Florida Gators

WHAT HAPPENED: Point guard Jared Harper drained his fifth 3-pointer of the game with 10.6 seconds left to give the Tigers a two-possession lead and hit one of two free throws with 6.2 seconds to go, the combination holding up Saturday to give the Tigers a victory over the Gators in the semifinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. Harper's dagger came 25 seconds after UF freshman forward Keyontae Johnson's missed a go-ahead 3 that would have wiped out an Auburn lead that was eight points with less than six minutes left. Harper dribbled and dribbled that quick-triggered his shot to put the Tigers up four. Out of a timeout, UF fifth-year senior swingman Jalen Hudson went coast-to-coast for a layup with 7.4 seconds left, with UF calling a timeout to stop the clock, followed but another when Auburn could not inbound the ball. When the Tigers finally did get it in it was to Harper, who was fouled and went to the line and hit the first of two. The second was rebounded by Johnson, pitched to freshman point guard Andrew Nembhard who weaved into the front court and was swallowed up by a gang of  defenders. His game-tying shot through flailing Auburn arms was well short and officials did not see enough contact to blow the whistle as time expired. Harper led all scorers with 20 points, making five of his seven attempts from deep, with all four of his second-half points coming in those final 11 seconds. The Gators got 16 points a piece from Hudson and senior center Kevarrius Hayes, who also had 12 rebounds and two blocked shots over 32 minutes. Florida turned the ball over a season-worst 19 times and the 3-ball bombing Tigers (13 of 29 from deep and just four turnovers) were all too happy to accept the generosity, converting those miscues into 20 points. The No. 8-seed Gators, who Friday upset No. 1-seed LSU in the quarterfinals, led by four early in the second half, but the Tigers went on a 10-3 run capped by back-to-back 3s from Chuma Okeke and Samir Doughty. The Auburn lead was eight, at 57-49, inside six minutes when UF started to chip away, eventually getting within 61-60 with 58 seconds left after a dunk by Hayes, leading to the dramatic ending. 
WHAT IT MEANS: The Gators' postseason resume is complete. They're in the NCAA Tournament, with an NET ranking of 31 at the start of the day and now with 4-12 record against "Quadrant 1" teams and a 7-13 combined mark against Q1 and Q2 teams. Probably good enough for an 11-seed.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Hayes' surge of efficiency on both ends continued against the Tigers. He wasn't perfect, but his effort was through the roof and he was a huge reason the Gators were within one possession of playing for their first title in this event since 2014. Hayes finished the tournament averaging 11.6 points and 9.0 rebounds per game.

STAGGERING STATISTIC: With just over 13 minutes left in the game, the Gators had made all four of their shots in the second half and were shooting 75 percent for the game (18 for 24) -- and trailed by three. Turnovers. Nineteen of them. That's tough to overcome, even when shooting 60.5 percent for the game. 

STAGGERING STATISTIC II: Florida had all five starters log at least 32 minutes and just one reserve (Noah Locke) contribute double-digit minutes, compared to Auburn, with just two starters going 30-plus and nine with double-figure minutes. For two teams playing a third game in three days depth was a considerable advantage. 

UP NEXT: Florida (19-15) will return to Gainesville later today and await Sunday night's bracket reveal to find where the Gators will open their third straight NCAA Tournament and the 20th in school history.