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Both the top seeded Florida Gators and Auburn Tigers are set to face each other in the Final Four on Saturday in San Antonio.
The Gators (34-4) advanced after an 18-4 run late in the second half of Saturday’s Elite Eight propelled them to an 84-79 win against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the West Region final in San Francisco. As for Auburn, the Tigers (32-5) were able to keep the Michigan State Spartans (30-7) at a distance Sunday to book their to the Final Four.
Florida beat the Tigers in Auburn 90-81 on Feb. 8. Now it’s the SEC regular-season champion Tigers vs. the SEC Tournament champion Gators.
Tournament Win Recap
Auburn forward Johni Broome had a dominant performance against the Spartans. Broome, the SEC Player of the Year, finished with 25 point and 14 rebounds. Some concern was sparked, however, when Broome went down with 10:37 left in the second half and left the game with an elbow injury. Broome returned with 5:29 left and immediately checked in. Less than a minute later he would hit a 3-pointer.
The Spartans didn’t go down without a fight. Michigan State forward Jaxon Kohler contributed 17 points and 11 rebounds, with guard Jaden Akins adding 15 points of his own. However, Broome and the Tigers ended up advancing to just their second Final Four appearance after beating the Spartans 70-64. Auburn grabbed the lead early and maintained it throughout the game.
“Unfortunately there will only be one SEC team playing for the National Championship,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said.
Stat Leaders and Offensive Performances
Broome leads the No. 4-ranked Tigers in points with 18.7 per game, rebounds with 10.9 per game and blocks with 2.1 per game. Guard Tahaad Pettiford leads in assists with 2.9, with guard Chad Baker-Mazara leading in steals with 1.1. The Tigers are averaging 83.8 points per game alongside 37.1 rebounds and 16.5 assists.
Etched into Auburn History #WarEagle | @carrier pic.twitter.com/lMh9MkpAMs
— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) March 30, 2025
Injury Concerns
Both Broome and Baker-Mazara missed some time in the win over Michigan State with injury. Baker-Mazara seemed to have a minor injury and resumed play after a short look on the sideline. Broome may have more of an issue. He sustained an elbow injury that seemed to bother him even after checking back into the game. It was clear he was avoiding movement on that elbow and was playing through pain to help his team out. Time will tell the severity, but it is possible it affects him through Auburn’s Final Four matchup with Florida.
Up Next
Auburn finished with a conference record of 15-3. After losing to the Tennessee Volunteers in the SEC Tournament semifinal, the Tigers have now made their second Final Four appearance in program history. The teams are the only Southeastern Conference teams left in the tournament and both ae hungry for a national championship.
Florida coach Todd Golden was an assistant to Pearl at Auburn before landing the job at San Francisco to led to him landing the Gator gig.
Tip-off is set for 6:09 p.m. Saturday in the Alamodome on CBS and radio at ESPN Gainesville 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF and 103.7-FM. The winner plays the winner of the night’s other national semifinal between Duke and Houston for the national championship Monday.
