Sixth-ranked UF will have to band together Saturday when they take on the No. 1-ranked Auburn Tigers and arguably the best home-court advantage in the country.
AUBURN, Ala. – At approximately 10:20 p.m. local time Tuesday, the final buzzer sounded on Auburn’s 98-70 rout of Oklahoma. Yet even before the nation’s top-ranked team had officially secured its 14th consecutive win, dozens of fans from the raucous student section – “The Jungle” – had already left their seats, exited Neville Arena, and begun lining up again.
This time, for the game scheduled four days later (roughly 90 hours away).
The atmosphere awaiting the sixth-ranked Florida Gators (19-3, 6-3) on Saturday afternoon cannot be overstated. They will be stepping into one of the loudest, most chaotic, and most challenging environments in college basketball when they face the No. 1 and SEC-unbeaten Tigers (21-1, 9-0).
"It's going to be a toxic environment to play in," UF sophomore forward Alex Condon said.
[Read senior writer Chris Harry's "Pregame Stuff" setup here]
Of course, that description only scratches the surface of what the visitors will encounter. Auburn’s home-court advantage may be the day’s most intangible factor, but the true obstacle lies in the Tigers themselves. They own the nation’s best record, compiled against the toughest schedule, with an astounding 12 Quadrant 1 victories according to the NCAA Evaluation Tool. The Tigers feature one of the frontrunners for 2025 NCAA Player of the Year in forward Johnie Broome, an offense boasting historically elite advanced metrics, and a defense that has hovered inside the top 10 throughout the season.
Translation: no weaknesses.
Auburn coach Bruce Pearl has long established success, averaging 24.0 wins across the past six seasons while capturing two SEC regular-season titles and a pair of SEC Tournament championships. Yet this current team stands as his finest, and barring any unforeseen setback, the Tigers are expected to secure the No. 1 overall seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament next month.
"They're just good in all facets," UF coach Todd Golden said.
If not elite.
For the Gators, the challenge ahead is enormous. It marks their second consecutive road matchup against a top-10 opponent in as many weekends—life in the SEC. Just last Saturday, Florida entered ranked fifth and faced eighth-ranked Tennessee, which was missing two starters including its top player. Even so, the Gators were overwhelmed, 64-44, posting their lowest scoring output in 35 years.
And this Auburn team is even stronger.
"We have to be more aggressive," senior guard Will Richard said.
Richard’s showing at Tennessee reflected the team’s overall struggles. He played passively from the outset, mirroring the Gators’ lack of urgency. Entering the game averaging 10 shots per contest, including more than five from beyond the arc, Richard attempted only two shots total and finished with two points in 33 minutes.
Upon reviewing the game film, Richard was stunned by what he saw.
"Just sitting in the corner the majority of the game. I felt I wasn't involved, wasn't in the flow from early in the game," Richard said. "It wasn't a good feeling [to watch], I'm not going to lie."
Senior guard Walter Clayton Jr., sidelined with a sore ankle, cheers on his teammates during Tuesday night's home win against Vanderbilt.
On Tuesday, Will Richard bounced back from his struggles with a 21-point performance in UF’s 86-75 victory over Vanderbilt. He connected on five 3-pointers—his most in SEC play—while adding seven rebounds, three assists, and no turnovers in a season-high 39 minutes. It was a standout effort.
That game, however, was played in Gainesville at the familiar Exactech Arena/O’Connell Center. What awaits the Gators on The Plain will be far from friendly or comfortable. Florida must use the lessons from that win to sharpen their edge for the upcoming challenge.
"I think we had a lot of learning curves at Tennessee," Alex Condon said.
Expectations in that matchup were skewed by the last-minute absence of UT point guard Zakai Zeigler, the 2024 SEC Defensive Player of the Year and league assists leader, along with forward Igor Milicic Jr., the Volunteers’ third-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder.
Auburn faces no such setbacks. The Gators will encounter the Tigers at full strength, entering as nearly double-digit underdogs. Coach Todd Golden noted that his team actually felt more pressure in Tuesday’s home game against Vanderbilt—where they were heavy favorites and missing leading scorer Walter Clayton Jr. due to an ankle injury—making him especially pleased with the collective contributions from both role players and regulars.
Clayton is expected to return to the lineup against Auburn.
"You feel pressure to protect your home floor and find a way to win games that just aren't guarantees, but when you go on the road and you're playing the No. 1 team in the country there's a little less expectation," Golden said. "It opens the door to maybe take some chances and be more aggressive in some areas that you normally wouldn't feel the confidence to do so. So … we'll go in there, for a lack of a better term, [with] nothing to lose, not being afraid to fail and go give it our best swing and see we can come home with."
Email senior writer Chris Harry at chrish@gators.ufl.edu
