Gainsville, FL (EETV)- Auburn's week on the road doesn't get any easier as they will travel to play Florida this Saturday. After the loss to Alabama on Wednesday, the Tigers will have to bounce back in order to avoid slipping in the polls.
The Tigers lead the series 89-79 overall but have not won in Gainsville since 1996. Auburn has won the last two games of the series with the most recent victory coming in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament last season.
Auburn currently sits at number four which is the highest ranked team they have had since 1998 when they were ranked fourth for four weeks straight. This is the fifth time in program history that they hold a top five ranking.
Their opponents are coming off a win against the Ole Miss in which they held the Rebels to just 55 points in total. The Gators are 3-1 in conference play with their lone loss coming from Missouri.
Florida is 21-61 against AP Top 5 opponents and are on a six game losing streak dating back to 2005 when they upset Kentucky in Gainsville.
The Gators are led by their star forward Kerry Blackshear who is in the running for SEC Player of the Year. Blackshear has had seven double-doubles and leads the league in scoring and rebounds. Blackshear had a career high of 24 points and 16 rebounds in their double overtime win against Alabama.
Auburn's first defeat of the season came to Alabama on Wednesday. The Tigers have a 27-2 record since the Final Four loss to Virginia last April.
Head coach Bruce Pearl has the Tigers in an even better position than last year as this class has won 89 games over the last four years.
Auburn's defense is one of the toughest to score on. The Tigers are allowing an average of 67.3 points per game which. is the lowest total under Bruce Pearl. The Tigers and the Gators face off tomorrow at 12:30 pm with TV coverage on CBS.
