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Florida Basketball: 3 takeaways from 63-62 upset win over Auburn

By Matt Melton

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 08: Tyree Appleby #22 of the Florida Gators dribbles the ball during the first half of a game against the North Florida Ospreys at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on December 08, 2021 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 08: Tyree Appleby #22 of the Florida Gators dribbles the ball during the first half of a game against the North Florida Ospreys at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on December 08, 2021 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images) /
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Florida Basketball entered Saturday’s game with No. 2 ranked Auburn in Gainesville knowing that they had a golden opportunity set ahead of them.

Sitting firmly on the Bubble in the “Next Four Out” category according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi as of Friday morning, the 16-10 Gators (6-7 in SEC) had multiple games before the SEC Tournament to improve their NCAA Tournament standing, starting with this game against Auburn.

As you likely know, the Gators posted an impressive showing against Auburn on Saturday afternoon in Gainesville in route to a 63-62 victory. Here are three of the biggest takeaways from this massive resume-boosting win for the Gators.

3 takeaways from Florida Basketball’s 63-62 upset win over Auburn

Tyree Appleby

To knock-off a Top 5 team, you have to have some special performances from a few players in particular, and that is what the Gators received from guard Tyree Appleby on Saturday afternoon.

The senior guard went for a season-high 26 points on 7/15 shooting, as well as going 5-for-10 from three-point range and 7-for-8 from the free throw line. Appleby made some massive shots for the Gators down the stretch in the second half, shots that helped Florida build a lead late and withstand the late Auburn run. Speaking of that….

Big Shots Late

Auburn held the lead for the early-part of the second half, up until Florida guard Phlandrous Fleming Jr made a big three at the 7:38 mark. After Auburn’s Jabari Smith immediately tied the game with two made free throws at 48-48, the Gators then proceeded to go on a 13-5 run across the next three minutes due to some big shots from Appleby, Brandon McKissic, and Colin Castleton.

This run as mentioned previously allowed the Gators to build a lead late, and while Auburn did make a run to make it a one-possession game with under a minute left, Florida would have never been there without some of these big makes.

More Opportunities to Come

It’s part of playing in the conference that is SEC Basketball, resume-building opportunities happen every single game. Of their remaining four games before the SEC Tournament begins, Florida surely can’t afford to lose the upcoming games at Georgia and Vanderbilt, but they will also play two other Top 25 opponents in Arkansas and Kentucky, both at home.

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While there is still work to be done for the Gators to truly get themselves off the Bubble, there is no denying how big of a win this was for Florida Basketball and their 2021-22 NCAA Tournament chances. The opportunity is there in the next two weeks, can the Gators pickup more wins similar to this?

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