AUBURN, Ala. – For No. 1 Auburn’s opponents, scoring points at Neville Arena is no small task.
Between the noise level and the skill level, there are rarely easy buckets to be found.
“Ninety-nine percent of that is the Jungle. It’s like having a sixth defender out there,” said Auburn senior guard Miles Kelly, whose former Georgia Tech teammate Jalon Moore got his first taste of Neville Arena Tuesday in Auburn’s 98-70 win over Oklahoma. “He could barely hear the play calls.”
The top-ranked Tigers will look for every advantage they can find Saturday when they host No. 6 Florida in a matchup of the SEC’s top two programs in scoring margins. Auburn outscores opponents by a league-best 18.4 points per game, while the Gators are next at 17.6.
“They have really improved defensively from a year ago,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “They’ve got great size everywhere. They’ve always played really hard. They’re one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country. We’ll obviously have our hands full.
“I think the game has implications for a conference championship. I’m excited about the opportunity to play such a great team.”
The Gators’ backcourt trio of Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard represents Florida’s top three scorers, combining to average 46.1 points per game.
“That backcourt is as good as any backcourt we’ve played against,” Pearl said. “It’s a great matchup in the backcourt. Both backcourts have veteran players, great size, dynamic abilities.”
“They play super hard and they’re very versatile,” Kelly said. “We’ve got to set the tone, pressuring them and making them uncomfortable, making their looks hard, and paying attention to the scout.”
Coming off a six-block, 4-for-4 dunkfest against the Sooners, Auburn center Dylan Cardwell embraces the opportunity to keep the Tigers on top as the second half of SEC play starts.
“Whatever role I can have at Auburn to impact winning and, Lord willing, win a national championship, I’ll be able to do,” Cardwell said. “We have potential, and I want to be help us stick together, win a national championship or compete for one. As long as we’re winning, I’m grateful for this role.”
Looking for its 15th consecutive win, Auburn (21-1, 9-0) plays its fourth top-10 opponent of the season, No. 6 Florida (19-3, 6-3), Saturday at 3 p.m. CT at Neville Arena on ESPN2.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer