Expert picks for the Florida Gators-Auburn Tigers national semifinal
Florida’s much-anticipated Final Four semifinal matchup vs. SEC-rival Auburn almost is here. The teams face each other Saturday at 6:09 p.m. ET in San Antonio, Texas. The Gators, the top seed in the West Region, are 34-4. The Tigers, the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, are 32-5. When Florida and Auburn met on Feb. 8 in Auburn, the Gators won 90-81. But now, so much more is at stake. The Gators aim to win the program’s third NCAA title. Meanwhile, Auburn is going for championship No. 1. Who will come out on top when Todd Golden’s Gators face Bruce Pearl’s Tigers? Here are some predictions from across the country.
Here’s how the experts see the Florida Gators-Auburn Tigers game playing out
–Jay Bilas, ESPN: Florida
–Jeff Borzello, ESPN: Florida 82-79
–Myron Medcalf, ESPN: Florida 88-84
–Joe Lunardi, ESPN: Florida 85-80
–Neil Paine, ESPN: Auburn 80-78
–Zach Harper, The Athletic: Florida
–Gary Parrish, CBS Sports: Auburn
–Matt Norlander, CBS Sports: Auburn
–Dennis Dodd, CBS Sports: Florida
–Kyle Boone, CBS Sports: Auburn
–David Cobb, CBS Sports: Florida
–Cameron Salerno, CBS Sports: Florida
–Isaac Trotter, CBS Sports: Auburn
–Chip Patterson, CBS Sports: Florida
–Jerry Palm, CBS Sports: Florida
–Jeremy Cluff, Arizona Republic: Florida 82-77
–Blake Toppmeyer, USA TODAY Network: Florida
–Kevin Brockway, Gainesville Sun: Florida 88-83
-Jason La Canfora, Sportsline: Florida 83-78
–Mike McNamara, Action Network: Auburn
–John Feltman, Action Network: Auburn
–Chris Easterling, Akron Beacon Journal: Florida
–Adam Dubbin, Gators Wire (USA Today): Florida 85-84
-Taylor Jones, AuburnWire (USA Today): Florida 82-78
-Brian Hauch, AuburnWire (USA Today): Florida 83-80
-Phillip Jordan, AuburnWire (USA Today): Auburn 78-73
–Tony Garcia, Detroit Free-Press: Florida
–Carlos Monarrez, Detroit Free-Press: Florida 78-72
–Jeff Seidel, Detroit Free-Press: Florida 82-76
-Chris Solari, Detroit Free-Press: Florida 86-79
–Rodd Baxley, Fayetteville Observer (N.C): Auburn
–Nicole Auerbach, NBC Sports: Florida 87-82
–David Kenyon, Bleacher Report: Florida
–Kerry Miller, Bleacher Report: Auburn
–Joel Reuter, Bleacher Report: Auburn
–Connor O’Gara, Saturday Down South: Auburn 73-71
–Bert Bainbridge, NorthJersey.com: Auburn
–Dave Rivera,NorthJersey.com: Florida
–Wes Huett, Peoria (Ill.) Journal Star: Florida
–Tyler Everett, Newsweek: Florida
-Grant Hughes, 247Sports: Florida 80-79
–Dimers: Florida 79-76
–TSI Score Projection: Florida 79-75
–Adam Cole,Montgomery Advertiser: Florida 92-88 (OT)
Related Florida Gators basketball links
Everything Todd Golden said Friday as Florida prepares for Auburn
How the Florida Gators have fared in national semifinal games
Bruce Pearl revisits what went wrong in Auburn’s loss to Florida
Get to know Auburn, the Florida Gators’ Final Four opponent
