Gators Topple No. 12 Tigers in Dominant Fashion, 81-65

Florida dominated Auburn from start to finish to notch another March Madness résumé-defining win on Saturday.

Photo: Gators guard Riley Kugel, Walter Clayton Jr. and Zyon Pullin; Credit: Zach Goodall

Florida led from start to finish and produced a dominant 81-65 win over the No. 12 Auburn Tigers at home on Saturday.

It's the unit's second Quad I victory of the season, adding to an already impressive March Madness résumé which includes an upset win over Kentucky in Lexington on Jan. 31 and a perfect 14-0 record in Quad II-IV.

Gators head coach Todd Golden pulls even in the head-to-head series with mentor Bruce Pearl, avenging a loss in the first SEC bout of his UF career against the Tigers in The Jungle on Dec. 28, 2022. 

Florida head coach Todd Golden (left) and Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl (right) embrace after the Gators’ 81-65 victory over the No. 12 Tigers / Zach Goodall

Surging quickly to a 9-0 lead to begin the contest, the momentum swung heavily in the Gators' favor. And it never left their sides.

Florida built the lead to as much as 17 in the first half, riding the high of all-around stellar play on both ends of the floor. 

The nation's No. 17 offense, according to KenPom, maintained its usual trend of success despite operating against a top-three defense in the country. Contrary to the norm, the Gators complemented their scoring effort with arguably the most concerted defensive output of the 2023-24 season.

They held an efficient Tigers offense, led by player-of-the-year candidate Johni Broome, to just 26 first-half points on 32.3% from the floor and under 10% from beyond the arc.

Auburn attempted to cut into the lead, trimming the margin to 12 with 6:33 remaining in the first half. But, the Gators quickly struck back, throwing more hard punches at the Tigers to claim a 19-point advantage at the 1:06 mark.

UF entered the locker room break ahead 42-26.

The action returned with the same level of intensity, which saw Florida again prove to be the more game squad in Gainesville on Saturday

Golden's unit executed a 22-8 run over the first 5:55 of the period to post an insurmountable 29-point lead over the Tigers.

Despite going the final nine-plus minutes without a field goal, the cushion was enough for Florida to secure the uber-important victory.

It held Auburn to 42.1% shooting (17% from deep). The team's leading scorer, Broome, accounted for just 12 points. The Gators, meanwhile, connected on 40.3% of its shots from the floor while finding the bottom of the net on seven triples to catalyze the 81-point showing.

Riley Kugel's 22 points spearheaded the onslaught while Zyon Pullin and Walter Clayton Jr. added 19 and 20, respectively. Florida also won the critical battle on the boards, 43-41.

Golden and Co. advanced to 16-7 (6-4 SEC) as a result of the impressive win. 

Florida remains in Gainesville for its ensuing contest against the LSU Tigers on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. 

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