ESPN Unanimous Prediction of Auburn Tigers vs. Florida Gators in Final Four

Three ESPN experts predicted the outcome of the Final Four matchup between the Auburn Tigers and Florida Gators, and they all agreed on the outcome.

Scott Kennedy | Apr 1, 2025

Auburn's Johni Broome had 18 points and 11 rebounds and Florida's Alex Condon had 17 points and 10 rebounds in their 1st meeting. / Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers

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The top-two teams in the SEC were unfortunately scheduled on the same side of the bracket so they are meeting in the Final Four instead of possibly the finals. The Auburn Tigers and the Florida Gators are the SEC regular season champion and tournament champion respectively. Both are No. 1 seeds, and both are talented, deep squads capable of winning games inside or on the permiter.

The Florida Gators won the first matchup 90-81 in February, handing the Tigers just their second loss on the season, and only SEC loss before they clinched the regular season championship.

Auburn coasted into the SEC Tournament after losing their final-two games while the Gators cruised through a loaded field, winning every game by at least nine points.

It wasn't overly difficult to pick these two teams in the Final Four, but ESPN analysts Jeff Borzello, Joe Lunardi, and Myron Medcalf went to the task of predicting Saturday's meeting in San Antonio, Texas.

The three of them were unanimous in choosing the Florida Gators.

Jeff Borzello: Florida wins, 82-79
Joe Lunardi: Florida wins, 85-80
Myron Medcalf: Florida wins, 88-84

Medcalf came away impressed with Florida's meddle in their comeback win over Texas Tech, but maybe he missed Auburn's games against Michigan and Michigan State.

"No team in America has been able to turn games in their favor with devastating runs the way the Gators have," wrote Medcalf on ESPN.

"Down nine points with 3:14 to play against Texas Tech, they ended the game on an 18-4 run akin to ones we have seen from them multiple times this season. Just in this tournament, they outscored Maryland 47-33 in the second half of their Sweet 16 win and had 53 points in less than 17 minutes against Norfolk State in the opening round."

There's no doubt that Florida's defense can help spur impressive runs, but Auburn can counter with a 34-8 second-half spell against Michigan in the second half and a 17-0 run against Michigan State that ended the game almost before it started.

Gators' All-American guard Walter Clayton Jr. has been transcendent this tournament, and he's pulled Florida out of some tight spots against UConn and Texas Tech to reach the Final Four. Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl likes to tout Denver Jones as the best defensive guard in the country; he'll need to be against Clayton.

WALTER CLAYTON ARE YOU SERIOUS?! 🤯#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/5YeSqK5khr
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 30, 2025

"Next to Cooper Flagg, Florida might have the biggest star of them all in Clayton Jr. His sheer will and talent could be the deciding factors in whether the Gators win the title," wrote Medcalf.

The Tigers have a few stars of their own, including player of the year candidate Johni Broome.

"He seemed healthy enough to perform at a high level this Saturday, but he will need to be at 100 percent to compete with Florida's deep and talented frontcourt," Borzello wrote of Broome.

"The Gators have the size and depth inside to make life difficult for Johni Broome and can win in more ways than the Tigers can," concluded Borzello.

Auburn and Florida are two of the few teams that have size on the inside and elite players on the perimeter; there's a reason they were No. 1 seeds. Despite the unanimous prediction of the Gators, ESPNBet has the game at just -2.5 for Florida.

This is a game worthy of the Finals, but the winner will still need to take on either the red-hot Duke Blue Devils or the Houston Cougars. While the undercard may have been relatively predictable leading up to the Final Four, the main event features the heavyweights of the 2024/25 college basketball season.