Florida Gators vs Auburn Tigers

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Florida has had a scare in back-to-back games and that may make some people weary, but there's also something to be said for winning games the way they have setting them up for the pressure of the Final Four.

Walter Clayton Jr. will be fresh of his 30-point performance and you have to love that he's shooting 45.2% from beyond the arc. Clayton is the type of player who can absolutely take over the game. Auburn has a guy like that too, Johni Broome, but he may not be 100% as he's dealing with knee and elbow injuries.

Florida is a better offensive rebounding team (Ranked 5th in the country according to KenPom) compared to Auburn (ranked 48th) and in a closely lined game, those few extra possessions could be the difference. 

Florida’s resilience, highlighted by another double-digit deficit comeback in the Elite Eight, gives them a slight edge as -2.5 favorites, especially with Auburn’s Johni Broome dealing with an elbow injury. Both teams rank highly in offensive and defensive ratings at KenPom, but the Gators' ability to fight back makes them a tough opponent.

The senior hasn’t recorded more than 2.5 assists since the regular-season finale, hitting the under in six straight games.

Though he's expected to play in the Final Four after resting, his health remains uncertain following an arm injury in the Elite Eight. Despite a strong 25-point, 14-rebound performance after the fall, his impact on Saturday could be limited.

Florida has been the best ATS team this season in major-conference basketball, but the Gators have failed to cover in three of their four games thus far in this NCAA tournament. Auburn after an uneven finish to the regular season looks for all the world like a team that’s flipped the switch, covering its past three games in the Big Dance. Florida won 90-81 in Auburn in early February, but that was a long time ago—and it’s tough to pass up the tournament’s overall No. 1 seed as an underdog.

The Florida point guard has been a scoring machine in the postseason, hitting for 22 or more in five of his last six games, and striking for 30 to rescue the Gators against Texas Tech in the Elite Eight. While the Tigers have length everywhere, Clayton showed they can be vulnerable from the outside in his 19-point effort at Auburn in early February, where he hit four 3-pointers and shot 54 percent from the field.

Walter Clayton Jr. has been compared to Steph Curry by some NBA scouts, and its not hard to see why. The Lake Wales native has a smooth shooting stroke, and used that to lift his team to a comeback victory over Texas Tech in the Elite Eight. 

Clayton Jr. has surpassed 2.5 three-pointers in seven of his last eight games, while knocking down four per contest. In that stretch, he's shooting an outstanding 47% from deep, on 8.5 attempts.

Check out my Florida vs Auburn same-game parlay for more!

Florida big man Alex Condon has had an undeniable impact on the Gators March Madness run. However, he's failed to cross 18.5 points + rebounds in four straight games, and faces a tough matchup against Auburn bigs Johni Broome, Chaney Johnson and Dylan Cardwell. 

Condon's averaged just 15 points + rebounds across his last five games, will find the paint guarded by Auburn's plethora of experienced big men. The Aussie is shooting just 45% from the field in that time frame, and isn't a three point threat. On top of that he's averaged only 6.4 total rebounds across his last five, while playing 24 minutes a night.