Florida hosts No. 2 Auburn after Smith's 31-point game

Published Feb. 18, 2022 1:42 a.m. ET

Associated Press

Auburn Tigers (24-2, 12-1 SEC) at Florida Gators (16-10, 6-7 SEC)

Gainesville, Florida; Saturday, 2 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: No. 2 Auburn plays the Florida Gators after Jabari Smith scored 31 points in Auburn's 94-80 win against the Vanderbilt Commodores.

The Gators are 11-3 on their home court. Florida averages 70.0 points while outscoring opponents by 5.9 points per game.

The Tigers have gone 12-1 against SEC opponents. Auburn is second in the SEC scoring 80.5 points per game and is shooting 44.9%.

The teams play for the 10th time this season in SEC play. The Tigers won the last meeting 85-73 on Jan. 9. K.D. Johnson scored 23 points to help lead the Tigers to the victory.

TOP PERFORMERS: Colin Castleton is averaging 15.5 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.7 blocks for the Gators. Tyree Appleby is averaging 1.5 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for Florida.

Smith is scoring 15.8 points per game with 6.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists for the Tigers. Walker Kessler is averaging 10.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.8 blocks over the last 10 games for Auburn.

LAST 10 GAMES: Gators: 6-4, averaging 65.9 points, 26.6 rebounds, 11.8 assists, 7.3 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 40.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 65.3 points per game.

Tigers: 9-1, averaging 80.3 points, 38.5 rebounds, 14.1 assists, 7.2 steals and 8.7 blocks per game while shooting 44.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 69.5 points.

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