What Gators Should Expect Out of Auburn Rematch

The Florida Gators are set to host Auburn for the first time since the Final Four bout, and it's not quite the same teams as before

This isn't exactly the same Auburn team that the Gators are up against | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

The No. 16 Florida Gators welcome the Auburn Tigers to Exactech Arena on Saturday, facing off against the Tigers for the first time since last year’s Final Four. Auburn enters with a 12-7 overall record and a 3-3 conference record. 

This is a different Auburn team than years previous, though. 

First off, the Tigers are led by a new head coach, Steven Pearl – the son of Bruce Pearl. It is his first year as the head coach of Auburn, following in his dad's footsteps. Although they have been inconsistent under his guidance, the Tigers have shown signs of being a strong team on the hardwood. 

They are currently winners of their past two, taking down the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Ole Miss Rebels. Before that, though, the Tigers were just 1-3 in the conference, falling to Georgia, Texas A&M and Missouri. 

One crucial reason the Tigers have stumbled out of the gate in the conference is their defense. It currently sits at No. 14 in the SEC and No. 289 in the country, allowing 78 points per game. 

Auburn’s offense also struggles to score off assists. It is dishing out 14 assists per contest, which ranks 13th in the league and 196th in the country. 

As for the roster itself, there was a lot of turnover from their previous team. Auburn brought in four transfers, alongside six recruits from the high school and juco ranks, to fill the holes left from the departures of Johni Broome, Denver Jones, Dylan Cardwell, Myles Kelly, Chaney Johnson and Chad Baker-Mazara. 

The most impactful of the newcomers has been UCF transfer Keyshawn Hall. Hall is leading the team in scoring, averaging 20.1 points per game on 47.6/40/86.6 shooting splits. He is also logging 7.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. 

Two of the other transfers are also in double figures.Texas Tech transfer Kevin Overton is third on the team in scoring, providing 12.2 points per game on 40.7/84.1/33.7 shooting splits. Mississippi State transfer Keshawn Murphy is scoring 10.5 and grabbing 6.5 rebounds per contest. 

There is one notable player who returned from their Final Four roster. Sophomore guard Tahaad Petiford is second on the team in scoring, posting 13.9 points per game. The downside of Petiford in his second year on The Plains is his shooting efficiency, or lack thereof. He is shooting just 36.9 percent from the field overall and 27 percent from three. 

Florida and Auburn tip off at 4 p.m., with ESPN broadcasting the matchup on Saturday.