Once a week, we’ll be previewing Auburn Basketball’s upcoming opponents. This week, Auburn hosts the Florida Gators, and travels to Tuscaloosa to face the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Florida
The Gators are coached by Mike White, who is now in his 7th season at Florida. Florida has been a regular in the NCAA tournament under White, making the last 4 in a row. They’re the only SEC team to accomplish that, and one of just 12 in the country.
This season, Florida is 9-3, outscoring opponents by an average of 14 points. Their most impressive win this season has been a 3 point victory over Ohio State in Columbus. They have losses to Oklahoma, Texas Southern, and Maryland.
Players to Watch For: #12, Forward Colin Castleton, and #22, Guard Tyree Applebee
Castleton is an imposing basketball player, standing at 6’11”, 240 lbs. He leads the Gators in both scoring and rebounding, and neither is particularly close. He averages 14.8 points per game, and 9.3 rebounds per game. Applebee is the team’s facilitator and one of three double-digit scorers on the team. He averages 3.1 assists and 10 points.
Auburn will host the Gators on Saturday, January 8th.
Alabama
Alabama is coached by Nate Oats, who has made Alabama a team worth watching in just his third season. They won both the SEC regular season championship, and the SEC Tournament.
Alabama is 10-3 so far in their season, with their most impressive wins coming over Gonzaga, Houston, and Tennessee. Their losses are somewhat baffling though, coming to Iona, Davidson, and a Memphis team that has been below average this season. Alabama is obviously very talented, but also very inconsistent early in the season.
Players to watch for: #5, Guard Jadon Shackleford, and #13, guard Jahvon Quinerly
This pair of juniors is the motor for Alabama. They’re the two leading scorers on the team, with Shackleford averaging 16.5 points per game and Quinerly scoring 14.9 per game. Together, they also average a combined 5.6 assists and 9.6 rebounds. They both average over 30 minutes a game.
