AUBURN, Ala. – For the first time all season, No. 4 Auburn is coming off a loss. How will they respond? Will there be any effect from it? What will it take to get back to winning?
Those are questions that will be answered Saturday when the Tigers, now 15-1, face another difficult challenge on the road at Florida where they haven't won since 1996.
If recent history repeats itself, that's good news for Auburn. Over the last two seasons, the Tigers are 11-4 in games following a loss with five of those victories coming away from Auburn Arena. But the majority of those players have moved on. This is a new group this year.
"I'm very proud of our guys for starting the season so well, beating the opponents on our schedule that we were supposed to beat, which isn't always easy to do," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "Now as we get into the meat and potatoes of our SEC schedule, we've got to be able to step up and play at a higher level. We've got to shoot at a higher level, execute at a higher level, continue to defend and rebound, and try to get better as we get through this grind."
After a light practice Thursday, Auburn practiced in full Friday before departing for Gainesville. The biggest point of emphasis since Wednesday night has come on the offensive end where Pearl and his coaching staff are looking to improve the team's offensive efficiency numbers.
"My assistant coaches – and maybe to the casual eye – say we've missed some shots we should make, but that's just not the way I look at it," Pearl said. "I look at it like I've got to do a better job at getting us better shots. It's a combination of one of those two things."
Saturday's game will tip off at 12:30 p.m. CT from the O'Connell Center. Andy Burcham and Sonny Smith will have the radio call on 93.9 Tiger FM, online at AuburnTigers.com and on the TuneIn app. The game will also be televised on CBS with Spero Dedes and Clark Kellogg on the call.
Player to watch: Anfernee McLemore
Anfernee McLemore has played some of his best basketball as of late, averaging 11.3 points per game while shooting 58 percent from the floor over the last three games in SEC play. In three career games vs. Florida, McLemore has averaged 9.0 points per game on 61 percent (11-of-18) shooting from the floor.
Inside the series: Florida
The Tigers and Gators resume a series that dates back to 1927. Auburn leads the all-time series 89-79, but trails 49-30 in matchups played in Gainesville. The last time Auburn won at Florida was 1996 with the Gators having won the last 12 contests in their own gym.
Last season, Auburn defeated Florida twice, snapping a streak of 21 of 22 victories by the Gators. The Tigers have not won three straight in the series since 1995-97.
Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl is 10-9 vs. Florida in his head coaching career. Against the Gators, Pearl is 6-2 at home, 3-6 on the road and 1-1 in neutral-site games. Pearl was 8-5 against Florida as the head coach at Tennessee.
The schedule
Auburn has put together another top-25 schedule to get the Tigers ready for the second half of the season. Auburn has won more games against teams ranked in the KenPom top 100 than any other team in the SEC, which includes games away from home.
Team Top-100 Wins (Away From Home)
Auburn 7 (4)
Kentucky 6 (2)
LSU 5 (2)
Alabama 5 (1)
Florida 4 (3)
Georgia 4 (1)
Tennessee 3 (3)
Missouri 3 (2)
South Carolina 3 (2)
Arkansas 3 (2)
Mississippi State 2 (1)
Ole Miss 1 (1)
Texas A&M 1 (0)
Vanderbilt 1 (0)