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Meet the coaches: Hugh Freeze's inaugural Auburn staff Hugh Freeze's inaugural Auburn staff is finally complete, and it features an intriguing blend of coaching types on both sides of the ball. With the hire of receivers coach Marcus Davis, Freeze's on-field assistant staff is now wrapped up, plus the role of special teams coordinator and head strength coach. The 10 on-field assistants feature three Auburn lettermen, three former Liberty assistants, an up-and-coming offensive line coach with SEC experience, a veteran defensive coach now on his third Auburn stint, and two of the most experienced coordinators in the SEC. Let's meet Freeze's 2023 staff. (Mike Carter, USA TODAY Sports) OC Philip Montgomery Previous stop: Tulsa head coach (2015-22) Experience: Tulsa HC (2015-22); Baylor OC (2012-14); Baylor QBs (2008-11); Houston QBs (2003-07) Top players coached: Robert Griffin III, Bryce Petty, Case Keenum, Kevin Kolb, Dane Evans Hugh Freeze: "Philip is one of the brightest offensive minds in college football and has had experience developing and coaching some great quarterbacks in the last 20 years, including a Heisman Trophy winner in Robert Griffin III. He does a tremendous job schematically and has had success being multifaceted in both the running and passing games. I've known Philip for a long time and am excited to finally work with him." (Greg McWilliams, 247Sports) RBs coach Cadillac Williams Previous stop: Auburn RBs (2019-22); interim HC (2022) Experience: Auburn RBs (2019-22) Top players coached: Tank Bigsby, JaTarvious Whitlow Hugh Freeze: "Being in this profession, I know how hard it is to finish seasons even when you're doing well — much less finishing a season playing with enthusiasm and passion and desire and excitement and having fun like what I witnessed when I turned on the Auburn football games. To me, it was a direct reflection of Cadillac and his leadership and how he led the staff and those young men. I thought it was a brilliant job. I knew my first priority was to have to have Cadillac along my side to help me drive the culture of Auburn football." (Hawaii Athletics) WRs coach Marcus Davis Previous stop: Georgia Southern WRs (2022) Experience: Hawaii WRs (2021); Georgia Southern WRs (2022) Top players coached: Nick Mardner, Calvin Turner, Khaleb Hood, Derwin Burgess Jr. (Williams Paul, Getty) TEs coach Ben Aigamaua Previous stop: Liberty TEs (2019-22) Experience: Liberty TEs (2019-22) Top players coached: Johnny Huntley Hugh Freeze: "Ben played for me at Lambuth and has worked on our staff in various capacities over the past decade. He is a tireless worker and has developed into an excellent coach, teacher and recruiter. Ben has a unique ability to connect with people and will be a great mentor and coach for the tight ends room." (Todd Van Emst / Auburn Athletics) OL coach Jake Thornton Previous stop: Ole Miss OL (2021-22) Experience: Ole Miss OL (2021-22); Gardner Webb OL (2020); Tennessee Tech OL (2018-19) Top players coached: Nick Broeker, Mason Brooks, Ben Brown Hugh Freeze: "Jake Thornton is a rising star in our profession and has established himself as one of the best young offensive line coaches in the country. He helped lead one of the top offenses in the Southeastern Conference over the last two seasons and is a great addition to the Auburn program. He will be a difference maker for our offense." (John Rivera, Getty) DC Ron Roberts Previous stop: Baylor DC (2020-22) Experience: Baylor DC (2020-22); Louisiana DC (2018-19); Southeastern Louisiana HC (2012-17); Delta State HC (2007-11); Delta State DC (2005-06); Texas State DC (2003) Top players coached: Jalen Pitre, Terrel Bernard, JT Woods, James Lynch, Harlan Miller Hugh Freeze: "Ron has been a very successful defensive coach spanning three decades and multiple stops. His defenses have always been aggressive and put a lot of pressure on opposing offenses. Ron is a great fit for what we are wanting to do on both sides of the ball, and we are excited to have his experience and expertise leading our defensive unit." (Liberty Athletics) DL coach Jeremy Garrett Previous stop: Liberty DL (2022) Experience: Liberty DL (2022); Cleveland Browns asst. DL (2020-21) Top players coached: Durrell Johnson, Dennis Osagiede Hugh Freeze: "I've known Jeremy since I was an assistant coach and he was a player at Ole Miss. He is a tremendous coach who has been involved in every level of the game from the high school ranks to the National Football League. Jeremy can teach and develop players, is a very good recruiter and is an outstanding individual who we're excited to have join our staff." (Liberty Athletics) LBs coach Josh Aldridge Previous stop: Liberty LBs (2019-22) Experience: Liberty LBs (2022); Liberty DL (2019-21); Lenoir-Rhyne DC (2018); West Georgia DL (2014-17) Top players coached: Jessie Lemonier, Durrell Johnson, Ralfs Rusins, Mike Smith Jr. Hugh Freeze: "I’m very comfortable with, because I’ve see the work they’ve done, and I think they do it at a very, very high level. Their kids love them and they play really hard for them." (Greg McWilliams, 247Sports) DBs coach Zac Etheridge Previous stop: Auburn DBs (2021-22) Experience: Auburn DBs (2022); Auburn CBs (2021); Houston CBs (2019-20); Louisiana CBs (2018); Western Carolina CBs (2016-17) Top players coached: D.J. James, Roger McCreary, Marcus Jones, Damarion Williams Hugh Freeze: "I don’t think I can say it with anymore emphasis: I don’t think we sign the class we have today without Zac’s efforts, and Cadillac also. I thought those two just played huge roles. Zac was in on most of the current committed guys and then was very vital in turning some from other schools. He was very vital." (Jody Demling, 247Sports) DBs coach Wesley McGriff Previous stop: Louisville DBs (2022) Experience: Louisville DBs (2022); Florida DBs (2021); Auburn DBs (2019-20); Ole Miss DC (2016-18); Auburn DBs (2016); New Orleans Saints DBs (2013-15); Ole Miss CBs (2012); Vanderbilt DBs (2011); Miami DBs (2007-10); Baylor DBs (2003-06); Kentucky DBs (2001-02); Eastern Kentucky DBs (2000); Kentucky State DC (1995-99); Savannah State DC (1990-94) Top players coached: Kei'Trel Clark, Noah Igbinoghene, Carlton Davis, Kaiir Elam, Kenny Phillips, Maurice Lane Hugh Freeze: "Wesley is no stranger to Auburn and the SEC and will bring a veteran presence to our staff. He has established himself over the last two decades as one of the top recruiters in our conference and brings great energy and enthusiasm to the table." (Liberty Athletics) Strength coach Dominic Studzinski (off field) Previous stop: Liberty S&C (2019-22) Experience: Liberty S&C (2019-22); Ole Miss asst. S&C (2012-17); Southern Miss asst. S&C (2011) (Liberty Athletics) Special teams coordinator Tanner Burns (off field) 9COMMENTS Previous stop: Liberty OLBs/ST coordinator (2021-22) Experience: Liberty OLBs (2021-22); Liberty ST coordinator (2019-20); Arkansas asst. ST (2014-18); Oakland Raiders asst. ST (2013)

