Nell Fortner would love to say that her team would be just as hungry and excited to pull off an upset in today’s SEC Tournament if the opponent were some team other than Florida.

She’d probably be right, too, but recent history certainly gives Auburn an advantage over the Gators when it comes to the “revenge factor.”

“I think they will remember the last game,” Fortner said. “It has been one that we remembered all season.”

Tenth-seeded Auburn will get a rematch with No. 7 Florida today in the first round of the SEC Tournament in Duluth, Ga. Tip for today’s game is set for 1:30 p.m. and the game can be seen on Fox Spots South (Channel 33 in Lee County).

Today’s winner will face second-seeded Kentucky on Friday.

“I think it’s a wide open tournament, more so than it ever has been,” Fortner said. “It is going to be an interesting tournament.”

There were no fights, no cheap shots and no ill feelings shared during the teams’ second conference game of the season in early January — just exciting basketball. It was dominated early by the Gators, as they stretched their lead to as many as 20, but the Tigers were just as dominant in the second half, which forced the game into overtime.

Auburn hung tough in the first overtime, but ultimately ran out of wind in the second, as it fell, 71-68.

“We ended up losing, but I thought our effort was great in the second half,” Fortner said. “We played some good ball, and I hope we can re-enact that for 40 minutes this time.”

The game served as a coming-out party for point guard Morgan Toles, who was named Tuesday to the SEC All-Freshman team. In 47 minutes,
Toles notched a then career-high 14 points, the bulk of which came after the first half, while conducting Auburn’s offense with assertive authority.

She hasn’t looked back since and followed up strongly, like the rest of her team, in the next game, when Auburn shocked then-No. 10 LSU in Baton Rouge, 64-62.

The Tigers have certainly had their fair share of struggles this season, as they sit with the No. 10 seed one year after winning the SEC regular-season title, but they’ve also notched two more upsets over Associated Press top 15 teams since the LSU game.

It might not have happened without the near miss in Gainesville.

“It gave us an opportunity to see what we were capable of,” Fortner said. “The SEC season is much more physical than pre-conference and it gives these young players a chance to experience SEC play.

“It gave us a great deal of confidence. We all remember that game.”

Florida, largely, has forgotten how it won that game, as it’s failed to generate a sustainable stretch of good basketball during conference play.
Injuries have been a factor, as center Azania Stewart has been out the past four games with a stress fracture in her foot, but the Gators have yet
to find a go-to player among their starters, none of whom average more than 9 points per game.

The Gators come into today’s game reeling, having lost five of their past six games with a 24.2 point average margin of defeat.

“When you lose a starting five player, that affects their team,” Fortner said “That is probably some of what they are dealing with right now.”

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No. 10 Auburn (14-15, 5-11) vs. No. 7 Florida (14-15, 7-9)What: First round; SEC Tournament
Where: Gwinnett Center; Duluth, Ga.
When: 1:30 p.m.
TV/Radio: Fox Sports South (Channel 33 in Lee County)/WMXA 96.7 FM
Projected starters Auburn: F Jordan Greenleaf (7.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg), G Parrisha Simmons (3.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg), G Blanche Alverson (6.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg), G Alli Smalley (15.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg), G Morgan Toles (7.3 ppg, 4.4 apg)
Projected starters Florida: F Sharielle Smith (8.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg), F Jennifer George (6.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg), G Lannika Thompson (5.3 ppg, 2.7 apg), G Steffi Sorensen (9.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg), G Jordan Jones (9.3 ppg, 2.6 3pg)