Unranked Florida pulls off major upset of No. 2 Auburn
Florida did something Saturday only two other teams have done. The Gators beat No. 2 Auburn.
Unranked Florida capitalized on a plethora of Tigers miscues to pull of its biggest victory of the season, 63-62, at Exactech Arena in Gainesville. Auburn made a run in the second half, but the Gators battled back and eventually stunned the No. 2-ranked Tigers.
Tyree Appleby had a huge day for the Gators, scoring 26 points on 7-of-15 shooting — including 5-of-10 from three-point territory. As a group, 10 of Florida’s 19 made field goals came from downtown, which allowed the Gators to build a lead over Auburn. The Tigers shot 40% from the field, but were 5-for-14 from outside.
Jabari Smith dropped a team-high 28 points, but he didn’t have much help. Walker Kessler had 11 points, but got into foul trouble early. The Tigers committed an uncharacteristic 17 turnovers in the effort.
Both teams got to the free throw line, combining to go 32-for-39 at the charity stripe.
The victory boosts the Gators’ resume for the NCAA tournament. Florida is now 17-10 and 7-7 in SEC play, and picked up its second Quadrant 1 win in the effort.
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Auburn entered Saturday as the No. 2 overall seed in March Madness top 16
The end of the regular season is rapidly approaching in college basketball. Most teams are gearing up for their final five or six regular season games, setting up an important final stretch ahead of conference tournaments and eventually March Madness. On Saturday, the NCAA Tournament committee released its initial top 16 teams as the regular season winds down.
NCAA Tournament committee’s initial top 16
- Gonzaga (West region)
- Auburn (Midwest)
- Arizona (South)
- Kansas (East)
- Baylor (South)
- Kentucky (East)
- Purdue (Midwest)
- Duke (West)
- Villanova (East)
- Texas Tech (Midwest)
- Tennessee (South)
- Illinois (West)
- Wisconsin (East)
- UCLA (Midwest)
- Providence (South)
- Texas (West)
If this top 16 held up, the West Region would be led by Gonzaga, Duke, Illinois, and Texas. The Midwest would include Auburn, Purdue, Texas Tech, and UCLA. In the South, Arizona is joined by Baylor, Tennessee, and Providence. Kansas leads the East, and is joined by Kentucky, Villanova, and Wisconsin.
Auburn’s loss to Florida will all but certainly impact seeding, proving there’s a lot for the committee to figure out between now and Selection Sunday. With only a couple weeks left in the regular season, the rankings are all but certain to change even more before March Madness tips off.