Auburn vs. Florida: 2021-22 college basketball game preview, TV schedule

The Auburn Tigers are becoming a trendy Final Four pick. Can the Florida Gators slow them down on Saturday?

TV Schedule: Saturday, January 8, 8:00 pm ET on ESPN2

Arena: Auburn Arena in Auburn, Alabama

Are the Auburn Tigers a legitimate Final Four contender? Many college basketball prognosticators are beginning to believe so, and with good reason.

Outside of a thrilling loss to the UConn Huskies earlier in the season, the Tigers don’t have a single blemish on their record. The team has blown out the likes of Syracuse, UCF, and Nebraska. Not impressed? They also blew out a then-undefeated LSU Tigers team by 15 points.

Forward Jabari Smith is in the midst of a phenomenal freshman year. He’s averaging 15.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. He’s also hitting 43.8 percent of his threes and averaging 1.6 steals per game to boot. He’s making a serious run at SEC Player of the Year.

Auburn’s strong start has come without arguably its best player, Allen Flanigan. After an Achilles injury sidelined the guard for 12 to 14 weeks, he made his season debut against Murray State before looking more like himself with 10 points against the Tigers. If Flanigan can return to form, the Tigers are in great shape in the SEC.

That being said, Flanigan may not be available for the Tigers on Thursday. According to AL.com, Bruce Pearl shared Thursday that the guard is day-to-day for vague “medical reasons.” The SEC Network claimed Flanigan missed the team’s most recent game due to COVID-19 protocols.

The Florida Gators aren’t in as good of shape as the Tigers, which is not to say they’re bad. The team is 9-4, though they’ve lost their only SEC game, a 13-point defeat at the hands of Alabama; a game at Ole Miss was postponed.

Florida has beaten Florida State and Ohio State, but the stain of a 15-point loss to a then-winless Texas Southern team will likely follow this program all season long. It definitely served as a big hit to the team’s at-large NCAA Tournament hopes.

The team flows through Colin Castleton, who has become one of the best big men in the SEC. He’s averaging close to a double-double this season, recording 15.1 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. He’s also swatting away 2.4 shots per contest.

But Castleton isn’t getting enough help. Florida has decent depth but lacks a true second-scoring option to support the big man. Three other players are averaging at least nine points per game, but only one, guard Phlandrous Fleming Jr., is averaging double-digits (10.9 points per game).

Florida is going to have its hands full with Auburn’s frontcourt, even with Castleton leading the charge. Beyond Smith, Pearl can also deploy Walker Kessler and Jaylin Williams. It’s going to be difficult for Florida to stop that attack while focusing simultaneously on the scoring guards.

Pearl hasn’t had much luck against Florida since taking over for the Tigers, sporting a 2-8 record against Mike White’s program. But these are two programs playing at much different levels this season and that will show come Saturday.

Prediction: Auburn 80, Florida 70