GAME WRAP: Auburn 65, Florida 62

Auburn wins, 65-62.

Auburn now is 25-9 overall.

AUBURN BY THE NUMBERS
2FG: 12-of-27 (44%)
3FG: 13-of-29 (45%)
FT: 2-of-5 (40%)

Florida grabbed more rebounds, 32-17.

Auburn is 9-5 this season when being out-rebounded.

FLORIDA BY THE NUMBERS
2FG: 17-of-23 (74%)
3FG: 6-of-15 (40%)
FT: 10-of-12 (83%)

MY AUBURN PLAYER OF THE GAME
G Jared Harper: 20 points (7-of-11 shooting), 4 steals, 2 assists, 2 rebounds

FROM THE FLORIDA SIDE

"Twenty points off turnovers I think was the biggest factor. That's what they (are) very good at. I thought they were very good in that regard — then doing what they do offensively, spreading you, hitting timely threes. I thought Jared Harper was amazing." — Florida coach Michael White

FROM THE AUBURN SIDE

• We may go a decade, or perhaps even longer, before again seeing an Auburn win with this bizarre collection of statistical trends. Florida shot 61 percent from the floor, which included an absurd 74 percent from two-point range, and went +15 in rebounding. That seems like a guaranteed win on paper. Yet the Gators took 18 fewer shots Saturday. The great equalizer was turnovers — Florida committed 19, Auburn three. The Tigers used that advantage to go +15 points off turnovers. That trend is nothing new considering Auburn leads the nation in defensive turnover frequency, but what we saw Saturday was a magnum opus even by this team's standards. One staffer told me: "Those numbers are insane; I can't believe that happened."

• Bruce Pearl's message to the team both before and during the game was that beating Florida represented an opportunity to force its way into the SEC elite. He characterized the Gators as a blue blood, which I'm not sure is an accurate representation, and used that reputation (as presented) to cast his group as an underdog despite many observers, along with Las Vegas oddsmakers, viewing Auburn as the favorite.

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• Two big things happened late. The first was Jared Harper's three-pointer with 12 seconds remaining. After a clutch defensive rebound from Chuma Okeke, Harper dribbled the ball near the mid-court line until moving to his right with approximately 16 seconds remaining. He cleared a bit of space, elevated above the UF defense and hit the shot we've all seen him hit 100 times this season. It was his most important shot of the season — and it gave the Tigers a four-point cushion. "He's been delivering all season long," Bryce Brown said.

• The second was Florida's final shot from guard Andrew Nembhard. Pearl said he instructed Brown to foul the Gators before they advanced the ball across the mid-court line. Brown missed that assignment and Nembhard ended up taking an off-balance shot with Brown, Samir Doughty and J'Von McCormick in the immediate vicinity. Replays showed contact, but no whistle was blown. "I was supposed to foul a little earlier," Brown said. "Once he crossed half court, I tried to back away from him and not foul him. I don't think I fouled him."

• Harper's biggest shot landed with 12 seconds remaining, but his most important sequence(s) occurred much earlier. He was the only Auburn starter who could hit the rim consistently during the first half. He scored 16 of the Tigers' 30 first-half points on 6-of-8 shooting. No other Tiger hit more than two shots by halftime. "Jared's been preparing for these moments his whole career — from elementary and middle school on," Pearl said. "He may have shown it on a big stage today, but he's been doing it in high school and doing it in practice. He kept us in the game during the first half."

• Austin Wiley played just three minutes Saturday, but that short shift yielded a major lift. On the scoring end, Wiley dunked and then notched an assist with a nice pass to Okeke. On the defensive end, Auburn went into its zone for the first (and last) time against the Gators. Those two zone possessions ended with stops. "He's been out for five weeks ... so we've got a lot of stuff in that we didn't have in a month ago," Pearl said. "So what I can I call? Uhhhh. We'll get it figured out. He'll keep playing a little bit more. He was great."

• It seems that SF Samir Doughty has turned a corner. He enjoyed another subtly excellent game against the Gators — adding eight points, four assists, three rebounds and zero turnovers Saturday. He's 7-of-13 from two, 10-of-21 from three since the Kentucky loss. He's cut his turnover rate significantly; Doughty has eight assists and two turnovers to his credit since the frustrating trip to Lexington. As a below-the-rim player, Doughty doesn't exactly fit in with this team from a functional standpoint. Yet he's done a better job focusing on his biggest strengths (spatial awareness and transition passing) and finding ways to score without getting overwhelmed by more athletic defenders. It's been a long time coming for Doughty, but he's been a consistent contributor throughout the past two weeks. Maybe this is his new normal.

• This is the first time Auburn has won at least 25 games in back-to-back seasons.

• This is the first time since 2000 that Auburn will play in the SEC Tournament final. The Tigers haven't claimed a tournament title since 1985.

• Auburn resumes play Sunday against Tennessee. That game is scheduled to tip at noon CDT and will be televised by ESPN.