With losses by regular season champ Tennessee, No. 2 seed Kentucky and No. 3 seed Alabama, this marked the first time the SEC’s top three seeds all lost their tournament openers since 1983.
With the outright SEC lead in jeopardy, Alabama dug out of a double-digit hole before finally taking control in overtime to beat Florida 98-93.
Tyree Appleby scored 20 of his 26 points in the second half, Colin Castleton added 19 and Florida rallied to beat No. 2 Auburn 63-62 to extend its home dominance in the series.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) – Florida freshman center Gorjok Gak has been ruled eligible and will be available for the season opener Friday night. The Gators open against Florida Gulf Coast in Jacksonville. The NCAA ruled the 6-foot-11 Gak ineligible in the summer due to questions about the number of games he played at Victory Rock Prep in Bradenton after arriving…
