Auburn upsets Florida for first win in Gainesville in 30 years
By David Wasson
Published:
The up-and-down basketball campaign for the Auburn Tigers took a big step up Saturday evening, as Auburn upset No. 16 Florida 76-67 – the Tigers’ first victory in Gainesville in 30 years.
Keyshawn Hall led the way with 24 points for Auburn (13-7 overall, 4-3 SEC), while KeShawn Murphy scored 16 points, Tahaad Pettiford scored 11 points, and Kevin Overton chipped in 10 points.
Florida, which shot just 37% from the field (22-of-59 overall), got a game-high 27 points from Thomas Haugh in the loss.
Auburn piled up 43 first-half points against Florida to take a 15-point halftime lead. The outcome ended Florida’s 5-game winning streak, its 16-game home winning streak, and its 15-game winning streak in the series.
Auburn had not beaten Florida (14-6, 5-2) at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center since securing a 73-70 victory in Gainesville on Feb. 10, 1996. Florida is now 49-29 against Auburn at home, but Auburn is now 91-85 overall in the series that dates to 1927.
Saturday’s matchup was also a rematch of the 2025 NCAA Tournament national semifinals, which saw Florida upend Auburn 79-73 en route to winning the national championship. It was also the Gators that ended the Tigers’ 14-game midseason winning streak in a 90-81 thriller last season on Feb. 8 in Auburn.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
