Three pathways for Florida Basketball to upset Auburn

The theme for Florida Basketball all season is that they have been able to take care of business against all the weaker teams they have faced, but when it comes to top 50 opponents they have struggled. The Gators have just one win against a Quad 1 opponent but are also one of only of seven teams in the country to have zero losses against an opponent outside of Quad 1.

So entering this afternoon's match-up against the Auburn Tigers will provide the Gators with another golden chance to pick up a much needed Quad 1 win.

Florida Basketball: Three Pathways To Victory

Control the Paint

Auburn is not that great of a three point shooting team, ranking 196th in the country. The Tigers shoot just 33% from beyond the arc.

The strength for Auburn comes from their ability to get inside and are 49th in the country on two point shots that are not blocked. And Auburn is a team that is solid at not getting their shot blocked, but not elite ranking 68th.

As a whole, this is an area the Gators have been okay at too, but are also not elite. Florida ranks 83rd in opponents two point shooting percentage.

Protect the Ball

One of the weak spots for Florida has been their inability to protect the basketball. The Gators commit a turnover on 16.4% of their possessions, 162nd in the country.

And one of the big factors in their loss against Texas A&M is that Florida stopped protecting the ball down the stretch. Last Saturday, Florida turned the ball over on 21% of their possessions. For context of how high that number is, Middle Tennessee State are 10th worst in the country with a season long turnover rate of 21.2%.

Get to the Free Throw Line

After starting out the season as a liability at the free throw line, the Gators have started to knock down their shots from the charity stripe.

And one of the area that Auburn has struggled at is defending without fouling. The Tigers are 264th in the country at committing fouls per possession.