Auburn signees and potential transfer portal targets heading into new year ByJason Caldwell Dec 28, 9:06 AM 16 AUBURN, Alabama–With another portal visit window coming up January 4-8 and the Auburn Tigers still needing to shore some spots up on both sides of the football before heading into year one under new coach Hugh Freeze, it could be a busy few weeks on the Plains to try to reload the roster in time for spring practice. Taking the job knowing there are issues with the roster on both sides of the ball, Freeze and the new staff continued to add to the momentum built under interim coach Cadillac Williams and had a solid finish to the early signing period. Needing extensive help on both lines of scrimmage, Auburn signed four high school offensive linemen, one from the junior college ranks and another from the transfer portal. The same is true on the defensive line where the Tigers added five high school signees, one from junior college and another from Vanderbilt. Even with all those additions, help is still needed on the line of scrimmage for Auburn with the Tigers needing at least one additional experienced offensive lineman and probably two more. The same is true on defense with a need for another experienced pass rusher or two in order to provide more immediate depth in Ron Roberts’ defense. Check out some of Auburn’s transfer portal additions and potential targets as we head towards what could be a busy few weeks with more players from around the country expected to test the waters of the portal as bowl games wrap up in the next week. Rivaldo Fairweather—A transfer from Florida International who signed with Auburn in the early period before Chistmas, the 6-5, 245 junior has two seasons of eligibility remaining and enters the 2023 campaign with 54 catches for 838 yards and five touchdowns. With a history of using the tight end in his offenses as a true weapon, Freeze wanted a difference maker at the position and got that in Fairweather. Elijah McAllister—There may not be a more important early addition for Auburn than that of McAllister. A graduate transfer and a team captain at Vanderbilt, the 6-6, 260-pounder has experience playing in the Southeastern Conference and is at a huge position of need for the Tigers. With Dylan Brooks the only scholarship player on the roster at the edge/jack position, McAllister’s addition is massive as Auburn looks to add even more experience there before next season. Dillon Wade—Another very important addition is Wade from Tulsa. Playing for new Auburn offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery at Tulsa, Wade is a player who could probably play all five positions on the offensive line, but projects as a tackle for the Tigers. With most of the top programs in the country coming after Wade, Auburn landing him was a big coup for Freeze and company because of the need on the offensive line. Tauskie Dove—A graduate transfer wide receiver who played the last five years at Missouri, the 6-2, 197 Dove is the type of physical, experienced player that Auburn is looking for at the position. With 86 career receptions for 1,164 yards and three touchdowns, he has shown the ability to be a playmaker with his best season coming in 2021 when he caught 38 passes for 576 yards for the Tigers. Jaques Evans—With two seasons of eligibility remaining, the 6-2, 250 Evans could be just what the doctor ordered for Auburn with a need at linebacker heading into year one under Roberts. The top defensive player for Western Kentucky last season, leading the team with 106 tackles and nine sacks, Evans has 150 career tackles and 11 sacks in two years with the Hilltoppers and could be a guy to keep an eye on. Dillon Johnson—While Auburn is in good shape at running back with the return of Jarquez Hunter, Damari Alston and Sean Jackson and the commitment of Jeremiah Cobb, adding a bigger back with experience would be a feather in the cap for Freeze and Montgomery heading into the 2023 season. Johnson could be that guy, but there’s also a good chance he could decide to return to Mississippi State. This one could come down to the wire. Keydrell Lewis—A two-year starter at ULM after transferring from San Jose State, the 6-6, 316 Lewis played his senior year of high school at Mallard Creek in North Carolina, but is originally from Hampton, Georgia. A solid prospect, who has continued to get bigger and stronger on the collegiate level, Lewis is another offensive lineman to keep an eye on if the Tigers decide to make a run. Walter Rouse—A Stanford transfer after starting the last four years for the Cardinal, the 6-6, 318 Rouse had a good official visit to Auburn before Christmas and could visit additional schools early in January. Still deciding if he will enroll somewhere this spring, Rouse would be a home run if the Tigers could bring in someone with his experience and talent level for the 2023 season. Spencer Sanders—There is no question that Freeze is intrigued by Robby Ashford and his potential in the Auburn offense after getting some valuable experience this past season, but creating competition is the key to success and that is what the Tigers are after in a potential transfer quarterback. A veteran with plenty of starts under his belt at Oklahoma State, Sanders would definitely create some competition in a room that has redshirt freshman Holden Geriner on board with T.J. Finley’s future still in question. 16COMMENTS Ethan White—A second-team All-SEC selection this past season after starting all 13 games at Florida, the 6-4, 331 White is another player that could add some serious competition to an Auburn offensive line that needs experience in the worst way. An interior lineman, who has started at guard for the Gators, White has the potential to play multiple positions. That makes him an important guy for some fortunate team when he arrives on their campus. *** Get FREE Auburn breaking news in your inbox ***

What is new defensive coordinator Ron Roberts bringing to Auburn football? Richard Silva 5–6 minutes AUBURN — Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze is known for his ability to orchestrate offenses. Between himself and new offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery, who has a long history of developing quarterbacks, putting together an offensive scheme to attack opponents shouldn't be much of an issue. It's the defensive side of the ball where Freeze really needed to bring someone in with the ability to independently run the show, and he did that earlier this month by hiring Ron Roberts to be his defensive coordinator. Roberts has been a DC since 2018, but more importantly, he has 11 years of head coaching experience split between Division II Delta State (2007-11) and FCS Southeastern Lousiana (2012-17). He compiled a combined 89-45 record across his time with both programs. LEFT TO DO:3 pressing items remain on Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze's to-do list RECRUITING:Unpacking Auburn football's 2023 recruiting class, Hugh Freeze's big flips, rankings rise He's an experienced coach that should be able to step in and take control of the defense, allowing Freeze to do what he does best and focus on working with Montgomery to perfect the offense. Here's a breakdown of Roberts' career history, and what it could potentially mean for Auburn moving forward. Baylor's defense in 2021, NFL draft picks under Roberts When his hire was first announced by the university, Roberts had a chance to give Auburn fans a glimpse into what they should expect from him and the defenses he's in charge of. "Historically, Auburn has been known for tough, hard-nosed defenses and we want to create that mindset with our defense unit," he said in a statement. "We want to be aggressive, put pressure on opposing offenses and fly to the football." None of that is unique. Every defensive coordinator wants to do something similar, but the difference is Roberts has proven he's capable of accomplishing what he described; look no further than Baylor's defense in 2021, that won the Big 12 title. The Bears' 19 interceptions led the conference that season and was second in run defense, scoring defense, pass efficiency defense and sacks. The pass rush got to opposing quarterbacks 44 times and the unit allowed just 18.3 points per game, both marks behind only Oklahoma State. One of the biggest contributors to Baylor's success that season was safety Jalen Pitre, who was drafted by the Houston Texans with the 37th-overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Pitre played five seasons at Baylor, only two with Roberts running the defense. He totaled 31 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, forced four fumbles and pulled in four interceptions from 2020-21. Roberts coached in Waco, Texas under Dave Aranda for three seasons from 2020-22. Before Baylor, Roberts was the defensive coordinator at Louisiana for two seasons (2018-19) and held the same position at Texas State (2003), Tusculum (1998-02) and Greensboro College (1997) prior to that. Throughout his 25 years in the collegiate ranks, Roberts coached nine players who were drafted into the NFL, with seven being defensive backs. Aside from Pitre, JT Woods (Baylor), Kalon Barnes (Baylor), Percy Butler (Lousiana), Harlan Miller (Southeastern Louisiana), Robert Alford (Southeastern Louisiana) and Ricardo Colclough (Tusculum) are all defensive backs who played at least one season under Roberts and later became NFL draft picks. OTHER COACHES:Hugh Freeze says Josh Aldridge is Auburn football's new linebackers coach TRANSFER NEWS:Elijah McAllister, transfer edge from Vanderbilt, commits to Auburn football Colclough, who overlapped with Roberts at Tusculum in 2002, is the only player drafted in the program's history. Miller and Alford became the first defensive players selected out of Southeastern Louisiana in over 30 years. With the success Roberts has had with cornerbacks, and particularly safeties, throughout his career, players like Jaylin Simpson and Donovan Kaufman, among others on Auburn's roster, could be primed for breakout seasons. There's also the potential for D.J. James to return to the Plains, although it's currently unclear whether he will declare for the NFL draft. James, who transferred to Auburn last offseason after spending three seasons at Oregon, was the Tigers' best cornerback in 2022. His return would be huge for Auburn, and he'd almost surely become yet another player in the secondary who worked with Roberts before getting drafted. Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.

Tigers make clutch plays to defeat Gators 61-58 Mark Murphy 6–8 minutes AUBURN, Alabama–With Florida looking to hit a game-winning shot while down by a point, Chris Moore stole the basketball from Gator star Colin Castleton with help from Jaylin Williams. Wendell Green then scored on a fastbreak to give Auburn a hard-fought 61-58 victory over the Gators on Wednesday night. It was the SEC opener for both teams. The 20th-ranked Tigers improved to 11-2 as they rallied for their 26th consecutive victory at Neville Arena with the last loss vs. Florida in 2021. To do that the Tigers hit five of their final seven shots on a night they shot just 38.4 percent from the field. Auburn overcame that by pulling in 40 rebounds, 12 more than the Gators. That helped the home team overcome being outscored 16-13 in points off of turnovers. Johni Broome out-played preseason All-SEC center Castleton. Broome finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds while dishing out four assists. Castleton made 1-6 field goals for six points to go with eight rebounds. "I was just doing what my team needed me to do–score, rebound, block shots," said the first-year Tiger, who noted it was an exciting game. "We played good defense to win this." Coach Bruce Pearl called Broome's performance "huge" and said it was a "big-time message sent." Broome pulled in five offensive rebounds, six defensive rebounds and blocked a shot. Before the game Pearl challenged his team to control Castleton, who had caused the Tigers major problems last season. "I think Johni responded," Pearl said. "Keep in mind that against the National Defensive Player of the Year (last season, Auburn's Walker Kessler), especially at Florida, he scored pretty well. Obviously, tonight he didn't against Johni and Dylan (Cardwell). I'm glad Johni took that personally. I'm glad he did, that's what players should (do). I love it. I mean, I'm on him, and I ain't getting off him. He's gotten a lot better, his energy, his effectiveness. Obviously, I trust him." The Tigers got 14 points and five rebounds from Green plus 13 from Williams, who gave the home crowd a scare with a bad pass that was stolen by Alex Fudge with 25 seconds left, setting up the Gators for the potential game-winning shot. “That was a rock fight," Pearl said. "It couldn’t have been easy to call." He said both teams played strong defense, played hard and had scouted each other very well. "I thought our size and physicality was a factor," Pearl added. Chris Moore scored six points in the first half, including two on this dunk. (Photo: Jason Caldwell, 247Sports) Auburn scored the first seven points to open the game and led most of the period, but an 8-0 run late in the closing minutes of the half put the Gators up 26-23 at intermission. Neither team shot well in the first half, but Florida was better. The Gators hit 8-22 field goals (36.4 percent) to Auburn’s 8-28 (28.6 percent). The Gators were 1-8 on threes and 9-10 at the foul line while Auburn hit 2-6 threes and 5-8 free throws in the half. Auburn’s other first half issue was a dozen turnovers, which helped negate the Tigers holding a 22-15 rebounding advantage, including an 11-3 edge in offensive rebounds. The Gators turned the ball over eight times in the first period. AU's shooting improved with the home team making 48.1 percent of its second-half shots.cAuburn also a much better job of handling the ball in the second half with just three turnovers. "We have got to do a better job of taking care of the ball," Pearl said. "We are just going to have to be a team that is just going to have to guard people because, unfortunately, offense has been difficult all year. We are going to keep working on it, but I thought we got some shots inside we need to make." For the game Auburn made 21-55 field goals, 3-14 threes and 16-24 free throws. Florida hit 19-47 field goals (40.4 percent), 3-19 treys and 17-19 free throws. "In the second half I wanted to come out and bring a different energy than I had in the second half," Green said. The point guard said the Tigers made the right adjustments at halftime, getting the ball to the big men in places where they wanted it and scoring on kick-out passes from the big men. Green said the Tigers appreciated the 31st consecutive sellout crowd helping spark his team to a comeback victory. Other than opening night, he said was the loudest crowd of the season so far even though most of the students are on a holiday break. Pearl praised the crowd and said that junior forward Moore gave the Tigers a tremendous game with his hustle at both ends of the court. Moore hit 3-6 field goals, 2-3 free throws, pulled in three rebounds while adding three steals, one assist and a blocked shot. "I thought Chris Moore was so good. He did so many little things." Florda got 15 points off the bench from Kowacie Reeves, who hit 7-14 shots. Also coming off the bench, Myreon Jones added 10 points. Box Score Stat of the Game: The Tigers finished plus 12 in rebounding margin. Playing 😧 The Gators are the fifth Auburn opponent that failed to score 60 points vs. the Tigers. Worth Noting, Part 1: Auburn finished with 16 assists to nine for the Gators. Worth Noting Part 2: Pearl continued a season-long theme of saying that Williams needs to take charge on the court, although he noted the senior forward is probably not 100 percent physically due to his shoulder injury at Southern Cal. "Mentally, I need Jaylin Williams to start games and go, 'I am as good as anybody out here' and play like it. Take shots, make plays and he did down the stretch." Williams hit 5-11 field goals, 1-3 treys, 2-2 at the free throw line and pulled in two rebounds while adding one assist, one steal and four turnovers. Coach vs. Mentor: Pearl said it was "emotional" going against Florida coach Todd Golden, a former AU assistant from 2014-16 and someone Pearl coached. "I love Todd like a son," said Pearl, who noted that Golden got married while living in Auburn, bought his first house in Auburn and saw his first child born in Auburn in addition to being the best friend of his son, Steven Pearl. "There is absolutely no joy in beating him," said Auburn's head coach, who added, "I would have been upset if we lost because it was a game we had to have." 20COMMENTS Plus/Minus: Auburn outscored the Gators by 10 points when Broome was on the court and by nine points when Moore and Zep Jasper were on the court. Up Next: The Tigers will travel to Athens next Wednesday to play the Georgia Bulldogs. Tipoff is set for 5;30 p.m. CST. ">247Sports

5 takeaways from Auburn's SEC-opening win over Florida Nathan King 7–8 minutes AUBURN, Alabama — Bruce Pearl said earlier in the year, when his former assistant Todd Golden was hired as Florida’s head coach, that he would dread future matchups with the Gators. He knows first-hand how good a coach Golden is. And the former Auburn assistant coach proved it in his SEC debut. The No. 20 Tigers were in a dogfight all evening but prevailed thanks to a late defensive stopping, winning their SEC opener over Florida, 61-58. "The league is going to be a rock fight," Pearl said postgame. Here are Auburn Undercover’s immediate takeaways. Auburn wins thriller in final seconds A Zep Jasper steal led to a breakaway Allen Flanigan dunk, and the game was knotted at 54-all at the game's final media timeout. Auburn then took advantage of a missed free throw by Gators guard Trey Bonham, as Wendell Green Jr. pushed the ball up the floor and dumped it off to Johni Broome, who hammered a two-handed dunk over Colin Castleton to give the Tigers the lead. Broome scored again on a great feed from K.D. Johnson with just over a minute left, handing a 59-58 lead back to Auburn. Auburn had a chance to pad the lead, but a Jaylin Williams pass was intercepted by Alex Fudge. Golden called timeout, and the Gators drew up a play with 18 seconds left, trailing by 1. Castleton lost the ball, though, on a drive, and Chris Moore pushed it ahead to Green Jr. for a score, securing the win. "It was crazy," Green Jr. said. "We had a turnover right before. We were up one. We had a good play but just a turnover, unfortunate. And we knew we just had to get a stop. That was the main thing and C-Mo (Moore) — he’s been playing great all year defensively, offensively — he got a steal. I’d seen him get it and I just wanted to go as fast as I could and get a layup." Auburn wins its SEC opener over Florida. The finish: pic.twitter.com/2MyKDLdO58 — Nathan King (@NathanKing247) December 29, 2022 Green Jr.’s impact As strong as backup point guard and freshman Tre Donaldson as been of late, the Tigers were buoyed at key points by their floor general. Green Jr. hit a 3-pointer to end the first half, then had seven of Auburn’s first nine points to open the second half, including two separate trips to the free-throw line when he was fouled on 3-point attempts. "They told me to just turn it up a notch so we could get back going," Green Jr. said. "And that’s what I tried to do to start the second half off." The junior certainly looks healthy after his ankle injury a few games ago, dropping 14 points and grabbing five rebounds Wednesday night. "Wendell's just a winner," Pearl said. "Wendell's just a winner, and a tough kid." Tigers skid to end first half Florida went 8:13 of game time without a made basket — nearly half of the entire opening half. Surely Auburn led at halftime, then? Instead, Auburn’s double-digit turnovers in the first half compounded on inconsistent offense. The Tigers led for the majority of the first half, but the basket that broke Florida’s long dry spell gave the Gators a 22-20 lead. Florida then extended that into a quick 8-0 run, as Neville Arena groaned in frustration. Green Jr. hit a 3-ball as time expired in the first half, but Auburn still missed 11 of its final 13 shots of the half, and had six turnovers in the final seven minutes. Auburn shored up its turnover troubles in the second half, though, with only four after halftime. "We've got to do a better job taking care of the ball," Pearl said. "We're gonna have to be a team that just has to guard people, because, unfortunately, offense has been difficult all year. So we're gonna keep working on it. But I thought we got some shots inside that we need to make." Broome bests Castleton After averaging 21.5 points across two meetings against Auburn last season, Castleton was held in check Wednesday night. The veteran Florida big man had eight rebounds but shot 1-for-6 from the floor, with 6 points. Auburn kept him from catching the ball close to the basket, and he had to mostly drive to the hoop in order to get to his spots. Dylan Cardwell also blocked him on a drive in the first half. The fifth-year senior’s first basket didn’t come until a pick-and-roll lob on Florida’s first possession of the second half. It burned Auburn a couple times because of Castleton’s vision, but the Tigers often deployed a double team on the Gators’ first team All-SEC center. Broome won the matchup, pouring in 14 points and grabbing 11 boards for his second double-double of the season — and he led Auburn in assists with four. Broome shot 6-of-13 from the floor, including two big baskets in the final minutes, and Auburn appeared to miss him offensively in the first half when he was hit with his second foul more than six minutes until the break. "You know, coming into the game, coming into Auburn, those are one of the game you had circled on the calendar," Broome said. "Good matchup. He’s a good player. But the main goal of the game plan was to stop him. And as you can see, 1-for-6. Not letting him get the ball was pretty big too. When he gets the ball, making his shot tough, and that’s what we did tonight." Broome’s effectiveness on the glass helped Auburn win the rebounding battle, 40-28, leading to 12 second-chance points for the Tigers. "Johni knows how to act and feel and play like the best player on the floor," Pearl said. "Because when he was at Morehead State, he did that for a couple of years. He knows how to do that every night. He knows how to prepare that way, act that way, play that way. Now he's translating it to the SEC level, really, in the last few games. Very excited about that. Look, Castleton is one of the best offensive centers in the league. He was first team all-conference. Johni and Dylan won the matchup. Huge." An 'emotional' reunion for Pearl Wednesday marked the first head-coaching matchup for Pearl against Golden, who was an assistant for him with the Tigers from 2014-16. Golden left Auburn to become an assistant at San Francisco, and was eventually named the head coach there in 2019. He took the Dons to the NCAA tournament last season. "Going up against Todd was very emotional for me," Pearl said. "I was emotional seeing him before the game. I got emotional on the radio. I love Todd like a son. He came out here, put his faith in me and his trust in me. He was engaged to be married and got married the first summer he was here. I saw him as a newlywed, with his beautiful bride. He had his first child here. He bought his first home here. I know his parents and his family. And he's Steven (Pearl) is his best friend, for life. So I root for him." *** HOLIDAY SPECIAL: Get 50% off Auburn Undercover

