The Florida Gators have been outstanding all season long, but they put on quite a furious rush at season’s end to capture the SEC tournament title. They’ve had their share of drama in the NCAA’s, beating the likes of defending national champion UConn and Texas Tech.

The Auburn Tigers are in approximately the same place many BetOnline customers expected at the outset of the season. They were ranked near the top of the polls for the whole campaign, but by the time Tennessee eliminated them in the SEC tourney, they had lost three out of four games. They’ve gathered themselves in time, beating Creighton, Michigan and Michigan State to get to the Final Four in San Antonio. 

These two powers from the most powerful conference in the country (the SEC) will meet in one of the semi-final games, with the winner meeting the survivor of the Duke-Houston game in Monday’s championship contest.

Tipoff for the Florida-Auburn game is slated for 6:09 PM ET at the Alamodome, with the game airing on CBS.

This game features teams that finished among the nation’s top ten teams in both offensive and defensive efficiency, according to the numbers compiled by KenPom.com. Auburn has played the other three teams in the Final Four, losing to Duke and beating Houston. They also met Florida on February 8. In that game, the Gators’ star guard, Walter Clayton, had 19 points, six rebounds and six assists in his team’s 90-81 victory.

Let’s look at some numbers……

In the Final Four betting odds that have been posted on this game by the folks at BetOnline, Florida is the favorite:

Florida Gators  -2.5 (-108)
Auburn Tigers  +2.5 (-112) 

Over 159.5 Points -105
Under 159.5 Points -115

And don’t forget that when you click the “Live Betting” tab, you can place your wagers even after the opening tip!

Looking at coach Todd Golden and the Florida Gators

These head coaches may represent an “old school vs. new school” dynamic, but there is a connection between them. Todd Golden, who played at Saint Mary’s, is a proponent of analytics who became a disciple of Kyle Smith, serving under him at both Columbia and San Francisco (where he ultimately succeeded Smith as head coach), but he also served as an assistant under Auburn coach Bruce Pearl.

Golden has one of the best players in the country in Clayton, a 6-3 guard who previously played for Rick Pitino at Iona, shoots almost 87% from the line, and leads the team with 17.7 points per game. However, it’s 6-11 forward Alex Condon (10.9 ppg, 7.7 rpg), a tough inside defender, who has drawn more attention from NBA scouts. Florida adds even more size with 6-10 Rueben Chinyelu, who played for the aforementioned Kyle Smith at Washington State, and 6-9 Thomas Haugh, who had 20 points and eleven rebounds against Texas Tech in the Elite Eight. More experience comes from Alijah Martin, who played in the Final Four when he was at Florida Atlantic.

Looking at Bruce Pearl and the Auburn Tigers 

Pearl has 706 career wins, and has previously been to the Sweet Sixteen with Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Tennessee. This is his second trip to the Final Four with Auburn. His team is one of the best in the nation at defending the three-point line, but they generally pull opponents inside the arc, as they take only 26% of their shots from out there. Auburn also has a tendency to foul, so it’s going to be a challenge keeping Florida off the free throw line. Keep in mind that the Gators are fifth best in the country in offensive rebounding percentage. 

Speaking of that, Florida has to figure out a way to neutralize Auburn’s top player, who ranks among the top performers in the nation. Johni Broome, a 6-10 forward, is a ferocious guy on the boards, averaging 3.7 offensive rebounds per contest. He has shined in the NCAA’s, with 22 points and 16 rebounds against Michigan and 25 and 14 against Michigan State. This season he’s scored 20 or more points nineteen times and hit double figures in rebounds on 21 occasions.

Winding up to a conclusion…..

Both of these teams are positioned to take the three-point shot away from their opponent, so it may come down to who can connect better in close. They are remarkably similar on the offensive and defensive ends in a lot of analytical categories.

In terms of subtle differences, we know that Florida has enough up-front depth to get physical against a guy like Broome, and they seem like the team more likely to get to the charity stripe. They may be able to extract a slight edge in the paint with their propensity to hit the offensive glass. So you can’t just stop them once; you may have to stop them all over again.

So it’s a very slight nod to FLORIDA. 

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