GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Auburn (19-5, 8-3) fell to Florida (16-7, 6-4) 65-81 in an SEC matchup, the loss knocking the Tigers out of a tie for first place in the SEC.
Auburn could not right the ship after falling behind 9-0 early, never taking the lead or tying the score with the Gators. Florida was able to hold Johni Broome and Jaylen Williams to just 12 and 6 points respectively, a far cry from their 24 and 26 vs Alabama just three days prior.
Unfortunately for Auburn, Florida had no such scoring issues. Guards Riley Kugel, Walter Clayton Jr., and Zyon Pullin put up 22, 20, and 19 points respectively, with Kugel completing a four-point play after a made three-pointer and foul by Chaney Johnson.
Auburn continued to struggle to get its point guards going on the road, as Tre Donaldson had just four points and Aden Holloway once again didn’t make a shot from the floor, this time not scoring any points at all. However, other guards were offensive bright spots for the Tigers.
KD Johnson shot 4-7 from the field and had 12 points, which co-led the team along with Johni Broome. Chaney Johnson also had a good scoring night, shooting 4-5 from the field and recording 11 points. The only other Auburn player in double figures was Denver Jones with 10 points.
Despite this, the three-point shot remains a glaring issue for Auburn. The Tigers were just 3-17 from beyond the arc, a measly 17.6%. Auburn’s trip to Ole Miss remains the only time the Tigers have made more than 8 threes in a game since their game at Arkansas.
“Florida’s defense was really good,” said Coach Bruce Pearl when asked about the shooting struggles. “Their length really bothered us. We didn’t execute particularly well”
This ability to execute from beyond the arc has been evident not just vs Florida, but at Vanderbilt, Alabama, and Mississippi State as well. Auburn has shot a combined 24.2% from three in those four games, a mark that would be dead last in all of NCAA Division 1 Men’s Basketball were it the Tigers’ season percentage.
Auburn also struggled uncharacteristically with turnovers vs the Gators, turning the ball over 15 times, which led to 16 Florida points.
“I think their [Florida’s] length was really good,” said Coach Pearl. “They played physically. The game itself was chippy. And that’s part of the game. I thought they were the more physical team. Their physicality disrupted us a little bit.”
Florida’s physicality was on display not only on the ball but also down low, where the Gators recorded 6 blocks, led by sophomore Micah Handlogten’s four.
Overall, Auburn continues to find itself struggling in SEC road games, dropping to 3-3 in such contests on the season, with two of those victories coming against SEC bottom-feeders Arkansas and Vanderbilt. The Tigers will need to find a way to beat good opponents on the road if they wish to truly establish themselves as national title contenders.
Auburn will look to bounce back on Wednesday when they welcome the 15th-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks (21-3, 9-2) to Neville Arena. Tip-off will be at 8:30 on the SEC Network and the Auburn Sports Network. The game will provide an important opportunity for Auburn to re-assert itself and gain confidence, because, as Coach Pearl said following the loss to the Gators:
“Nobody’s proud of a 16-point loss.”