Social Media reacts to Auburn's dramatic win over Florida JD McCarthy ~3 minutes It was far from easy but No. 23 Auburn opened SEC play with a win Wednesday night, taking down the Florida Gators 61-58. It was a back-and-forth affair inside an electric Neville Arena, the Tigers led 59-58 with under 30 seconds to play but a Jaylin Williams turnover gave the Gators a chance to pull off the upset. Buy Tigers Tickets Chris Moore made sure that didn’t happen, stealing the ball and finding Wendell Green Jr. for a layup to seal the win. The Tigers are now 11-2 on the season and 1-0 in SEC play. With yet another dramatic win the Tigers had social media buzzing after the game, here are the top reactions. OMG!!!! Ugly but I'll take it! WDE! — Chris Hough (@Auburntigers86) December 29, 2022 Still waiting on things to click with this Auburn basketball team, the youngsters really need to step it up for AU to be able to make a run in Feb-March. — WillOfFortune11 (@WFortune78) December 29, 2022 Auburn Basketball. Welcome To The Jungle. — Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) December 29, 2022 When did SEC Basketball get so good? This Florida / Auburn game has been such a fun watch — aaron (@servant_117) December 29, 2022 I know the game sucked and we looked bad but it can not be stated enough how impressive Johni Broome played against a top 5 center in the SEC. He had a hell of a game and was the reason we won tonight. 1-0 in SEC play. Let’s go — Chase Lee (@clee1921) December 29, 2022 The goat saving us, nothing new — Johni Broome Fan Account (@JPScottIV) December 29, 2022 Chris Moore had a great game. Makes all the smart little plays. Which all go away when a couple of guys come off our bench unfortunately — jeramye (@jeramye) December 29, 2022 Chris Moore stepping up to the plate when no one picked him to be the starting small forward has been huge. The guy brings an energy this team needs — Alex Husting (@AlexHusting) December 29, 2022 Neither my heart nor my liver are healthy enough for this brand of Auburn Basketball. — Captain Friendly (@Capt_Friendly) December 29, 2022

Bracketology: Joe Lunardi releases SEC NCAA Tournament preview as conference play tips off Ethan Stone 1–2 minutes Eleven SEC programs are set to tip off their conference schedule Wednesday night. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, in turn, released an SEC conference preview Wednesday afternoon projecting the conference’s chances at reaching the NCAA Tournament. Lunardi projects 7 SEC teams to make the tournament as of now: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Missouri. He has Tennessee, Arkansas and Alabama as locks for the 68-team field, also labeling all 3 as potential Final Four contenders. Alabama and Tennessee have been the most impressive teams in the conference thus far. The Tide have beaten Houston, Memphis and North Carolina and only lost to UConn and Gonzaga. Tennessee downed Kansas and Maryland with losses to Arizona and Colorado. Mizzou is the bubble team Lunardi has in the tournament as of now. The Tigers just picked up a massive win over Illinois to really strengthen their resume heading into March.

i wish auburn would open a NIL store so we can get auto's and other things with out money and still support the team.

Auburn basketball rises in newest AP Poll River Wells Tue, December 27, 2022 at 7:00 AM CST·1 min read It hasn’t been the easiest non-conference slate for Auburn, but it looks as if the Tigers won’t be plummeting further down the AP Poll — not at the moment, at least. After a big 84-61 win over the Washington Huskies, Auburn’s basketball team climbed a few rungs on the poll ladder Monday. The team now sits at No. 20 on the AP Poll, climbing three spots from No. 23 in the last edition of the poll. The Washington game was Auburn’s last game before SEC play begins on Wednesday when the team will take on the Florida Gators to kick off its conference schedule. Auburn was initially ranked No. 15 in the first AP Poll, but the team suffered notable drops after losses to Memphis and USC over the past few weeks. - ADVERTISEMENT - The most important part of the season comes now, however, and the Tigers will look to improve its play during its conference stretch and fix their mistakes from the first half of the season. Here’s a look at the latest AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll: 1. Purdue (40) 2. UConn (20) 3. Houston 4. Kansas 5. Arizona 6. Texas 7. Tennessee 8. Alabama 9. Arkansas 10. Gonzaga 11. UCLA 12. Baylor 13. Virginia 14. Miami 15. Wisconsin 16. Indiana 17. Duke 18. TCU 19. Kentucky 20. Auburn 21. Mississippi State T22. Xavier, New Mexico 24. West Virginia 25. North Carolina Others receiving votes: Charleston 102, Maryland 87, Memphis 74, Illinois 65, Ohio State 59, Virginia Tech 57, Missouri 57, San Diego State 39, Iowa State 19, Marquette 12, Texas Tech 10, Michigan State 7, Providence 6, Kansas State 5, USC 4, San Francisco 1 Story originally appeared on Auburn Wire

4 things Auburn basketball needs to be successful in SEC play Richard Silva 4–5 minutes AUBURN — For the sixth time in the past seven years, Auburn basketball has started a season with at least 10 wins through its first 12 contests. The Tigers (10-2) began the 2022-23 season by rattling off eight consecutive victories, holding teams to an average of 58 points per game and scoring 73. But Auburn is 2-2 since Dec. 10, with a nine-point loss against Memphis and a three-point defeat against USC being the two blemishes on its record. ALLEN FLANIGAN:'It was tough': Inside Allen Flanigan's recovery process, return to Auburn basketball RECRUITING:Why 4-star Peyton Marshall's mom said he committed to Auburn basketball, Bruce Pearl All of that will prove to matter little come March, though, as the real test for the No. 23 Tigers starts Wednesday with Florida (7-5) coming to Neville Arena (6 p.m. CT, ESPN2) and marking the start of SEC play for Auburn. The Tigers play one more nonconference game (at West Virginia on Jan. 28), but aside from that outlier, will be tasked with handling Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky and other SEC foes the rest of the way. Here's what needs to happen for Auburn to be successful during the next few months. Wendell Green Jr. to be healthy, efficient In a game against Georgia State on Dec. 14, junior guard Wendell Green Jr. injured his foot/ankle. He hobbled off the floor with his shoe off as the final seconds ticked off the clock but ultimately didn't miss any games, starting against USC four days later and at Washington on Dec. 21. He clearly wasn't 100%, though. Green logged just 12 minutes against the Trojans and 21 against the Huskies, both below his season average of 24.7. He also shot a combined 2-of-13 from the field and missed all but one of his seven 3-point attempts during the two-game stretch. Green is Auburn's best option offensively, the end of the floor at which the Tigers struggle most, and he needs to be at full strength for them to have a chance. Allen Flanigan must step up The past three games have not been particularly kind to senior wing Allen Flanigan. Flanigan, who is now over a year removed from partially rupturing his Achilles in August 2021, shot a combined 1-of-8 from 3-point range against Georgia State, USC and Washington. He had shot 37.9% from beyond the arc through the first nine games of the season. He's also the same player who scored 14.3 points per game in 2020-21 before his injury. Flanigan's father and assistant coach, Wes Flanigan, told the Montgomery Advertiser earlier this month he's waiting for his son to have a game that officially marks his return to what he was as a sophomore. For Auburn's sake, that game needs to come soon. An improved Johni Broome Johni Broome has been a defensive force on the interior for Auburn. He's averaging 2.8 blocks per game, which puts him in the top 10 nationally, and is consistently altering opponents' shots around the rim. His presence has helped coach Bruce Pearl supplement the loss of Walker Kessler, who left for the NBA in the offseason, but with Jabari Smith Jr. also going to the league, and his 16.9 points going with him, the Tigers need their new big man to do a bit more on the offensive end. Broome is averaging 12.2 points per game through the first 12 games of his Auburn career, which is 4.6 points less than what he averaged at Morehead State a year ago. He's also shooting 5.5% worse this season. It's not fair to ask Broome to adjust to the elevated competition so quickly, but it's the reality of what Auburn needs him to do. Tre Donaldson to establish himself After practically falling out of the rotation for a brief stretch, freshman guard Tre Donaldson got an opportunity against Georgia State and seemingly grabbed hold of the backup point guard role. He's 7-of-13 from the field during the past three games, has connected on 50% of his 3-pointers and tallied seven assists against Washington. He's also averaging 17.6 minutes per game during that stretch. His impact on the defensive end has been palpable, too, and a continued upward progression from Donaldson would give Pearl a reliable guard to run his offense when Green is on the bench. Richard Silva is the Auburn beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.

