The O’Connell Center is set to host a rematch with a twist this Saturday, as No. 16 Florida welcomes Auburn in a game that looks very different from their last NCAA Tournament Final Four showdown. This time around, the names and faces have changed-especially for the Tigers-but the stakes remain high.
Florida (14-5, 5-1 SEC) is riding a wave of momentum, looking to extend its home winning streak to 16 games. Auburn (12-7, 3-3), meanwhile, enters with a revamped roster and a new voice on the sideline: Steven Pearl, who took over for his father, longtime head coach Bruce Pearl. Only one key rotational player-senior guard Tahaad Pettiford-returns from last year’s Auburn squad, making this a very different team from the one Florida faced in the postseason.
Gators head coach Todd Golden acknowledged the challenge of following in Bruce Pearl’s footsteps, calling him a “Hall of Fame head coach,” but credited Steven Pearl for keeping Auburn competitive despite the transition.
So what will it take for Florida to protect its home court and keep the streak alive? Let’s break down four key areas that could determine the outcome Saturday.
1. Containing Keyshawn Hall
If Auburn’s offense has a heartbeat, it’s Keyshawn Hall.
The senior forward transferred in from UCF, where he earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors last season, and he’s picked up right where he left off. Hall is averaging 20.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, and he’s been the go-to guy in crunch time. He exploded for back-to-back 32-point games earlier this month and leads the Tigers in three-point shooting at 40%.
But there’s been a recent dip in his perimeter production-Hall has missed his last eight attempts from beyond the arc. Still, he’s finding ways to score. Against Ole Miss, he dropped 19 points, most of them coming from the free-throw line, where he went 11-for-12.
“He’s a fantastic offensive player,” Golden said. “He’s really hard to guard. You guard him with size, you guard him with quickness and length, and he usually has an answer.”
Florida’s Thomas Haugh is likely to draw the assignment on Hall. At 6-foot-7, Haugh has the size and defensive instincts to make life difficult. He held LSU’s Pablo Tamba to just four points on 0-of-2 shooting in their last game and led the team with three steals.
Hall can be turnover-prone-he’s averaging 2.7 per game and had six against NC State-so if Haugh can apply pressure without fouling, Florida has a real shot at neutralizing Auburn’s top threat.
2. Reignite Haugh and Xaivian Lee
Auburn’s defense has been suspect, and that’s putting it mildly. The Tigers are giving up 78 points per game-third-worst in the SEC-and they rank dead last in field-goal percentage allowed (44.9%). They’re also near the bottom in defending the three, allowing opponents to shoot nearly 35% from deep.
That opens the door for Florida’s top scorers, Haugh and Xaivian Lee, to get back on track.
Lee, who lit up Vanderbilt for 20 points, has cooled off. He managed just seven points on 1-of-4 shooting from three against LSU and has scored in single digits in three of the Gators’ last five games.
Haugh, Florida’s leading scorer at 16.9 points per game, also had a rough night against LSU. He shot just 2-of-11 from the field and finished with seven points-his only three-pointer came on a buzzer-beater to close the first half.
This matchup gives both players a chance to reset. Auburn’s defensive lapses, especially on closeouts and rotations, could be exactly what Lee and Haugh need to find their rhythm again.
3. Lean on the Bench
Depth has been a concern for both squads, but Florida’s bench is trending upward at the right time.
Auburn, on the other hand, is still searching for answers. In their loss to Ole Miss, the Tigers got just seven points from their bench, which shot a combined 2-of-7.
They’ve been without key contributors like 7-footer Emeka Opurum (out since November with a season-ending medical issue) and junior guard Abdul Bashir, who hasn’t played since late November due to a lingering back injury. Freshman guard Kaden Magwood, a highly touted recruit, has also been benched recently due to off-court issues.
Meanwhile, Florida’s second unit is stepping up.
Sophomore guard Isaiah Brown has delivered back-to-back strong performances. He scored 14 points with four rebounds in 20 minutes against Vanderbilt, then followed that up with eight points and five rebounds in just 13 minutes versus LSU.
“He’s playing the best basketball of his career right now,” Golden said. “It’s not close.”
Urban Klavžar also made noise against LSU, dropping a career-high 18 points and hitting five threes-four of them coming in the second half. Florida’s bench outscored LSU’s 30-12 in that game, and if they can replicate that production, it could be a game-changer against an Auburn team that lacks reliable depth.
4. Feed Rueben Chinyelu Early
Few players in the SEC are making a bigger impact right now than Rueben Chinyelu.
The junior center is averaging 12 points and 11.2 rebounds per game, putting him on pace to become the first Gator since 1976 to average a double-double over a full season. He’s currently riding a streak of four straight double-doubles, capped by a monster 15-point, 21-rebound performance against LSU.
Chinyelu has also been racking up accolades, earning SEC and Oscar Robertson Player of the Week honors after a dominant stretch that included 19 points and 12 boards against Oklahoma and a career-high 20 points versus Vanderbilt.
But there’s a pattern worth noting: slow starts. In each of his last three games, Chinyelu has been quiet in the first half. He had just two points at the break against LSU, five in the first half against Oklahoma, and didn’t score until the final 90 seconds of the first half against Vanderbilt.
Golden and his staff are aware.
“At halftime, we talked about making sure we got him some low block touches,” Golden said after the Vanderbilt game. “It calms us down and it slows the game down. It makes the tempo more the way we want to play.”
Expect Florida to make a concerted effort to get Chinyelu involved early. His presence in the paint not only sets the tone offensively but also helps control the tempo, which plays directly into the Gators’ hands.
The Bottom Line
This isn’t just a rematch-it’s a measuring stick. Florida is looking to prove it’s not only a top-25 team but a real contender in the SEC. Auburn, with a new coach and a retooled roster, is trying to find its identity.
For the Gators, the formula is clear: contain Hall, get Lee and Haugh going, win the bench battle, and let Chinyelu dominate the interior. If they can execute on those fronts, they’ll be in prime position to keep the streak alive and send a message to the rest of the conference.