Five things to remember from the first time Florida Basketball played Auburn in 2025

Florida beat Auburn 90-81 back on February 8
Feb 8, 2025; Auburn, Alabama, USA;  Florida Gators forward Alex Condon (21) moves in to block the shot of Auburn Tigers forward Johni Broome (4) during the second half at Neville Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images
Feb 8, 2025; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Florida Gators forward Alex Condon (21) moves in to block the shot of Auburn Tigers forward Johni Broome (4) during the second half at Neville Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images | John Reed-Imagn Images

When Florida Basketball and Auburn step on the court this Saturday, they will be the second time they have met in 2025. The Gators beat the Tigers 90-81 on the road back on February 8.

A lot has happened since their first matchup, and here are five things you may have forgotten from the first time they played.

Florida Basketball: Alijah Martin was out

If you are looking for a practical reason why Florida should be considered the favorite in San Antonio, keep in mind Florida went up by 20 on the road and did it without Alijah Martin.

Martin was dealing with a hip pointer and missed the game against Auburn as well as the subsequent game against Mississippi State.

Urban Klavzar was useful

With Martin out, it meant Denzel Aberdeen got the start, but it also meant that Urban Klavzar had extended minutes.

Klavzar had his second-most minutes of the season against Auburn with 17 minutes, and he did great. Beyond going 3-3 from three, he held his own on defense and forced a couple of turnovers.

His spacing also forced Auburn to get stuck in no man's land on rotations when deciding whether to rotate to Klavzar or stick on Will Richard/Aberdeen.

Alex Condon had Johni Broome in a box

At first glance, Johni Broome had 18 points and 11 rebounds.

But if you go back and watch the film, most of Broome's points came when he wasn't matched up with Condon, and/or Condon switched off of Broome on a pick-and-roll.

However, when one-on-one with Broome in the post, Condon made life miserable for Broome, and Broome missed several opportunities close by.

Rebounding on free throws was an adventure

If there was one glaring weak point for the Gators, it was boxing on free throws.

There were multiple occasions where Auburn rebounded their own miss on a free throw, and that has to improve for Florida this Saturday.

Walter Clayton Jr. is good at basketball

Spoiler alert: Florida is going to need Walter Clayton Jr. to be great again in order to win.

Clayton had 19 points, which is par for the course for him. However, the key that allowed Florida to pull away was when Auburn started pressing Clayton hard, and he was able to distribute.

The nine assists Clayton had against Auburn is still his season high.

Schedule

Schedule