Auburn had a chance to pull out a magical comeback victory on the road against Florida, having possession with 7.5 seconds left and the Gators clinging to a one-point lead. However, the No. 2 Tigers never got a shot off, and Florida students flooded the floor after a 63-62 victory.

"We intended to get it to (Walker) Kessler, but it just didn't work out," Jabari Smith said.

The Tigers held as big as a nine-point lead in the second half, starting the last 20 minutes on a 14-4 run led by Smith's 10 quick points. Florida answered back as the worst three-point shooting team in the SEC caught fire from behind the arc, making 7-of-13 in the second half.

A three-pointer by Tyree Appleby with 2:16 left gave the Gators an eight-point advantage. Auburn wouldn't go quietly, though. K.D. Johnson made two free throws to cut the lead to six. Following a made free throw by Florida, Smith got fouled while shooting a three and made a trio of free throws.

Now trailing by four, Johnson stole a pass and drove to the basket for a quick layup at the 1:25 mark. After a missed jumper by Smith, Colin Castleton made 1-of-2 free throws to make the advantage 63-60. Johnson once again drove to the basket, getting fouled and making both.

This was when all havoc broke out. The Tigers seemed to have a steal on the ensuing inbounds play, but Allen Flanigan couldn't hold onto the ball. Florida retained possession, and the Gators called timeout with nine seconds left. Smith jumped over his defender on the inbounds pass and stole the ball, giving Auburn possession. A pass from Kessler went off a Florida player and set up the final opportunity for the Tigers.

Green dribbled around and tried to pass it to Kessler in the lane, but it got tipped away, and time ran out.

It was a sloppy game from the Tigers in the first half, scoring just 21 points and turning the ball over nine times, including seven by the guard duo of Green and Johnson. Auburn finished the game with 17 turnovers to Florida's 12.

"We've just got to start better on the road," Smith said. "We always find ourselves having to fight back."

Smith led the Tigers with 28 points and seven rebounds. Johnson added 12 points while Kessler contributed 11.

"We're our best when everybody contributes, and we relied too much on Jabari tonight," Bruce Pearl said. "We're best when everybody contributes, and that wasn't the case tonight."

Auburn returns to the court on Wednesday, February 23, as the Tigers host Ole Miss. The game tips at 7:30 p.m. C.T. and airs on the SEC Network.