Auburn and SEC basketball news & notes Mark Murphy 7–9 minutes AUBURN, Alabama–Coach Bruce Pearl’s Tigers will begin Southeastern Conference play on Wednesday night as defending league champions when they play host to the Florida Gators. Last season the Tigers began league play with an 11-1 record and this season’s basketball team is off to a 10-2 start. Auburn entered its SEC schedule last season ranked 11th in both the AP and coaches polls on an eight-game winning streak prior to defeating the visiting LSU Tigers 70-55. Going into Wednesday’s 6 p.m. CST tipoff (ESPN2 television coverage) vs. the 8-5 Gators, Auburn is ranked 20th in the AP Top 25 and 23rd in the coaches poll. The Tigers bounced back from a 74-71 loss at USC on Dec. 18th with an 84-61 victory at Washington last Wednesday in their final game before Christmas. “It was a good, solid defensive effort particularly in the first half,” Pearl said about his team’s performance at Washington where the Huskies scored just 23 points in the opening half on 21 percent shooting. The coach said he liked how his team played offensively in the second half when the Tigers made 21-29 field goals and 5-9 three-pointers. “We got great looks inside and we shot the ball well outside,” he said. Pearl added, “It was a really clean game and a good way to get into conference play.” To open SEC play Auburn is eighth in the league in scoring at 73.67 points per game and fourth in points allowed at 62.08. Missouri is the top scoring team at 88.75 per game and Mississippi State is allowing the fewest points at 52.58. The Tigers will be looking to extend their homecourt winning streak to 26 games on Wednesday. With Pearl as head coach the Tigers have a 105-29 record at home and are 46-26 in home SEC games. AU’s homecourt winning streak dates back to the final two on-campus games during the 2020-21 season. Gonzaga has then nation’s longest home winning streak at 73 followed by Texas Tech at 28 and Kentucky at 26. Auburn Hoops Notes: The Tigers continue to lead college basketball in blocked shots with 7.1 per game. Iona is next at 6.2. Johni Broome leads the Tigers in the category with 2.62 per contest, which ranks eighth nationally. Dylan Cardwell is 20th with 2.25 blocks per game. Western Kentucky’s Jamarion Sharp, a seven-foot-five center, is the nation’s block leader at 4.45 per contest...Broome passed the 1,000 points mark as a collegian on Nov. 15th vs. Winthrop. Junior guard Wendell Green did it Dec. 14th vs. Georgia State. Another Tiger, graduate transfer guard Zep Jasper, is 85 points shy of the 1,000 mark...Broome is sixth in the league in rebounding at 8.2 per game and 20th in scoring at 12.2 points. He is seventh in field goal percentage making exactly half of his attempts...Green is tied for 10th in the league in assists at 3.67 per contest and is 17th in scoring at 12.6 points. He is sixth in free throw shooting percentage at 80.6...As a team Auburn was picked fourth in the SEC preseason poll behind Kentucky, Arkansas and Tennessee. Dylan Cardwell prepares to block a shot during an Auburn victory at Neville Arena. (Photo: John Reed, USA TODAY Sports) AU Women’s Hoops Notes: Coach Johnnie Harris will take her Tigers on the road to open league play. Auburn will tip off at 6 p.m. CST on Thursday at Ole Miss. The Tigers, who have won seven consecutive games, are 10-2. Ole Miss, which is 11-2, is fourth in the SEC in scoring defense allowing 52.85 points per outing. Auburn is fourth in scoring, averaging 78.25 points...The Tigers average 6.09 fewer turnovers per game than their opponents to rank second in the SEC. Auburn is also second in the league in three-point shooting accuracy (38.2 percent), steals (11.67 per game) and blocked shots (6.25 per game)...The Tigers are hoping to get their leading scorer and rebounder back for Thursday’s game. Aicha Coulibaly, a 6-0 junior who has missed the past three games with a knee problem, is averaging 16.8 points and 6.1 rebounds. Senior guard Honesty Scott-Grayson is next at 15.8 points....The Tigers are making 72.5 percent of their free throws. The team leader is freshman point guard Sydney Shaw at 87.5 percent. A dozen players have attempted free throws with the lowest percentage from six-foot-five backup junior center Precious Johnson at 61.1 percent. SEC Men's Hoops Notes: Missouri, which was forecast to finish 11th in the league’s preseason poll, has been the most surprising SEC team so far with its 11-1 record. New head coach Dennis Gates and his Tigers finished pre-conference play with an impressive 93-71 neutral court victory over then No. 16 Illinois. Senior Kobe Brown sparked the upset with 31 points, eight assists, five rebounds and four steals. Missouri leads the league in assists per game at 20.0 and steals (12.75)...Auburn’s Pearl said that Alabama’s 71-65 road win vs. then top-ranked Houston is the most impressive game by an SEC team so far this season. The Tide leads the league in rebounding margin at plus 11.17 per game...K.J. Williams of LSU, a transfer from Murray State, is the SEC’s top scorer at 19.3 points per contest. He is fifth in rebounding at 8.3 playing for LSU’s new head coach, Matt McMahon, who made the move to Baton Rouge from Murray State along with 6-10, 250 fifth-year senior. Williams averaged 18 points and 8.4 rebounds last season for the Racers. LSU, which is 11-1, was picked to finish eighth in the league. Another new SEC coach off to a stronger than expected start, Chris Jans of Mississippi State, has been winning with defense. His Bulldogs are allowing opponents to make just 35.8 percent of their field goals and 28.4 percent of their threes. The last Mississippi State team to have a better defensive scoring average after 12 games was the 1955-56 Bulldogs under the direction of Coach Babe McCarthy in his first season leading MSU...Tennessee is just behind Mississippi State in points allowed at 52.75 per game and the Vols are outscoring opponents by a league best 21.92 points per contest...The Vols rank in the Top 10 nationally in seven categories, including second in offensive rebounds at 15.2 per game heading into their league opener at Ole Miss. Coach Rick Barnes is 3-4 in SEC openers...Perhaps the most surprising loss by an SEC team so far this season is Ole Miss falling 68-65 at home to the University of North Alabama. Prior to that game the Lions had never defeated an SEC basketball team...Arkansas hit its first seven shots to close its pre-conference schedule with an 85-51 home win over UNC-Asheville. The Razorbacks have won their last 16 games played at Bud Walton Arena...Georgia is 7-0 at home under new head coach Mike White, who previously coached the Florida Gators. Georgia will open its SEC schedule at home a week from Wednesday. The Bulldogs play their final pre-conference game on Wednesday night at Stegeman Coliseum vs. Rider. SEC Team Records Arkansas 11-1 LSU 11-1 Mississippi State 11-1 Missouri 11-1 Auburn 10-2 Alabama 10-2 Tennessee 10-2 Georgia 9-3 Kentucky 8-3 Ole Miss 8-4 Florida 7-5 Texas A&M 6-5 South Carolina 6-6 19COMMENTS Vanderbilt 6-6 *** Subscribe: Receive the latest Auburn intel and scoops*** ">247Sports

Gameday odds for Auburn vs. Florida JD McCarthy 2–3 minutes The No. 23 Auburn Tigers are looking to start SEC play with a win against the Florida Gators Wednesday night Auburn (10-2) is making its return to Neville Arena after a 1-1 West coast trip and is favored in their first SEC contest of the season. Bet MGM has Auburn favored by 5.5 points over the 7-5 Gators. Buy Tigers Tickets The Gators have not played since Dec. 20, when they lost to Oklahoma 62-53. They have experience playing in hostile environments this season, they beat rival Florida State in Tallahassee, Florida already. Auburn played a little more recently than the Gators, beating Washington 84-61 on Dec. 21. The Tigers are a perfect 7-0 at home to start the season. The game is set to start at 6 p.m. CT and will be on ESPN2. Here is everything you need to know to bet the game. The lines, courtesy of BetMGM Point spread: Auburn -5.5 Auburn Money Line: -250 UF Money Line: +195 Over-under: 139.5 Click here to place your bets at BetMGM. Florida is experiencing the expected growing pains of a new coach in their first season under Todd Golden and has struggled to consistently execute to start the season. While center Colin Castleton is a good player, Auburn has great defenders down low and should be able to slow him down. Auburn’s defense should be able to take advantage of the Gator’s offense and lead Auburn to their 11th win of the season and let them cover the 5.5-point spread.

