(This story has been updated to add new information).
The SEC is in the midst of a potentially historic men’s basketball season, with seven of its teams ranked in the top 25 of the latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and 14 of its 16 members still in the hunt for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Of that large, illustrious bunch, Florida may very well be the best squad. The Gators certainly showed as much Saturday in one of their biggest games of the season.
Behind a team-high 19 points and nine assists from all-American candidate Walter Clayton Jr., No. 6 Florida went on the road and knocked off No. 1 Auburn, 90-81.
It was the Gators’ second win against a top-ranked team this season. They previously walloped then-No. 1 Tennessee 73-43 on Jan. 7. According to the ESPN broadcast, it was the program’s first-ever road win against a No. 1 team.
Florida’s triumph snapped Auburn’s 14-game win streak, which was the second-longest in Division I. It was also the Tigers’ first loss this season at Neville Arena, which has one of the best home-court advantages in the sport. Coach Bruce Pearl’s team had won three of its four SEC home games this season by at least 15 points.
With the loss, Auburn is at risk of falling from the No. 1 spot, particularly if No. 2 Duke wins on the road Saturday night against No. 21 Clemson. Prior to Saturday, the Blue Devils had been the only team to beat the Tigers this season, earning an 84-78 victory on Dec. 4 at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
It was Clayton’s first game back since returning from an ankle injury that sidelined him for his team’s 86-75 victory against Vanderbilt on Tuesday.
The Gators have won five of their past six games to improve to 20-3 on the season.
Alex Condon finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds and four assists for Florida, which shot 48.4% from the field and 39.4% from 3-point range against an Auburn team that came into the matchup ranked 12th nationally in defensive efficiency, according to KenPom. Thomas Haugh added 16 points, nine rebounds and three blocks off the bench.
Auburn star forward Johni Broome, one of the two front-runners for national player of the year (along with Duke’s Cooper Flagg), finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and six assists while making only eight of his 19 shots from the field.
The win continued a stellar-but-eventful season for the Gators.
Third-year Florida coach Todd Golden was the subject of a four-month-long investigation from the university’s Title IX department that looked into allegations of sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, stalking and cyberstalking from multiple women, including students. The school closed its investigation in late January after finding “no evidence” that Golden violated Title IX.
Florida-Auburn basketball box score
Here’s a look at the top performers from both Florida and Auburn in the Gators’ victory Saturday:
Florida
- G Walter Clayton Jr.: 19 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds
- F Alex Condon: 17 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists
- F Thomas Haugh: 16 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks
Auburn
- F Johni Broome: 18 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks
- G Miles Kelly: 22 points, 3 rebounds
