About two hours before the SEC championship game tipped off Sunday when Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl walked through a Westin lobby packed to the walls with orange-clad fans and as he walked up the steps toward the door, he turned around to look back one more time.

“Let’s go bring home some nets,” Pearl yelled out.

And there will be nets hanging around the necks of those on this No. 4 seeded Auburn basketball team Sunday. They’ll cut them down in Nashville after an 86-67 win over No. 6 seed Florida in the SEC title game.

Auburn’s championship came against a shellshocked Florida team after center Micah Handlogten’s serious left leg injury. Just over three minutes into the game, Handlogten landed, and his left leg bent awkward. It was a horrifying moment; the whole arena was reduced to silence. Auburn got a run-out layup before play was stopped as Handlogten lay on the court in tears. His parents were brought down from the stands and after several minutes, medical staff stabilized his leg and carried him off on a stretcher.

Somehow, Florida was expected to play a basketball game after that. The Gators never really emotionally were able to get back in the game. But that seems like an impossible ask. Several players on the Gators bench were in tears, heads buried in towels, attempting to handle the shock of the moment before re-entering a championship basketball game.

Handlogten was taken to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center for treatment.

Auburn let Florida back into the game briefly at the beginning of the second half before pulling away for good with a mid-second stretch fueled by Denver Jones and Tre Donaldson.

Auburn gets its fourth overall SEC title under Bruce Pearl

The SEC Tournament championships is Auburn’s third all-time. First in 1985, then 2019 and now 2024.

Auburn hadn’t won a game in the SEC Tournament since the 2019 championship before this year. So maybe it’s just boom or bust for Auburn in this event under Pearl. Win the whole thing again in 2019. Don’t win a game again until winning the whole thing in 2024.

It’s the fourth overall SEC title under Pearl. Auburn pairs its two tournament championships with 2018 and 2022 SEC regular season crowns.

There will be a new year printed on the banners of Neville Arena.

In a week of upsets, Auburn stays clean

This was a terrible week for bubble teams. Auburn of course wasn’t one of them. But for there to be a bad week for bubble teams, it means there were several top teams upset across the country.

Auburn was one of those top teams, but it fell into the upset trap so many of the other top teams faced.

In the SEC alone, all of the top three seeds lost on Friday. Auburn, the fourth seed and final team with a double-bye, didn’t.

In a way, the upsets cleared Auburn’s path. It was the better seed in every game it played.

But it also was the toughest stretch Auburn has faced this season. Three games in three days is hard no matter what teams it’s against. Auburn had not won any close games this year. Each of its first 25 wins came by double digits.

But Auburn got a single-digit win Saturday against Mississippi State and eventually pulled away against Florida after the Gators mounted a second-half comeback.

There were upsets everywhere this week. Possible No. 1 NCAA Tournament seeds North Carolina and Houston were each upset in their conference title games. Several No. 1 seeds in one-bid leagues were upset in their conference tournaments. N.C. State won the ACC. Oregon won the PAC-12. Upsets happen. This is March.

Auburn just kept winning.

The Selection Show is next, don’t go anywhere

So suddenly, Auburn’s resume looks a lot different.

It entered this week 1-7 against Quad 1 teams. It’s now 3-7. Auburn will enter the selection show with a 24-0 record against Quads 2, 3 and 4. It will have picked up two Quad 1 wins in the last two days before the brackets are revealed.

And Auburn now has another resume piece: SEC champion. That will matter.

As of Sunday morning, most projections had Auburn as either a No. 3 or No. 4 seed. That was before the game against Florida of course. It seems that will still likely be the debate in the Selection Committee room before the brackets are finalized.

There are other results to keep track of today — namely the Big Ten Tournament — which could have an impact on Auburn’s ultimate selection.

Auburn has one championship now. It will have time to celebrate before turning its attention to another.

March Madness is here. Auburn enters it with a trophy.

Matt Cohen covers sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at [email protected]