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The SEC schedule has been a gauntlet for every team, including No. 1 Auburn. However, the Tigers have managed to do something that no other SEC member has been able to do this season, make it through nine games without a loss.
An important three-game stretch is upcoming for Auburn. Over the next week, Auburn will face two top-10 teams and battle Vanderbilt, who has earned wins over Tennessee and Kentucky, on the road. Their stretch begins Saturday at home with No. 6 Florida for a 3 p.m. CT tipoff at Neville Arena. Will the Tigers build momentum by grabbing its 10th SEC win of the season?
ESPN is a firm believer that the Tigers will get it done in front of the home crowd. Heading into Saturday’s action, ESPN gives Auburn an 82.1% chance to beat Florida and to extend its record to 22-1, 10-0 in SEC play.
Playing in front of “The Jungle” and a raucous crowd at Neville Arena will always give Auburn an advantage over its opponent. However, Florida will challenge Auburn defensively on the boards. The team enters the game ranked No. 2 in the SEC in rebounds with 43.5 per game. Its 28.7 defensive rebounds per game rank No. 3 in the SEC behind Alabama and Kentucky.
It also helps that the Gators will have leading scorer Walter Clayton Jr. back following an ankle injury suffered during last Saturday’s loss at Tennessee. Clayton scores 17.4 points per game and has led Florida in scoring 10 times this season.
Still, Auburn has advantages in several categories, including points scored (85.1), field goal percentage (48.8%), and blocked shots (7.0) per game.
Expect Saturday’s game to be a high-scoring affair, with the rebound winner ultimately being the deciding factor. No. 1 Auburn and No. 6 Florida battle Saturday at 3 p.m. CT on ESPN 2. Click here for a full preview of the game.
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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/espn-predicts-winner-saturdays-auburn-161240641.html
Author : Auburn Wire
Publish date : 2025-02-08 16:12:00
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