Round 2 of the SEC Tournament opened with a thrilling clash of bubble teams. Both Texas A&M and Florida entered Thursday needing at least one more win to make the NCAA Tournament.  The Aggies won in thrilling fashion, as Hassan Diarra drained a last-second 3-pointer for the 83-80 victory.

Diarra provided the heroics, but it was Henry Coleman III who led Texas A&M scorers with 22 points. Coleman was also the team’s leading rebounder with 8 boards.

The SEC Network broadcast noted that ESPN’s Joe Lunardi had Texas A&M in the “Next 4 Out” group on his bubble watch. The Aggies will get a boost from the Florida win, improving to 21-11 overall and potentially receiving some help from outcomes elsewhere. With the second-round win, Texas A&M advances to face No. 1-seed Auburn. The Tigers defeated the Aggies 75-58 on Feb. 12 in Auburn.

Texas A&M shot 45 percent from the floor while Florida shot 44 percent.  The Gators had more bench points (44-19), points in the paint (40-28), rebounds (39-34), blocks (4-1) and assists (17-15). The Aggies won 3 key categories: 3-point shooting (9-of-17 to UF’s 5-of-24), turnovers (15-18) and steals (15-9).

The Aggies led for over 39 minutes of regulation. The game was only tied twice in regulation, including at the end of the second half.

Florida put together an incredible rally late. Texas A&M went on a field-goal drought while UF went on a late run. Florida was down 16, going on a 32-16 run to tie it all up. That included a 12-3 over 42 seconds in the final minute.

Kowacie Reeves led the Florida comeback, hitting a 3-pointer with 35 seconds left, cutting it to 68-66. Reeves was fouled on the play and hit his free-throw to make it 68-67. It was Reeves again who tied it 70-70, draining a 3-pointer with 17.5 seconds left. Reeves finished with a team-leading 21 points, all coming in the second half. Reeves did not attempt a shot in overtime.

Florida falls to 19-13 on the season and looks to be NIT bound. The Gators have made the last 4 NCAA Tournaments, dating back to 2017 in Mike White’s second season as head coach. With that streak snapped, there will be questions about White’s future in Gainesville.