For nearly three decades, Auburn basketball left Gainesville empty-handed. On Saturday, that long-standing drought ended. The Tigers outperformed their conference rivals 76-67 at the Stephen O’Connell Center, and head coach Steven Pearl had plenty to say about it.
“That’s an unbelievable win for our club. We’ve been here for 11 years, and that might be the best win that we’ve ever had as a program,” Pearl said in the post-game press conference. “If you look back at common basketball history, that might be one of the best roads we’ve ever had.”
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Notably, the last point for Auburn against the Gators came way back on Feb. 1996, when the team won 73-70 under head coach Cliff Ellis. “I never mentioned to the guys that we hadn’t won here in 30 years. I didn’t think it was prevalent because all new players, new staff, and we just kept our mentality on what we needed to beat Florida. And I thought our guys for about 32 minutes executed the game plan to perfection, and our team in three weeks would not have won this game,” he added.
It was also Auburn’s first victory against Florida in any venue since the 2023-24 season. Keyshawn Hall led the charge for the Tigers on offense on Saturday. He logged in 39 minutes, registering 24 points, with 8 of 17 from open play, along with 7 rebounds. KeShawn Murphy missed out on a double-double by a whisker, finishing with 16 points and nine rebounds. The Tigers, led by Hall, put pressure on the Gators immediately after tipoff, with the former scoring 22 points in the first half.
Hall was on a rampage in the third minute of the game, after he made two successful free throws to make it 2-3 for the Tigers. He followed it with 10-feet two-pointer, and a three-pointer from 25 feet, with a layup up next to give his side an early lead. Auburn never looked back from here despite the Gators tying the score in the second half, courtesy of Thomas Haugh’s 27 points. Pearl’s side kept their composure to maintain a steady lead with a late flourish from Murphy and Kevin Overton.
Dec 6, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Auburn Tigers head coach Steven Pearl yells out to players during the first half of the game against the Arizona Wildcats at McKale Memorial Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images
For the Tigers, it was an impressive display of team coordination and hard work at training that the American highlighted in the press conference. “Our kids, you know, the willingness to stick together and really lock into the details of the things that we’ve been harping on every single day in practice. And we have continuously gotten better as a group.”
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With this win, Pearl’s Tigers make it three back-to-back on the trot. They are 13-7 and 4-3 currently and hold the fifth place in the SEC conference. Previously, when the team was failing to perform, there were several claims that ‘nepotism’ was the reason for the team’s downfall. But Pearl, during those tough times, stood his ground, defended himself, and his team. Now, the team is cruising towards the top of the challenging conference table quietly and moved from eighth to fifth following their latest win. However, the team has several tough hurdles to overcome.
What’s Up Next for Steven Pearl and the Auburn Tigers?
The historic win against the Florida Gators won’t give much of a breathing space to Auburn and Steven Pearl. The Tigers face unranked Texas next on Wednesday. Auburn is going into the match with a 72.6% winning chance, per ESPN, and are clear favorite. With its offensive players like Keyshawn Hall and Tahaad Pettiford, KeShawn Murphy firing all cylinders, the Longhorns have a challenge to tackle.
However, Texas has been equally formidable on offense this season. The side has scored at an average ppg of 86 in the season, the 28th highest in the country. It is slightly higher than the 85.4 that Auburn averages, thereby suggesting an equally open game on either side of the court. It is more prominent due to the defensive flows both sides have faced in the season. While Auburn has conceded an average opposition ppg of 78.0, Texas is slightly better with 74.
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Pearl’s side is riding high on confidence with the three wins in the last few weeks. Thereby, with the Longhorns’ recent form, it can be very difficult for them to halt Auburn’s run. It would be interesting to see how Pearl manages a point at home against the Longhorns, who are in urgent need of points after four defeats in their last seven games.
Besides Texas, the Tigers also have contests against several ranked teams lined up for them next month. Pearl’s side faces No. 17 Alabama on Feb 8, followed by contests against No. 15 Vanderbilt and No. 20 Arkansas. These will be must-win games for Auburn if they want to maintain their positive graph in the SEC conference. Otherwise, things can go south for them very quickly.
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