The dreaded “O’Dome Curse” has officially been laid to rest.
This past Saturday, Steven Pearl and the Auburn Men’s Basketball team made the pilgrimage to Gainesville to the Steven O’Connell Center to go to battle with Todd Golden and the #16 Florida Gators. Nobody knew what to expect being a rematch of the 2025 Final Four. A 30 year winless streak for Auburn was on the line, with their last victory in Gainesville coming back in 1996 when Cliff Ellis was at the helm. Little did we know what would come about………
Auburn 76, Florida 67
Keyshawn Hall came out guns’ blazing in the first half against Florida. After the Gators went up 3-2 on the teams’ respective opening possessions, Auburn never looked back. The Tigers stayed really hot in the first half, with Hall scoring 22 of Auburn’s opening 43 points in the first half, on 7-11 shooting, and 3-4 from behind the arc. Auburn built up a lead as high as 18 points, but we all knew Florida wasn’t going to go away easily.
Second half defense picked up for UF, as well as the offense, but it wasn’t quite enough. Keyshawn Murphy iced the match with a slam at the end, to seal the game 76-67. Four Tigers ended the game in double figures, with Keyshawn Hall having 24 points, Keyshawn Murphy adding 16 points, Tahaad Pettiford with 11, and Kevin Overton with 10 respectively. Thomas Haugh led the way for the Gators with 27 points.
Coach Steven Pearl said postgame “That’s an unbelievable win for our ball club. We’ve been here for 11 years, and that might be the best road wins we’ve ever had as a program.”
The Tigers for sure picked it up and had their signature win for this season so far.
The Week To Be…
With The Tigers now sitting at 13-7 overall, and 4-3 in the SEC, The guys look ahead to two strong matchups this week. Coach Sean Miller and the Texas Longhorns come east this week on Wednesday for a 6 pm tipoff at Neville Arena, to be televised on ESPN2. The Longhorns have scored a few huge wins recently, with wins over Georgia, Alabama, and Vanderbilt. Auburn looks to keep the momentum rolling on Wednesday.
The Saturday slate brings up a trip to Knoxville to the Food City Center at Thompson Boiling Arena, for a date with Coach Rick Barnes and the Tennessee Volunteers. Tennessee has some momentum as well after scoring a big road win this past weekend at Coleman Coliseum against Alabama. Tipoff this coming Saturday is set for 7:30 pm, to be televised on ESPN.
