At the Buzzer: Auburn 76, Florida 62 (Instant Breakdown)
Tuesday, February 5, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Chris Harry
AT THE BUZZER
AUBURN 76, FLORIDA 62
AUBURN 76, FLORIDA 62
WHAT HAPPENED: Senior guard Bryce Brown scored 14 points, junior guard Samir Doughty added 12 points plus five rebounds, and the Tigers used a red-hot run in the second half to put double-digit distance between the Gators and rolled Tuesday night to a third straight Southeastern Conference victory at Auburn Arena. The Tigers went cold down the stretch (just one field goal over the last six minutes), but they'd already built an 18-point cushion and the Gators couldn't get any closer than nine the rest of the way. Auburn shot 48 percent for the game, more than doubled Florida in 3-point makes (9-4) and forced 17 turnovers that were converted into 19 points. A 3-pointer by Brown just over seven minutes into the game broke a 13-all tie and began a gradual pull-way for the Tigers, who opened a 10-point cushion that UF managed to cut to six at halftime, then to four early in the second half. That's when Auburn came alive, though, first with a 9-0 run to go up 15, and after the Gators managed to trim that to eight, then a 14-2 blitz that put the Tigers up 18 with just over eight minutes to play; way too much to overcome for a team that struggles to score. UF senior center Kevarrius Hayes, who did not start the game because he was late for a team meeting earlier in the day, finished with a team-high 11 points, four rebounds and a blocked shot over 29 minutes. Freshman guard Noah Locke had 10 points, all in the first half.
WHAT IT MEANS: Playing the nation's 18th most difficult schedule continues to take its toll, as Florida has now lost four games against opponents in the KenPom.com top 14 and six against teams in the top 30. The Gators, with two straight SEC losses after winning three in a row, are now 1-8 against teams ranked in the top 50 of the NET system that will seed the NCAA Tournament in March. The defeat was also the first for UF against Auburn since the 2009 SEC Tournament, a run of 11 games, and first in five games at Auburn Arena, which opened in 2011. The Gators fell a half-game back of the Tigers and into sixth place in the SEC standings.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Auburn's offense versus Florida's defense. The Tigers came in with the No. 9 offense, according to KenPom. The Gators came in with the No. 9 defense, according to KenPom. The game numbers were anything but a push.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Florida, with just over eight minutes remaining in the game, was shooting 53 percent -- and still faced its's largest deficit at 18. That's because Auburn was shooting 53 percent, as well (with nine 3s to UF's four), but a blistering 65 percent for the second half. UF managed to shoot a solid 46 percent for the game, but undermined itself with those turnovers.
UP NEXT: The SEC paddlewheel continues for Florida (12-10, 4-5), which is back on the road Saturday to face No. 1 Tennessee (21-1, 9-0). The Volunteers, who defeated the Gators 78-67 back on Jan. 12 in a game much closer than the scorer indicated, won their school-record 17th straight game in Tuesday beating Missouri 72-60 at home. UF has never beaten a No. 1-ranked team in the regular season.
Players Mentioned
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