UF's Denzel Aberdeen (11) attempts to pass the ball as Vanderbilt's AJ Hoggard (11) guards him at the Stephen C. OÕConnell Center in Gainesville, Fla., Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025 .The Gators beat the Commodores 86-75. (Sydney Johnson/ WRUF)

Welcome To “The Jungle”: No. 6 Florida Men’s Basketball’s Biggest Test Yet

Jesse Bratman February 8, 2025 College Basketball, Feature Sports News, Gators Men's Basketball, NCAA, SEC 215 Views

Florida faces the No. 1 team in the country in Auburn for a rematch of last year’s SEC Tournament championship game.

After the Gators’ bad performance in Knoxville, losing 64-44 to No.4 Tennessee on 24.5% shooting, they sailed past Vanderbilt on Tuesday 86-75 at the O’Connell Center. Their next two games are on the road against two ranked teams.

Leading scorer Walter Clayton Jr. will return to the court to face Auburn. Alijah Martin, Florida’s second-leading scorer and muscle on the perimeter, is questionable after sustaining a hip injury against the Commodores.

Auburn (21-1, 9-0 SEC) is the best squad coach Bruce Pearl has assembled. No SEC team has been able to get the best of the Tigers. The Tigers’ only loss was to No. 2 Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Dec. 4. It has been more than two months since Auburn has lost a basketball game.

How do the Gators (19-3, 6-3) break that streak?

Defend Broome

Johni Broome is the heart Auburn’s offense, which has the best efficiency in the country according to kenpom.  Broome leads this team is points, rebounds, assists and blocks, as one of the top candidates to win the Wooden Award.

Florida is going to have to take Broome out of the game if it wants any chance at upsetting the Tigers. The Florida front court, headlined by Alex Condon, will need to attack him down low and try to get him in foul trouble. Clayton and Denzel Alberdeen do a great job at driving downhill to the rim to draw help. The longer Broome sits on the bench, the better.

The Gators also need to have a shooting outing that mirrors their Vanderbilt performance. The Gators shot 31-of-54 (57.4%) against the Commodores, with Will Richard dropping a game-high 21 points. He was 8-of-11 from the field and 5-of-7 from 3. He only attempted two shots against Tennessee.

Florida’s ability to hit the 3-pointer will force Auburn to commit to guarding the perimeter, setting up Florida bigs for 1-on-1 matchups down low. If Martin is unable to go, Florida coach Todd Golden will mostly likely rotate Urban Klavzar and Isaiah Brown in the lineup for the second consecutive game. Klavzar hit two huge 3s in the second half against Vanderbilt that sparked a 9-0 scoring run for the Gators, a turning point in that game. With Klavzar in the game, Auburn’s defense will have to adjust with a lights-out shooter on the floor.

Other Notable Tigers

Auburn’s starting five consists of all seniors and graduate transfers. That experience is a key factor to the success this season.

Five Auburn players average double-digit points. Besides Broome, San Diego State transfer Chad Baker-Mazara gives the Tigers 13 a game, while the starting back court of Miles Kelly and Denver Jones put up a little more than 10 a game.

The Tigers’ fifth starter Dylan Cardwell is a 6-foot-11 center who plays alongside Broome in the post. Off the bench is one of the best freshmen in the country, Tihaad Pettiford, who is a projected first-round pick in this year’s NBA draft.

With how loaded Auburn is, the Gators will no doubt have to bring their best brand of basketball to “The Jungle.”

Tip Time

This top-10 SEC matchup takes place at Neville Arena 4 p.m. ET Saturday (ESPN, 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF, 103.7-FM).

 

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