Florida to Play Auburn in Final Four

The Tigers' win over Michigan State in the Elite Eight sets up a rematch between the SEC's two best teams.

Feb 8, 2025; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Auburn Tigers guard Denver Jones (2) pressures Florida Gators guard Denzel Aberdeen (11) during the first half at Neville Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images | John Reed-Imagn Images

The Florida Gators opponent in the Final Four has been decided: The Gators will face SEC foe and fellow one-seed Auburn on April 5 for a chance to go to the National Championship.

The Tigers' win over Michigan State on Sunday in Atlanta sets up a rematch of Florida's 90-81 win over Auburn on Feb. 8, a game in which Walter Clayton Jr. scored a team-high 19 points with nine assists, Alex Condon recorded 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Thomas Haugh added 16 points and nine rebounds off the bench.

The win was a catalyst for the Gators the rest of the way as it was the second time Florida had knocked off a top-ranked team and was the second in what would be 16 wins in the team's last 17 games.

Florida eventually won its first SEC Tournament title in 11 years with a win over Tennessee and its first Final Four in that same span with a late comeback win over Texas Tech.

The game will also see another meetup between Todd Golden and his mentor Bruce Pearl. Golden previously coached with the Tigers under Pearl as an assistant from 2014-16 and played under Pearl in the 2009 Maccabiah Games with the USA Open Team.

"Bruce is family to me," Golden said on Feb. 4 prior to the team's win over the Tigers. "One of my mentors, Bruce also coached me in 2009 in Israel in the Maccabiah Games. I know. Steven, his son, is one of my best friends. I owe a lot to them in terms of my success as a coach. Don't really know what else to say about it except I'm proud to be coaching Florida and doing well."

Tipoff between the Gators and the Tigers in San Antonio will be at 6:09 p.m. ET with television coverage on CBS.