Gators, Castleton look to cause more problems for Auburn basketball team Mark Murphy 6–7 minutes AUBURN, Alabama–Auburn will open its SEC basketball schedule vs. a team that has given the Tigers troubles in recent years and a player who has done the same thing. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CST on Wednesday as the Florida Gators visit Neville Arena. It will be the first time the Tigers and Gators have played in an SEC opener in 30 years. ESPN2 will televise the matchup, which features the first time Florida’s new head coach, Todd Golden, has taken a team to play his former boss, Bruce Pearl. The Gators come into the contest with a 7-5 record to face a 10-2 Auburn team, which is ranked 20th in this week’s AP Top 25 and No. 23 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The Gators were among teams receiving votes for a ranking early in the season. Golden, who had a successful run as head coach of the University of San Francisco Dons, worked at Auburn from 2014-16 as director of basketball operations his first season on the Plains. In season two on Pearl’s staff he was an assistant coach. Taking on a rebuilding project at USF, his three-season record with the Dons was 57-36. Last season Golden took USF to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998. The last time the Tigers and Gators played, current Georgia head coach Mike White’s team upset second-ranked Auburn 63-62 at Gainesville. Colin Castleton, who leads this season’s team in scoring (15.6 points) and rebounding (7.6), helped the Gators pull off the victory with 19 points, eight rebounds, three blocked shots, two steals and one assist. Castleton, a 6-11, 250 graduate student, scored 22 points and pulled in nine rebounds in Auburn’s 85-73 home victory over the Gators last season. In his first season with Florida, after transferring from Michigan, he scored seven points and grabbed eight rebounds as the Gators won at Auburn 74-57 in the only meeting between the teams during the 2020-21 season. Asked if coaching against Castleton three previous times will help Auburn prepare for him, Pearl said, "I don't think that makes any difference. I can never play somebody, watch them play a few games and know them pretty well so it doesn't really matter. I'm tired of him kicking our ass, is what I'm tired of. I don't know him well enough to stop him. "We had the National Defensive Player of the Year (Walker Kessler) last year, and we couldn't stop him. He's a focal point for what they do. They've got some shooters to make it difficult to double-team him, but we've got some inside players as well. Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell are really good players, really good defenders. That's going to be a huge matchup–(6-11, 300 Jason Jitoboh) Jitoboh and Castleton against Dylan and Johni." The Tigers will be counting on 6-10, 235 sophomore Johni Broome and 6-11, 256 junior Dylan Cardwell to match up against Castleton. Both of those players earned praise from Pearl for their play in Auburn’s previous outing, an 84-61 victory last Wednesday at Washington. Jaylin Williams guards Colin Castleton in last season's Auburn victory over the Gators. (Photo: John Reed, USA TODAY Sports) Broome is averaging 12.2 points per game, second on the team to Wendell Green’s 12.6. Broome leads the Tigers in rebounds at 8.2 per game and he has 31 of Auburn’s 85 blocked shots. Cardwell is averaging 5.2 points and 5.1 rebounds in a reserve role. He has made 28 of his 32 field goal attempts for 87.5 percent and has 27 blocked shots. Going into Wednesday’s contest Auburn has won just three of its last 10 games vs. Florida, which has cut Auburn’s lead in the all-time series to 90-82. The teams are scheduled to face each other only once this season. The Tigers won’t have to face Tyree Appleby, who scored 26 points vs. Auburn last season in Gainesville. The guard is a graduate transfer at Wake Forest. Auburn’s top scorer in Gainesville last season, Jabari Smith with 28 points, is an NBA rookie. This 2022-23 Florida team features three players scoring in double figures. Will Richard, a 6-4, 206 sophomore guard, is averaging 10.7 points and 4.1 rebounds. Trey Bonham, a 6-0, 170 junior guard, is averaging 10.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists. The other expected starters are 6-3, 188 graduate guard Kyle Lofton (8.4 points 2.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists) and 6-9, 200 sophomore forward Alex Fudge (8.2 points, 5.4 rebounds). Kowacie Reeves, a 6-6, 192 sophomore guard, is averaging 9.9 points and is making 43.2 percent of his threes for a team that is connecting on 35.6 of those attempts. The Gators are shooting 45.4 percent from the field and 73.8 percent at the foul line. Florida’s opponents are making 41.4 percent of their field goals, including 35.8 percent from three-point range. The Gators are plus two in rebounding margin and are averaging 11.5 turnovers per contest while forcing 13.4 turnovers. The Gators lost their previous game, falling 62-53 to Oklahoma in a contest played at Charlotte, N.C. Florida led by as many 11 points, but struggled with its shooting in a game the Gators made 2-22 threes. Before that they defeated the Ohio Bobcats 82-48 in a game played at Tampa. The Tigers and Gators have not faced a common opponent this season. 36COMMENTS In addition to losing to the Sooners, the Gators dropped games to Florida Atlantic (76-74), Xavier (90-83), future Auburn opponent West Virginia (84-55) and unbeaten and No. 2 ranked UConn (75-54). *** Subscribe: Receive the latest Auburn intel and scoops*** ">247Sports

Pearl counting on defense as Auburn opens SEC play vs. Gators Mark Murphy 5–6 minutes AUBURN, Alabama–As his basketball team begins its SEC schedule, Coach Bruce Pearl is looking for a good defensive performance from his Auburn Tigers when they take on the Florida Gators at Neville Arena on Wednesday. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CST and the game will be televised on ESPN2. “Defense has carried us and that needs to continue,” said Pearl, who predicts that the 18-game league schedule will be “a grind” because of the quality of teams across the league. Auburn is ranked 12th nationally as a team in defensive efficiency, according to Kenpom.com. Tennessee is ranked No. 1, Mississippi State is No. 5, Arkansas No. 9, Kentucky No. 13 and Alabama is 19th. The Tigers, who have a 10-2 record, are allowing opponents to score just 62.1 points per game while shooting 38.8 percent from the field. That ranks 31st nationally and third among SEC teams. In the SEC the Tigers are ranked fourth in points allowed behind Mississippi State, Tennessee and Arkansas. Opponents are making just 27.1 percent of their three-point shots vs. the Tigers, which ranks 11th nationally and second in the SEC. “Florida does a good job with their ball-screen offense,” Pearl said. “They force your five man (center) to guard in ball screen, and then they get it to (Colin) Castleton in advantage-disadvantage situations, and then you have got to guard him.” Castleton, a 6-10, 250 graduate student, is Florida’s top player. He leads the team in scoring (15.8 points), rebounds (7.6) and blocked shots (2.5 per game). His team will bring a 7-5 record to Neville Arena where Auburn defeated the Gators 85-73 last season before losing the rematch 63-62 at Gainesville. Castleton played very well in both matchups. The Tigers come into Wednesday’s contest after splitting a pair of true road games, losing 74-71 at Southern Cal before defeating Washington 84-61. Asked if the trip was good for his team, Pearl said, “It was helpful because the win over Washington moved us 20 points in the net (NCAA net rankings–a road win against a Power 5 team that has beaten some good teams. “I do think it does show the importance of matchups,” the coach added. “We are not 24 points better than Washington, but the way the systems have matched up the last two times we have played, for one reason or another, it was a really good matchup. “It doesn’t get talked about nearly often enough, and it is nobody's fault, but certain things that we do bother people way more than it ought to, and certain things that we do actually bring out the best in some people, and vice versa,” Pearl said. On the subject on matchups the SEC opener will be the first time Pearl has coached against Todd Golden, who spent two seasons (2014-16) on the Auburn staff. Golden, who is in his first season leading the Gators, was head coach the previous three years for the USF Dons. The relationship goes back to when Pearl coached Golden. “I am very proud of Todd for his work as a student-athlete,” Auburn’s coach said. “Obviously, we won gold together and he was my point guard in 2009 at Maccabi USA, which was very exciting to experience that with him. Steven (Pearl) and Todd played together on that gold medal team in 2009. “When he got into coaching and was done playing professionally, he called me and asked me ‘what do you think about this profession?’ Just like my son, I tried to talk him out of it. I said, ‘You’re way too smart for this. You’re bright. Go do something else.’ 6COMMENTS “He actually did do something else for a little while, working in New York, I think. He called me and said, ‘I think I am going to take this deal at Columbia, a part-time assistant. I was like ‘alright, there you go.’ Then I got the Auburn job the next year and asked him to come with me. He got a taste of the SEC. He got a chance to be the associate head coach out at San Francisco and took over and has done a phenomenal job. It’s a great story. Obviously, very proud of him.” Auburn Hoops Notes: The Tigers are 4-4 in SEC openers in the Pearl Era. Auburn leads the all-time series 90-82 and is 57-27 vs. the Gators in games played in Auburn, but the Gators are 5-2 at Neville Arena...AU continues to lead the country in blocked shots at 7.1 per game. Florida is sixth nationally at 5.9 blocks per game...Auburn finished its previous game at Washington with a season-high 22 assists led by seven from freshman guard Tre Donaldson...Donaldson and fellow point guard Wendell Green will be matched against graduate transfer Kyle Lofton, a three-time All-Atlantic 10 Conference guard at St. Bonaventure who is third in the SEC in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.79-1...Last Wednesday the Tigers set season-highs for field goal percentage (55.9) and three-point shooting (47.1 percent). Tigers Prepare for Gators and Castleton

