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The University of Florida men's basketball team might have punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament after beating Auburn 78-69 Thursday in the SEC Tournament in Nashville. Florida (21-11) will play Mississippi State tonight and Rock 104 will have live coverage starting at 6:55pm.

Florida trailed in the opening minutes but after that point came out strong and dominated the game in the paint against a smaller Auburn team. The Gator big men repeatedly got easy looks or dunks inside as Florida built a 40-31 halftime lead.

Auburn cut the lead to 42-41 to start the second half but the Gators got three straight 3 point baskets from guard Kenny Boynton to up their lead to 55-43 and they never were really seriously threatened thereafter.

Junior forward Alex Tyus leads Florida with 24 points while fellow junior Chandler Parsons threw in 21. Although Frankie Sullivan scored a career high 27 points, the Gators did completely shut down the previously hot shooting Tay Waller who did not score a single point for the Tigers.

In other SEC Tournament action, Tennessee moves on to play Ole Miss after beating LSU 59-49; Alabama comes from 18 down to beat South Carolina 68-63 and will now face Kentucky; and Georgia gets 23 points and 10 rebounds from budding star Trey Tompkins to beat Arkansas 77-64; the Bulldogs next play Vanderbilt.