This One Stat Could Make or Break Auburn When They Face Gators

The Auburn Tigers are set for a rematch with the Gators, and this is what it will take to win it

This should make the difference between a win and a loss for Auburn | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

It’s been a tumultuous season for the Auburn Tigers in Steven Pearl’s first year at the helm. The team returned just one scholarship player from last year’s Final Four run, sophomore guard Tahaad Pettiford, saw a coaching overhaul and is now scratching and clawing for just about every win it can get.

The Tigers currently stand at 12-7 overall and 3-3 in the SEC, with two straight conference wins over South Carolina and Ole Miss. Despite impressive forward momentum, the Tigers have a significant road test coming up this Saturday against former Auburn assistant Todd Golden and his Florida Gators.

The Gators ended the Tigers’ championship hopes last year in the Final Four before winning a championship of their own, so Auburn is surely out for revenge against the team that ended the coaching career of legendary Auburn coach Bruce Pearl, and his son believes there’s one factor that can swing the tide in the Tigers’ favor: three-point shooting.

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"In order for us to beat Florida, we've got to hit about 40% of our 3s,” the younger Pearl turned head coach said. “In order to beat the best teams on the road, it takes special."

Even for last year’s Tiger team, 40% from beyond the arc would be an impressive feat, but for this year’s team, it looks to be a herculean task. The Tigers have been on a cold streak from deep in their past two games, going 2-19 against South Carolina and 2-17 against Ole Miss.

Despite the recent cold streak, Pearl’s Tigers are averaging 7.8 made three pointers per game to 23.9 attempts per game, good for an average three-point percentage of just under 33%. If the Tigers can surpass that average and find the bottom of the net consistently against the Gators, they’ll be a tough team to stop.

Despite a quiet set of recent games, the Tigers clearly have no shortage of long-range weaponry. Key names Tahaad Pettiford, Kevin Overton, Kaden Magwood, Elyjah Freeman and Keyshawn Hall have all historically proven to be quite consistent from beyond the arc, and could be a variable threat to the Gators’ chances on Saturday.

Even with recent struggles from beyond the arc, the Tigers have shown an ability to find ways to win games. They’ve dominated on the glass, gotten to the free-throw line on a consistent basis and locked down defensively to win crucial matchups, so if the three-ball isn’t falling, all isn’t necessarily lost for Auburn.

The Tigers’ revenge matchup is set to tip off in Gainesville this Saturday at 3:00 p.m. CST.