rebounds, and three steals. The Volunteers have now lost two of three meetings against the Gators this season.
Memphis Pulls Away From UAB to Capture AAC Championship
Dain Dainja registered a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds, powering No. 16 Memphis past UAB 84-72 in the American Athletic Conference championship in Fort Worth, Texas.
PJ Haggerty led Memphis (29-5) with 23 points, while Colby Rogers added 15. The Tigers secured their NCAA Tournament berth by claiming the AAC’s automatic bid.
Third-seeded UAB (22-12) was led by Yaxel Lendeborg, who posted 19 points and 17 rebounds, while Efrem Johnson finished with 17 points and six boards.
Winning starts with knowledge! Get the Bettor’s Handbook and stay ahead! Learn more
Michigan Stages Late Rally to Edge Wisconsin for Big Ten Tournament Title
Tre Donaldson took over in crunch time, scoring all 11 of his points in the final 8:35, as No. 22 Michigan rallied to defeat No. 18 Wisconsin 59-53 in the Big Ten Tournament final in Indianapolis.
Michigan (25-9) overcame an 11-point second-half deficit, with Donaldson drilling a go-ahead three-pointer with 1:54 left to give the Wolverines their fourth Big Ten Tournament championship. He also added eight assists, while Vlad Goldin contributed 11 points.
Goldin was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player as Michigan secured an NCAA Tournament berth.
Wisconsin (26-9) finished as Big Ten tournament runners-up for the second consecutive year. John Blackwell led the Badgers with 18 points, while Max Klesmit added 12.
John Tonje, who scored 32 points in Saturday’s semifinal upset of top-seeded Michigan State, struggled, finishing with nine points on just 1-for-14 shooting.
Your game starts here! Log in now and stay ahead with the latest insights. Login Now
What’s Next?
With conference tournaments concluded, all eyes now turn to the NCAA Tournament:
- Florida, Michigan, and Memphis secured automatic bids.
- Tennessee and Wisconsin earned high seeds despite falling short.
- Selection Sunday revealed the full March Madness bracket.
Stay tuned for NCAA Tournament previews, bracket breakdowns, and predictions as the Road to the Final Four begins!
