Florida earned its first-ever road win over a top-ranked team Saturday as the No. 6 Gators dismantled No. 1 Auburn 90-81 to hand the Tigers their first SEC loss. The win is Florida’s second victory over a No. 1 team this season after UF crushed then-No. 1 Tennessee 73-43 on Jan. 7.
The Gators are just the fifth team to beat a No. 1 team at home and on the road in the same season
Florida’s dominance in a hostile environment made for a stunning end to Auburn’s 14-game winning streak, which was the nation’s second-longest. The Gators (20-3, 7-3 SEC) got it done without second-leading scorer Alijah Martin, who was injured in Florida’s win over Vanderbilt earlier in the week.
In his absence Urban Klavzar got his most significant action of the season, and the Lithuanian freshman delivered a career-high nine points. Among his contributions were a pair of 3-pointers in the span of 13 seconds early in the second half as Florida extended its lead to 21.
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Jerry Palm
Auburn (21-2, 9-1) whittled the deficit back to single digits against one of the nation’s few teams capable of matching it on the glass. With the Tigers trailing just 76-67 and Neville Arena at fever pitch, Thomas Haugh tipped an offensive rebound out to Denzel Aberdeen, who hit a gym-silencing 3-pointer with 7:08 remaining. Haugh then made a similar play that led to a Will Richard 3-pointer that extended Florida’s edge to 84-69 with 4:31 left.
Walter Clayton Jr. led Florida with 19 points, nine assists and six rebounds on 6 of 11 shooting in his first game back after a two-game absence due to injury.
Bracketology implications
The outcome puts Auburn’s four-week stay atop the AP Top 25 poll in jeopardy, though it should do little to diminish the Tigers’ hold on the projected No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers were the projected No. 1 overall seed in Jerry Palm’s Bracketology before the game and will remain in that spot despite the loss, according to Palm.
“They have 12 Quad 1 wins,” Palm said. “That is five more than any other team. That is a pretty good cushion for that top spot despite the fact that the No. 2 overall seed is Duke, the team to hand the Tigers their first defeat.”
Florida entered as a projected No. 2 seed in Bracketology and is now 5-3 in Quad 1 opportunities and in possession of arguably the best win by anyone in the sport.
Florida limits Broome
Auburn star Johni Broome finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for his 14th double-double of the season. However, the Gators made him work for everything as he finished just 8 of 19 from the floor and attempted just two free throws. For a national player of the year candidate who entered shooting 52% from the floor and averaging 4.7 free-throw attempts per game, it was just an OK performance.
Florida’s bigs win the day
Auburn’s towering tandem of Broome and Dylan Cardwell is a matchup problem for virtually everyone as both are among the SEC’s top rim protectors. But the dynamic duo was outdone by Florida’s frontcourt muscle. UF bigs Haugh and Alex Condon combine for 33 points and 19 rebounds on 11 of 20 shooting. Haugh added three blocks.