#PMARSHONAU: Pearl ready to write another chapter in Auburn success story Phillip Marshall 3–4 minutes In a half century of covering Auburn athletics in one way or another, I have seen some of the great players and great teams in Southeastern Conference history and even in the history of college athletics. I’ve seen teams of which little to nothing was expected do great things. The turnaround Bruce Pearl has overseen as Auburn’s basketball coach is near the top of the list of remarkable accomplishments. As he opens his eighth Auburn season tonight, Pearl has taken the Tigers to heights no one could have predicted. He took over a program that had been through the worst four-year stretch in program history, and that was a program that had enjoyed few periods of sustained success. Pearl got it done, but it didn’t happen overnight. Pearl’s first two Auburn teams had losing records. In his first three seasons, his SEC record was 16-38. But always there was the feeling something special was ahead. Even in those days, the Tigers played before sellout crowds. Over the following five seasons, Auburn won more SEC games than anybody. Pearl led the way to two regular-season championships and an SEC Tournament championship. His 2019 team went to the Final Four and might have won the national championship had it not been for a stunning no-call on a clear double-dribble in a semifinal matchup with eventual champion Virginia. Tonight, Auburn will take a 10-2 record into its game against Florida at Neville Arena. The Tigers haven’t been overly impressive in winning those 10 games, but they are ranked No. 20 in the Associated Press poll. On the other side of the court tonight will be a coach who knows the Auburn story better than most. It was Pearl who opened the door to the big-time for Golden. Golden met Steven Pearl, Bruce’s son and an Auburn assistant, when they played together in Australia in 2006. He played for the elder Pearl three years later and played professionally for two years in Israel. When Bruce Pearl took the Auburn job in the spring of 2014, he reached out to Golden, then an assistant at Columbia. Golden started in an off-the-court job, was promoted after one year and eventually became the head coach at San Francisco. He landed the Florida job after last season. He knew from the start that something unprecedented was happening at Auburn. 3COMMENTS “I just wake up every morning thankful I’m a part of it, because I know how successful we are going to be,” Golden said in an interview in 2015. “We are continuing to build this foundation we started last year, continuing to bring more talented players into the program, guys that have great attitudes and great work ethics. If we can continue to do what we’ve been doing, we’re going to be in very good shape. And it won’t take that long.” His words were prophetic. ">247Sports

How to watch the Auburn basketball game vs the Florida Gators Zac Blackerby ~2 minutes Bruce Pearl and the Auburn Tigers start SEC play Wednesday night against the Florida Gators. After going 10-2 in nonconference play, the Tigers look to defend their reign as the SEC champions. The Gators enter conference play at 7-5. The Tigers are coming off a win against Washington. Auburn is one of seven SEC schools to pull off a true road win this season in non-conference play. The Tigers joined Alabama who beat Houston and Florida who beat Florida State among those schools with a quality road win against a Power 6 opponent. How to watch the Auburn basketball game vs the Florida Gators The Auburn Tigers and the Florida Gators battle at 6:00 pm CT on ESPN2. Kevin Fitzgerald and Jimmy Dykes will be on the call. The radio broadcast will be on the Auburn Sports Network. Andy Burcham, Sonny Smith, and Brad Law will have the action. Fun fact Per a release from Auburn, It will be a reunion between Auburn Head Coach Bruce Pearl and Florida Head Coach Todd Golden, who previously served as director of basketball operations and assistant coach on the Plains from 2014-16. It is also the first-time meeting between the two on opposite sidelines. Series History After splitting the two games last year, Auburn leads 90-82 in the all-time series with Florida including a 57-27 all-time record on its home court versus the Gators. The Tigers have only beaten the Gators three times in the last decade (W, 76-62) on Feb. 5, 2019 at Auburn, (W, 65-62) on March 16, 2019 in Nashville and (W, 85-73) on Jan. 8, 2022 at Auburn. Engage with Auburn Daily on Socials!

How Auburn's transfer losses compare to rest of SEC Nathan King The next wave of entries into the transfer portal is on its way. It's been 22 days since the winter transfer window opened in college football, and once bowl seasons runs its course — and players have more time to discuss decisions with their families over the holidays — there will likely be another surge of transfer entries before the window closes Jan. 18. Transfer visits can also resume on campuses Jan. 4. Before more expected movement, Auburn currently has 10 outgoing scholarship transfers — but what are the Tigers losing in terms of on-field production, in comparison to the rest of the conference? It's easy to look at raw transfer numbers, but those don't tell the whole story of whether a player was utilized on a team. Let's take a look at how Auburn's current transfer losses — and what those players contributed in 2022 — compares to the SEC. (Matthew Visinsky, Getty) K Caden Davis WR Chase Lane CB Brian George QB Haynes King DL Elijah Jeudy CB Myles Jones TE Blake Smith OT PJ Williams DL Tunmise Adeleye QB Eli Stowers RB LJ Johnson DL Dallas Walker IV CB Josh Moten DE Donell Harris DL Marcus Burris LB Andre White Jr. LB Tarian Lee Jr. CB Denver Harris WR Ryan Campbell LB Ish Harris WR Chris Marshall WR Devin Price WR Yulkeith Brown CB Smoke Bouie CB Marquis Groves-Killebrew DL Adarious Jones Lost 2022 production * 1,220 passing yards * 7 passing touchdowns * 349 receiving yards * 1 receiving touchdown * 39 rushing yards * 2 rushing touchdowns * 87 tackles * 5 tackles for loss * 6 field goals (Kim Klement, USA TODAY Sports) OT Joshua Braun WR Trent Whittemore OG Griffin McDowell RB Nay'Quan Wright CB Avery Helm WR Daejon Reynolds RB Lorenzo Lingard LB Chief Borders LB David Reese S Donovan McMillon OG Yousef Mugharbil DL Jalen Lee S Kamar Wilcoxson TE Nick Elksnis DE Lloyd Summerall LB Diwun Black CB Corey Coiller DL Chris Thomas OT Michael Tarquin CB Jordan Young OG Ethan White S Tre'Vez Johnson Lost 2022 production * 27 offensive line starts * 345 receiving yards * 2 receiving touchdowns * 191 rushing yards * 2 rushing touchdowns * 67 tackles * 2 interceptions * 3.5 tackles for loss (Arkansas Communications) P Reid Bauer QB Jacolby Criswell RB James Jointer TE Erin Outley CB Khari Johnson WR Warren Thompson S Jaccorei Turner QB Malik Hornsby DE Eric Thomas S Myles Slusher WR Ketron Jackson RB Javion Hunt CB Chase Lowery CB Keuan Parker S Zach Zimos TE Trey Knox S Jalen Catalon DL Isaiah Nichols Lost 2022 production * 23 punts * 181 rushing yards * 760 receiving yards * 10 receiving touchdowns * 78 tackles * 2 sacks (Justin Ford, Getty) WR Dannis Jackson QB Luke Altmyer S Kentrel Bullock DL Luke Shouse DE Brandon Mack DE Demon Clowney OT Erick Cade S MJ Daniels CB Derek Bermudez RB Isaiah Woullard OT Tobias Braun OT Hamilton Hall DL Jalen Cunningham DE Jaron Willis CB Kyndrich Breedlove WR Miles Battle WR Bralon Brown S Dashaun Jerkins Lost 2022 production * 125 passing yards * 2 passing touchdowns * 13 rushing yards * 45 tackles * 3 tackles for loss * 2 interceptions (Frederick Breedon, Getty) LB Phillip Webb LB Antoine Sampah TE Jack Bech CB Damarius McGhee CB Raydarious Jones DE Desmond Little TE Kole Taylor LB Kolbe Fields OT Cameron Wire S Derrick Davis Jr. OT Marcus Dumervil OG Xavier Hill CB Jaelyn Davis-Robinson Lost 2022 production * 1 offensive line start * 255 receiving yards * 1 receiving touchdown * 40 tackles (Darryl Oumi, Getty) RB Maurice Edwards LB Daniel Martin WR Devin Boddie Jr. S Chase Lloyd TE Joel DeCoursey P Jared Wheatley RB Ray Davis RB Rocko Griffin TE Diego LaMonica QB Mike Wright DE Elijah McAllister DL Malik Langham Lost 2022 production * 974 passing yards * 12 passing touchdowns * 230 receiving yards * 3 receiving touchdowns * 1,128 rushing yards * 6 rushing touchdowns * 29 tackles * 2.5 tackles for loss (Jordan Prather, USA TODAY Sports) WR Chauncey Magwood WR Chris Lewis WR DeMarcus Harris RB Kavosiey Smoke TE Keaton Upshaw WR Demontae Crumes OT John Young CB Adrian Huey DL Quentel Jones RB Michael Drennen OT Kiyaunta Goodwin Lost 2022 production * 336 receiving yards * 1 receiving touchdown * 227 rushing yards * 1 rushing touchdown (Todd Van Emst / Auburn Athletics) CB A.D. Diamond WR Ze'Vian Capers WR J.J. Evans QB Zach Calzada OG Keiondre Jones WR Dazalin Worsham LB Joko Willis RB Jordon Ingram DT Marquis Robinson QB Trey Lindsey Lost 2022 production * 2 offensive line starts * 24 receiving yards * 4 tackles (Matthew Visinsky, Getty) WR Jacoby Boykins CB Rodney Johnson WR Traeshon Holden OT Amari Kight OG Javion Cohen OT Damieon George OT Tommy Brockermeyer WR Christian Leary WR JoJo Earle WR Aaron Anderson Lost 2022 production * 11 offensive line starts * 492 receiving yards * 6 receiving touchdowns (Jeff Blake, USA TODAY Sports) S Jalani Williams DE Travion Ford CB Darius Jackson WR Dominic Lovett LB Devin Nicholson LB Zachary Lovett QB Tyler Macon CB Les Hewitt OT Hyrin White WR Tauskie Dove Lost 2022 production * 1,086 receiving yards * 4 receiving touchdowns * 25 tackles * 1 interception * 4 pass breakups (Matt Bush, USA TODAY Sports) OG Reed Buys QB Daniel Greek WR Christian Forde WR RaRa Thomas RB Ke'Travion Hargrove OT Gabe Cavazos DL Matai Mata'afa RB Dillon Johnson WR Zavion Thomas S Dylan Lawrence Lost 2022 production * 981 receiving yards * 7 receiving touchdowns * 488 rushing yards * 3 rushing touchdowns * 5 tackles (Cory Fravel, 247Sports) S RJ Roderick TE Austin Stogner CB Joey Hunter TE Jaheim Bell S Tyrese Ross OT Jordan Davis RB MarShawn Lloyd WR Corey Rucker DE Gilber Edmond Lost 2022 production * 575 rushing yards * 9 rushing touchdowns * 669 receiving yards * 5 receiving touchdowns * 54 tackles (Bryan Lynn, USA TODAY Sports) RB Lyn-J Dixon RB Justin Williams-Thomas RB Len'Neth Whitehead WR Jimmy Calloway WR Jimmy Holiday TE Miles Campbell OG Savion Herring DL Jordan Phillips Lost 2022 production * 37 rushing yards * 126 receiving yards * 1 receiving touchdown * 1 tackle ">247Sports

