Top 10 plays of Auburn's SEC championship run

By Nathan King | Sports Editor

After going winless in its three prior trips to the SEC Tournament, Auburn won four games in 96 hours, beating 3-seed Tennessee in the finals to claim its first conference tournament championship in 34 years.

As expected, the guard play from Bruce Pearl's Tigers highlighted each game. Senior 2-guard Bryce Brown bookended Auburn's run with team-high scoring in the first and final games, while junior point guard Jared Harper dominated the second and third games against South Carolina and Florida, respectively.

And while the showy 3-point shooting and flashy assists will occupy most of the highlight reels, Auburn's defense and bench production stepped up in a massive way, as well.

The Tigers' quick hands and intelligent defensive schemes doubled its combined turnover margin in Nasvhille — Auburn forced in 68 turnovers combined through the four games, while smart ball movement kept Auburn to just 34 giveaways. Against Florida in the semifinals, Auburn turned it over a season-low four times.

Beginning with Horace Spencer's 11 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and four blocks in the first game against Missouri, Auburn's bench rotation outscored Mizzou, South Carolina, Florida and Tennessee's non-starters by a combined 51 points.

Hours after the title game victory, Auburn earned a 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament and is set to face 12-seed New Mexico State in the first round in Salt Lake City, Utah.

While the Tigers prepare for their first back-to-back tournament appearances in 21 years, take a look back at their top 10 plays from the magical run in Nashville.

10. Chuma Okeke's alley-oop against South Carolina

The game was out of hand, but Harper's 35-foot running lob to Okeke, finished off by a vicious slam, was one of of Auburn's top plays at the rim against All-SEC forward Chris Silva.

9. Malik Dunbar's dunk against Missouri

Dunbar never had a breakout game in Nashville, but his classic goofy, energetic and athletic traits were on full display all weekend, highlighted by the next two selections in our list.

8. Malik Dunbar's block against Tennessee

Auburn fans know how Dunbar's dunks look by now — fierce, loud, and you can see them coming from a mile away.

7. Taking over the first half against Tennessee

This play was the leading moment from Auburn's 18-1 first-half run, showing that every Tiger was going to give 100 percent in the upset of the Vols.

Samir Doughty's hands are quick for the steal, Okeke lays out for the ball, J'Von McCormick pushes the ball down the floor, Horace Spencer runs the lane perfectly and Bryce Brown tops it off with a triple, sending Auburn's small but rowdy crowd into a frenzy.

6. Taking the lead against Florida

Here's another example of Auburn's offense-to-defense in Nashville, and this play in particular further demonstrated that the Tigers were going to be leaning toward the 3-point line in transition.

Doughty's triple takes the lead against the Gators after another forced turnover. Against Florida, Auburn set a season-low in giveaways with four.

5. Horace Spencer 3-pointer against South Carolina

Spencer hit his third triple on 17 attempts this season against the Gamecocks, and while most saw it as the cherry on top of a semifinals win, Spencer's ability to stretch the floor in the second half opened up the lane for Harper, who scored 27 points against South Carolina.

4. Bryce Brown 3-pointer, steal and assist against South Carolina

Brown said postgame this was one of the most fun sequences in his career, and it showed by his reaction to Harper's 3-pointer.

3. Bryce Brown's three straight 3-pointers against Missouri

After being held scoreless in the first half, Brown broke through with three straight triples in the second. He didn't cool down for the rest of the tournament.

2. Rubbing it in against Tennessee

Harper had a 3-on-1 easy layup on the fast break, but he didn't care. He knew Auburn was making any 3-pointer it threw up. This play had it all — Austin Wiley's block, Okeke's quarterback pass and Brown's corner three.