The Final Four will take place in San Antonio this year, where the Florida Gators will face the Auburn Tigers on one side of the bracket to determine who gets to continue the March Madness battle for the national championship. This 2025 NCAA Tournament face-off represents a rematch of their regular-season tangle, in which the Orange and Blue emerge triumphantly.
That game took place way back on Feb. 8 inside Neville Arena and a lot has happened since. Todd Golden's team has won 16 of their last 17 games, including a three-game sweep of the SEC Tournament to take home the trophy, plus four straight wins in the Big Dance.
Bruce Pearl's boys have won four in a row since dropping their game against the Tennessee Volunteers in the SEC Tournament Semifinals. Since then, they have logged double-digit victories against their first three opponents NCAA Tournament before a closer call with the Michigan State Spartans in the Elite Eight.
Ahead of the Final Four matchup between Florida and Auburn, the Gators Wire staff chimed in with their respective predictions for Saturday evening's college basketball affair. You may — or may not — be surprised by what we forsee.
'Limiting Johni Broome is a must'
"We've seen this matchup before and history favors the Florida Gators. When Florida and Auburn met in the regular season, Walter Clayton dropped a career-high nine assists and played all 40 minutes after missing the last game with a sprained ankle. The offense shot 48% on the road that night and took down the No. 1 ranked team in the country to send the Auburn fans home unhappy. Oh yeah, Florida won that game without Alijah Martin, too, who was dealing with a hip pointer. Now at full health — Alex Condon looked fine on Saturday and has a week to rest up — the Gators are looking to run it back and reach the national championship game.
"Limiting Johni Broome is a must. The Auburn forward is a dominant big who put up 18 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in the regular-season loss, and Florida left that game feeling like it did a good job containing him. Broome is going to score, but it's about making things hard for him and playing every possession with the same fire. Relying on a second-half comeback is not how Florida wins this game. A big night from Will Richard would be nice. Clayton's going to get his shots in, but Richard could be the difference-maker in this one." — David Rosenberg
Prediction: Florida 84, Auburn 80
'X-factor could be Florida’s 3-point shooting'
"Florida may have already beaten Auburn once this season, but this rematch in front of the world on the Final Four stage presents new challenges—and new opportunities for the Gators to prove they’re the more complete team. The key matchup starts in the backcourt, where Walter Clayton Jr., arguably the most clutch player in the tournament, will be tested by Auburn’s defensive ace, Denver Jones. Clayton scored 19 points in their last meeting, and if he gets downhill early, Auburn could be in trouble again.
"Inside, Florida’s frontcourt players like Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon will need to keep Johni Broome off the boards and out of rhythm. Broome is Auburn’s engine, and if Florida can limit his touches and make him work on both ends, they’ll control the paint.
"The X-factor could be Florida’s ...