Joseph Goodman: UAB’s new football coach takes aim at Auburn Updated: Dec. 28, 2022, 8:47 a.m.|Published: Dec. 28, 2022, 7:41 a.m. 7–9 minutes New UAB football coach Trent Dilfer said something on early national signing day that caught my attention. “We’re looking for the best players in Alabama,” Dilfer said. “If they go to the University of Alabama, that’s awesome. But we’re going to be the next best option.” It’s a lot to consider. The first thought, obviously: UAB’s first-year coach thinks he can out-recruit Auburn for in-state players? Gene Bartow would love this guy. Second thought: A UAB coach kissing the rings of Nick Saban? Cringe. Gene Bartow would hate this guy. Third thought: Wait, Dilfer does know that Auburn is in Alabama, right? RELATED: UAB’s DeWayne McBride prepares for NFL Draft GOODMAN: These Southside Dragons are ready to soar into the AAC GOODMAN: Cadillac inspired Auburn with powerful message GOODMAN: Saban’s dynasty is alive and Auburn is back from the dead Dilfer, the former NFL quarterback and ESPN football analyst, was introduced by UAB on Dec.1 after coaching at the high school level in Tennessee for a handful of years. It was a headline-grabbing hire by athletics director Mark Ingram, and the new attention for UAB hasn’t stopped. If anything, Dilfer knows how to get his name in the paper and on TV. But recruit on-par with Auburn? I have to be honest. These are new times for UAB, but even still it’s hard to take that statement seriously. There is plenty of work to be done filling out rosters with prep players and transfers, but Auburn has a recruiting class ranked 20th nationally. UAB is at 97th overall. Auburn plays in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry against Georgia. UAB has lost two years in a row to Rice. UAB is entering its seventh season since the program was brought back from the dead. Auburn started playing football back before the turn of the 20th century. John Heisman was the coach at Auburn from 1895 to 1899 and since then three Auburn players have won Heisman trophies. Not counting interims, UAB’s last head coach was Bill Clark. Auburn’s last coach was … hmm. What was his name? Oh, yeah. Bryan Harsin. Welp, maybe Dilfer is onto something. Or maybe he’s just Harsin UAB, someone who says things like, “Just wait,” as he barrels the car down the dirt road towards a cliff. I’m hopeful that Dilfer is the guy who can take UAB to the next level as a football school, but some of his pronouncements are triggering PTSD. Is UAB anywhere close to competing with Auburn for prestige and recruits? No, but for a lot of reasons, perhaps the gap is closer now than ever before: the transfer portal, an expanded playoff, etc. That said, the same reasoning applies to UAB when compared to Troy, South Alabama and Jacksonville State. Before UAB steps out of its lane, maybe Dilfer should look in the rearview mirror. Oncoming objects might be closer than they appear. If we’re going to take this idea of UAB recruiting against in-state foes to its logical conclusion, then Troy, South Alabama and Jacksonville State are probably closer to UAB at the moment than UAB is to Auburn. Troy just went 12-2 in 2022. The Trojans won the Sun Belt Conference, and then won their bowl game against Conference USA champ UTSA. UTSA, the two-time defending champs of CUSA, has knocked off UAB two years in a row. South Alabama, Troy’s in-state rival, won 10 games in 2022. Troy won the rivalry game against the Jags 10-6. UAB football is joining the American Athletic Conference as a full member after the spring semester, which means it’s already recruiting against those schools. As a review, here are the teams that will be competing in the AAC with UAB in 2023: Charlotte, East Carolina, FAU, Memphis, Navy, North Texas, Rice, South Florida, SMU, Temple, Tulane, Tulsa and UTSA. It’s going to be a fun conference, but the Sun Belt Conference has plenty going for it, too. The Sun Belt doesn’t pull in as much TV revenue as UAB’s new league, and the universities aren’t as big as those in the AAC, but a strong argument could be made that SBC schools, on average, have more dedicated football fans than the AAC. Meanwhile, Jacksonville State is leaving the FCS level for CUSA. With Rich Rodriguez as the coach of the Gamecocks, and a passionate alumni base already in place, would it surprise anyone if JSU makes immediate noise at the FBS level? Here’s the problem for UAB. JSU grads are JSU fans. Troy grads are diehard fans of Troy football. The reason? JSU and Troy have distinct identities. Not too long ago, UAB was happy to recruit Auburn and Alabama fans by selling them on the idea of UAB being everyone in Birmingham’s second team. That strategy didn’t work, and so now UAB’s new coach is calling out Auburn on early national signing day. If that’s the play, fine, but be prepared to back it up, and get called out if it doesn’t materialize. At its core, UAB football has an identity problem. UAB is never going to be like Auburn or Alabama, which are multi-generational SEC powers in football, even if UAB’s endowment ends up surpassing both those schools in the next decade. UAB football and basketball, like I’ve written in the recent past, need to be the beating hearts of New Birmingham. If UAB wants to be Birmingham’s team, then maybe start by building a wall around Birmingham and identifying with Birmingham culturally like Miami has done in the past with recruits from Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties. Howard Schnellenberger owned South Florida, and that’s what built the Canes. Current Canes coach Mario Cristobal, by the looks of this latest recruiting class, is doing the same (with the help of NIL, of course). Auburn promotes its NIL collective every chance it gets. For UAB to compete with Auburn, it’s probably going to take raising large sums of money for players. That’s just the nature of college football as the calendar turns over to 2023. Here’s the thing, though. UAB needs to first consider out-recruiting AAC foes Memphis, SMU, UTSA and Tulane. Dilfer’s predecessor was always understated. Even if he thought so privately, Clark never would have intimated publicly that UAB competes against Auburn for football recruits. The respectful and meek approach doesn’t really win over any passionate football supporters, though, and for all Clark did for UAB he never came close to competing against an SEC school on the field after the return. Clark’s biggest victory against a brand-name opponent was BYU in the Independence Bowl, and then he retired. From the beginning, Dilfer has said that it’s time for UAB to start thinking big. In his opening news conference and then in individual interviews since then, Dilfer has said that UAB fans should start thinking about the College Football Playoff. Now he’s calling out Auburn. Crazy talk? We’ll see. I think he’s going to find out pretty fast how difficult it is to recruit elite high school football players in the Deep South, but I got nothing against Dilfer’s windy words. In fact, I love it. The standard of success at UAB needs to be high, and Dilfer is treating the state of Alabama’s church of football like it’s sports entertainment. That’s bound to get the attention of some non-believers. Keep talking, coach. Keep making headlines. Keep breathing that fire and shooting the breeze. What’s next? Maybe trying to prove that Dilfer is a better coach of quarterbacks than Hugh Freeze.