Takeaways from Auburn Basketball’s exciting win vs. Florida

The Tigers win a close game at home against the Gators in thrilling fashion.

Author:
Jeremy Robuck
Publish date:
Dec 28, 2022 9:37 PM EST

In this story:

Auburn opened SEC play Wednesday night at home against the Florida Gators. The Tigers were hot early defensively and played a great first half on the defensive end. Auburn’s early lead slowly dwindled as the offense stagnated, and Florida led by the halftime buzzer. Auburn battled back and showed emotion throughout a close hard fought 2nd half. Florida had a four point lead late, but this Auburn team stormed back and refused lose as Colin Castleton fumbled the game away down one with 5 seconds left. Here are some takeaways from tonight’s game.

The Tigers have similar strengths and weaknesses as last years team

Stop me if this sounds familiar. Auburn plays great defense and bad offense. They can’t shoot the three, guard play is inconsistent, and the team is streaky. This team is really hard to beat at home. This could be said about both this team and last years team. The good news is the defense is so elite that the Tigers can still play with anybody.

What does it all mean? Projecting the rest of the regular season

What will this season look like based on what we saw tonight? A few important factors are that Auburn will be favored a lot early in their conference schedule, home court is a huge advantage, and momentum is a factor. Last years team got hot early and momentum continued into midseason. Morale is important, and the first few games could determine whether this team goes on a streak or a slide. This team also doesn’t have to deal with the target on their back as much as was the case late last season. Overall this team could go 10-8 in conference play. They could get really hot and finish 15-3. They could get in a rut and go 6-12. So much depends on how the team gels and develops. Confidence is important for this team so the next few games are essential. Tonight was a big win.