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Auburn Basketball: Tigers at Florida Game Info & Preview

By Nicholas Ian Allen

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The Auburn basketball team picked up their first conference win Saturday, 85-79 over Missouri at Auburn Arena. Now, the Tigers hit the road to take on the Florida Gators at the O-Dome.

Auburn Tigers (9-6) at Florida Gators (9-6)

  • Date: Thursday, January 15, 2015
  • Start Time: 6PM Central
  • Location: Gainesville, FL
  • Arena: O’Connell Center
  • TV Info: ESPN2
  • Live Stream: WatchESPN
  • Odds (VegasInsider.com): Florida (-14.5)

The Auburn Tigers earned the first SEC victory of the Bruce Pearl era Saturday, 85-79 over Missouri. The victory was the sixth home win in a row for the Tigers, who improved to 8-1 this season at Auburn Arena. Auburn is now 1-1 in SEC play heading into a tough matchup against the Florida Gators in Gainesville.

Jan 10, 2015; Auburn, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers forward Cinmeon Bowers (5) reacts after making a shot and being fouled by the Missouri Tigers during the second half at Auburn Arena. Auburn beat Missouri 85-79. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

Florida, a Final Four team in 2013-14, has the same 9-6 overall record the Tigers do. After losing four starters from last seasons squad, there has been some transition for the Gators this year. However, Florida is still a force to be reckoned with in the Southeastern Conference, and own a 2-0 record in league play thanks to a 72-68 victory over South Carolina and a 72-47 win over Mississippi State.

Dorian Finney-Smith was the SEC’s Sixth Man of the Year last season, but he now leads the Gators with 14.1 points per game, and there is plenty of talent around him, including a host of former five-star recruits. Chris Walker is a physical presence in the post and Michael Frazier II is Florida’s single-season record holder with 118 three-pointers, which he accomplished last season.

Additionally, Jon Harford is a 6-foot-10 graduate transfer from Michigan who leads the Gators with 5.7 rebounds per game, and Alex Murphy transferred from Duke and offers versatility and depth off the bench. Plus, freshmen Chris Chiozza and Devin Robinson have emerged as starters under veteran head coach Billy Donovan.

Auburn travels to Gainesville as a heavy underdog and looking for the team’s first true road win of the season. As good as the Tigers have been at home, they’ve struggled on opponent’s home courts, losing 90-59 to Colorado, 46-44 to Texas Tech, 72-61 to Clemson and 64-52 to Vanderbilt in the SEC opener in Nashville.

Cinmeon Bowers has been a star thus far for the Tigers, and picked up his ninth double-double of the season against Mizzou Saturday and tied a career high with 20 points. The junior college transfer is 13th in the SEC in scoring (13.7 points per game) and leads the league in rebounding with 11.3 boards per contest. Bowers is one of only five players from a major conference that averages a double-double this season.

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In addition to Bowers, Auburn features a talented senior scoring tandem in guards K.T. Harrell and Antoine Mason. Harrell currently ranks second in the SEC with 17 points per night and Mason isn’t far behind with 14.6.

Adding K.C. Ross-Miller to the mix, who leads the league with 2.3 steals per game, and the Tigers boast a solid trio of senior guards that make the team dangerous in SEC play. Unfortunately, with Bowers at 6-foot-7 and Jordon Granger at 6-foot-8 as the only height in the starting lineup, the Tigers are usually at a distinct size disadvantage, and tonight is no different.

The Auburn basketball program is on the rise under Pearl, and the Tigers have the talent to compete in every contest, but they will need to play a perfect game and catch a few breaks to upset the Gators in Gainesville tonight.

Projected Lineups:

Auburn

#5 Cinmeon Bowers, F, Jr., 6-foot-7, 278 pounds, 13.7 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 28.8 MPG
#25 Jordon Granger, F, Jr., 6-foot-8, 210 pounds, 5.1 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 22.3 MPG
#1 K.T. Harrell, G, Sr., 6-foot-4, 212 pounds, 17.0 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 32.7 MPG
#12 K.C. Ross-Miller, G, So., 6-foot, 178 pounds, 6.9 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 24.5 MPG
#14 Antoine Mason, G, Sr., 6-foot-1, 216 pounds, 14.6 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 29.8 MPG

Florida

#0 Casey Hill, G, So., 6-foot-1, 182 pounds, 7.7 PPG, 4.3 APG
#11 Chris Chiozza, G, Fr., 6-foot, 160 pounds, 4.4 PPG, 2.0 APG
#3 Devin Robinson, F, Fr., 6-foot-8, 178 pounds, 6.2 PPG, 2.9 RPG
#10 Dorian Finney-Smith, F, Jr., 6-foot-8, 218 pounds, 14.1 PPG, 5.5 RPG
#21 Chris Walker, C, So., 6-foot-10, 220 pounds, 5.8 PPG, 8.4 RPG

Next: Football Recruiting: Top 12 Uncommitted Auburn Targets

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