The Florida Gators dominated the Auburn Tigers by a score of 81-65 from start to finish. They didn’t give up even after the opening tip. The Gators got off to an early 9-0 lead, which swiftly expanded to a 26-9 edge in the first few minutes. The scoreboard read 42-26 at the half, and the Gators extended their lead to 51-30 and placed the game on cruise control to end it before the Tigers had a chance to rally.
The Gators performed some of their best on both sides of the court inspired basketball of the season, maybe due to a combination of factors. Due to their unofficial “bye” in the schedule, the Gators had a week to prepare for this match, and they were eager to bounce back after a disappointing loss to Texas A&M. Whatever the case, the Gators put on a strong show to win their second quadrant-1 game and improve to 16-7 overall and 6-4 in the SEC. Perhaps more importantly, though, was their impressive performance. With 15 straight road losses against the Gators, Auburn has found Gainesville to be a terrifying place.
Riley Kugel’s season has been somewhat up and down, but he has demonstrated the capacity to have some spectacular scoring outputs. Against Auburn, he led the Gators with 22 points and 4 rebounds after coming off the bench. Due to Auburn’s abundance of wing players, Kugel has historically matched up well against them. This was the case once more as he sailed across the court during transition and hammered shots off the dribble. When Kugel is performing at this level, he’s among the top sixth man in the nation because of his intensity and ability to make shots The Gators greatly enjoy having the bench. Kugel’s quick start from the bench virtually ensured the win, as it would have against most teams in the nation, because the starters were already playing excellent ball. Florida will be hoping that Kugel’s increasing confidence will lead to more regularity in these kinds of games; if so, beware
In the past, Auburn has had a team full of talented guards, but this season, their roster isn’t constructed that way, and going into Saturday’s game, the Gators were predicted to have the advantage there, at least theoretically. It turned out to be more than just a theoretical advantage, as the three players from Florida’s backcourt—Walter Clayton, Zyon Pullin, and Riley Kugel—scored 61 points in total, almost equaling the total of the Tigers’ players. We’ve already discussed how Kugel’s late-game surge decisively overpowered Auburn, but Clayton and Pullin’s opening tandem had already established the tone. Pullin subsequently increased the lead even more with some strong physical play after Clayton’s assured three-pointers off the dribble ignited the Gators’ early run.
It was amazing how effortlessly and freely they moved, as though they were barely exerting themselves to go to the desired spot on the floor whenever they pleased. With the guards dismantling Auburn’s defense with the dribble and making the appropriate plays anytime they got the early edge, Florida scarcely needed to run any of its offensive setups. They were having fun, yet they were still focused, and their infectious confidence shone through. Florida’s guards are among the top teams in the nation when they perform at this level, and they frequently win games in March.
Florida’s guards were the ones stealing the show as they scored a ton of points, but it shouldn’t overshadow their excellent frontcourt defense. With Johni Broome and Jaylin Williams, Auburn boasts one of the best interior groups in the nation, but Florida was able to contain them for a large portion of the game, with the majority of their output occurring during garbage time. Florida’s opponents have attempted to exploit their comparatively small frontcourt throughout the season, and their physical tenacity has at
times have been called into question. Their concentration on rising to the physical challenge versus Auburn was evident as they were much more involved in the game, both in terms of fighting for post position on the block and on the glass. The Gators’ frontcourt finally got what they had been lacking, and the increase in physicality was noticeable. If they can maintain this level of play for the remainder of the season, it will be much more difficult for opponents to score.
Arguably the best game of the season, this one gives Florida a major resume-boosting victory over an Auburn team ranked eighth in the NET. Despite the fact that Florida had a significant rest advantage over the Tigers and the game occurred in Gainesville, those factors cannot be fully held accountable for the Gators’ outstanding performance. It’s promising that the Gators were able to play to their strengths—a highly effective backcourt—while also improving their defense, which has been a problem this season. The Gators were definitely on the bubble coming into this game, but this victory will put them there—at least for the time being. Their goal will be to bottle
