Auburn Won't Be Beaten Twice By Florida

Florida vs. Auburn, 6:09 ET

If you're looking for me to boast about a great NCAA College Basketball season, you won't find it here. I did have a good season, but right now I'm in the midst of the worst slump I've had all year and am just 1-7 over my last eight plays. You read that right. I've won eight straight during the year, but this is the time to lock in and when everyone is watching, so I'm disappointed for failing. Maybe it is best to fade me, but if you're confident in rolling with me, let's ride here as Florida takes on Auburn.

Florida is probably one of the two most popular picks to win the championship - at least if my bracket pools that I'm in are any indication. The Gators have put together a stunning season in which they've gone 34-4 and have looked unstoppable at times. Sure, there have been some ugly or odd losses, but the team has been a money maker for us for the majority of the season. They won the SEC Tournament before entering the big dance. During this run, Walker Clayton Jr. has looked unreal and hit big shot after big shot. They haven't been without a scare in this tournament though. They easily crushed Norfolk before barely beating UConn. To be fair, though, the UConn game was actually a five point game with one second left and became a two point final as they hit a meaningless three at the buzzer. They beat Maryland by 16 in the next game, making quick work of them. However, last game, they might not have been the better team. They won by five, but they were down for a good portion of the game. They were down eight with four minutes to go, which is plenty of time, but we could be talking about Texas Tech in this game if they were able to get any kind of defensive stop. We aren't though, and Florida does deserve to be in this game. 

Auburn received the #1 overall seed in the tournament, and I don't think there was much question about why they got it. For the majority of the year, they looked like the best team in the country. There was a lot of movement in the standings/rankings for teams, but Auburn, for the most part, held steady in the first spot for more days than anyone else. Then around the end of the season, it started to look like the team was falling apart a bit or starting to crack. They lost three of their final four games prior to the NCAA Tournamnet, including before even getting to play in the SEC Championship game. For the year that put them with five losses. Prior to that stretch, just two losses - and both happen to be against other Final Four teams. One was at Duke, and the other was at home against, you guessed it, Florida. In the tournament, the team looks better and rejuvenated. For the most part, they've coasted to this point. Against Michigan State, they won by six, but even that felt like they were pretty much in control. Johni Broome got hurt, but came back late in the game and secured some late rebounds. 

The SEC was the best conference this year and this game almost feels like it should be a championship game. I'll likely pick whoever comes from the other side of the bracket (probably Duke) because I think these two teams are going to battle back-and-forth the full game. Florida may have gotten them the first time, but Auburn looks really good right now. This should be a close game, and if they can stop Clayton at all, I think Auburn wins. I'll take the points, but I'm sprinkling moneyline as well. Back Auburn. If something comes out between Wednesday, when I'm writing this, and Saturday about Broome not being 100%, I will certainly change my stance. 

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