After another win over a top-ranked team, Florida should be 1 seed
Before Florida’s road game at Tennessee, where the Gators haven’t won since 2014, coach Todd Golden said UF should be a 1 seed with another victory over the Vols. While that didn’t happen, few would disagree with him now.
The No. 6 Florida Gators pulled off one of their biggest regular season wins in school history Saturday, beating top-ranked Auburn 90-81 for the program’s first-ever road victory over the No. 1 team in the Associated Press poll.
Five Gators scored in double figures, led by Walter Clayton Jr. with 19 points. Florida had its most 3-pointers (13) and assists (22) in SEC play, with four 3s and a career-high nine assists from Clayton. UF held the Tigers to seven 3-pointers.
“Probably the toughest place to play in America right now, against the best team in America, and we showed out for 40 minutes,” Gators coach Todd Golden in his postgame radio interview. “I thought we were the mentally and physically tougher team.”
Florida beats two No. 1s in same season
And that was without Alijah Martin, who missed the game with a hip injury. Florida still made its case to be a 1 seed by snapping Auburn’s 14-game winning streak, including a 10-0 mark at home and a 9-0 record in SEC play.
Prior to this year, the Gators had never beaten a No. 1 team in the regular season. Now they’ve done it twice following their 73-43 win over top-ranked Tennessee in Gainesville.
With Saturday’s victory at Auburn, Florida won its first-ever top-10 road matchup and became just the fifth team in NCAA history to beat two No. 1 teams in the same season.
Top 10
- 1Breaking
Cooper Flagg
Injury update for Duke star
- 2New
Texas football players
Self-report gambling violations
- 3Hot
Bracketology Update
Conference Tourney shakeup
- 4
Dabo Swinney interview
Andy & Ari On3 speak with Clemson coach
- 5
EA Sports CFB 26
Cover athlete intel
Get the On3 Top 10 to your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
There are still eight games remaining and a lot of ball left to be played vs. ranked opponents, but you will be hard pressed to find multiple teams in March with a better résumé than UF.
“It’s definitely tough to get a win on the road in the SEC in general, especially against a No. 1 team,” Clayton said on ESPN 2 after the victory. “Auburn, they’re a great team. They do a lot of things well. But we prepared well, and we came out and we executed.”
Not a member of Gators Online?
CLICK HERE to join the Gators Online community! It’s the top place for passionate Florida fans to find the best insight and news in the market.
Boasting a talented collection of experienced journalists, we dig deep into recruiting and provide breaking news and analysis on UF sports.
