Needing a win over top-seeded LSU to feel good about their chances to get an at-large bid on Selection Sunday, the Florida Gators punched their ticket to dance in dramatic style.
Entering play today, the Florida Gators found themselves squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble. The Gators went 17-14 during the regular season and 9-9 in SEC play, mostly beating who they should and losing games no one would get too upset about with one notable exception: a win at LSU on Feb. 20.
Florida nearly duplicated the feat two weeks later, but LSU escaped with an overtime win in Gainesville, making this win a must-have for the Gators to go dancing. LSU dominated in the first half of this one, building a 10-point lead at the break, but Florida rallied to take the lead in the final minute.
It looked like the Tigers were poised to break Florida’s hearts again when Nas Reid drained a three-pointer to tie the contest at 73, but the Gators would not be denied. With just a second left on the clock, Andrew Nembhard drilled a triple of his own to give the Gators the win.
The definition of CLUTCH! 🐊 pic.twitter.com/kgEAkUztqw
— ESPN (@espn) March 15, 2019
Those clutch three points were the last of the 20 Nembhard scored on the day, and it helped secure an absolutely massive victory for the Gators. According to ESPN’s BPI, Florida now has an 87% chance of earning a tournament bid with the win. Their odds would have dipped all the way to 29% with a loss.
Florida is now into the SEC’s semifinals tomorrow, where they will face the winner of the Auburn-South Carolina quarterfinal, a game the Gators are definitely capable of winning. As long as South Carolina doesn’t get through and hand the Gators a bad defeat, Florida can feel very good about its chances of making the field on Sunday.