Florida takes down Tennessee 86-77 to win 5th SEC Tournament title

Florida celebrates their win against Tennessee after the Southeastern Conference tournament championship at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, March 16, 2025 - Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Florida might have just locked up a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The Gators took care of business Sunday in Nashville, beating Tennessee in the 2025 SEC Tournament championship game 86-77. Florida, which has looked like a team on a mission all week, led the Volunteers for over 35 minutes in a game they controlled from the middle of the first half on. Tennessee tried multiple times to push for a comeback, but couldn’t get closer than a five-point deficit in the second half.

Walter Clayton Jr. led the way for Florida with 22 points and five rebounds on 7-18 shooting. Four other Gators finished in double-figures as their frontcourt size overwhelmed Tennessee. Florida grabbed 14 more rebounds than the Vols and scored 12 more points in the paint. Zakai Zeigler and Jordan Gainey combined for 47 points for Tennessee, but Chaz Lanier fouled out after just 23 minutes played.

IT'S GREAT TO BE A FLORIDA GATOR #GoGators | Presented by @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/Z0yatEckjj
— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) March 16, 2025

With the win, Florida now has five SEC Tournament championships in school history (all since 2005), tied with Tennessee for third-most in the conference behind only Alabama (8) and, of course, Kentucky (32). The Gators dominated this year’s event en route to the title too, winning all three games by an average of 15 points, including a 22-point smackdown of Alabama in Saturday’s semifinals. It’s the program’s first conference tournament title since 2014.

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Florida is also in position to earn a top-seed in the NCAA Tournament when the full bracket is released later tonight. The Gators entered as a projected 1-seed by ESPN’s Joe Lunardi coming into Sunday’s matchup. They look like a team that might just cruise to a Final Four if they keep this up. Tennessee could have locked up a 1-seed with a win, but instead will likely land a 2-seed in the Big Dance.

Kentucky, which went 3-0 against Florida and Tennessee in the regular season, was knocked out of the SEC Tournament during Friday’s quarterfinals. The Wildcats are projected to receive a 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament.