Florida fined by SEC due to fans rushing court after Auburn upset

The SEC has issued a $50,000 fine to the University of Florida after their fans rushed the court following their 63-62 win over No. 2 Auburn on Saturday. The fine states that Florida was violation of the league’s access to competition area policy due to the fans accessing the floor after the final buzzer.

The policy states that “access to competition areas shall be limited to participating student-athletes, coaches, officials, support personnel and properly-credentialed individuals at all times. For the safety of participants and spectators alike, at no time before, during or after a contest shall spectators be permitted to enter the competition area. It is the responsibility of each member institution to implement procedures to ensure compliance with this policy.”

Fines levied against schools for violation of the access to competition area policy are deposited into the SEC Post-Graduate Scholarship Fund, according to the statement.

Unranked Florida pulls off major upset of No. 2 Auburn

Florida did something Saturday only two other teams have done. The Gators beat No. 2 Auburn.

Unranked Florida capitalized on a plethora of Tigers miscues to pull of its biggest victory of the season, 63-62, at Exactech Arena in Gainesville. Auburn made a run in the second half, but the Gators battled back and eventually stunned the No. 2-ranked Tigers.

Tyree Appleby had a huge day for the Gators, scoring 26 points on 7-of-15 shooting — including 5-of-10 from three-point territory. As a group, 10 of Florida’s 19 made field goals came from downtown, which allowed the Gators to build a lead over Auburn. The Tigers shot 40% from the field, but were 5-for-14 from outside.

Jabari Smith dropped a team-high 28 points, but he didn’t have much help. Walker Kessler had 11 points, but got into foul trouble early. The Tigers committed an uncharacteristic 17 turnovers in the effort.

Both teams got to the free throw line, combining to go 32-for-39 at the charity stripe.

The victory boosts the Gators’ resume for the NCAA tournament. Florida is now 17-10 and 7-7 in SEC play, and picked up its second Quadrant 1 win in the effort.

Florida will look to keep their momentum going as they host yet another Quadrant 1 opponent in No. 18 Arkansas Tuesday night at 7 p.m. ET in hopes of qualifying for a sixth-straight NCAA Tournament.