Florida vs Auburn basketball highlights: Gators reach championship

March Madness continued Saturday with the men’s Final Four games from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.Florida is headed back to the NCAA Tournament national championship game for the first time since 2007 after a Final Four victory over SEC rival Auburn.

The Gators will play on Monday against the winner of Saturday’s second Final Four game, which pits No. 1 seed Duke against No. 1 seed Houston.

Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. entered the game leading the Gators with 18.1 points and 4.2 assists per game. The star was clutch in this game, dropping 34 points to lead the game’s scorers.

USA TODAY had full coverage of today’s Auburn vs. Florida game. Here are the scores, highlights and how it all went down:

Auburn vs. Florida final score, results

Florida defeat Auburn 79-73.

Florida came out strong with a scoring run that has helped keep the game close against Auburn. The Gators led Johni Broome and the Tigers with two minutes left in regulation after trailing by as many as nine points at halftime. The Tigers outscored the Gators 26-14 in the paint in the first half.

When is the Men’s National Championship game?

The men’s NCAA National championship game will take place on Monday, April 7, with an 8:50 p.m. ET tip-off time.

The game will be played at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

Walter Clayton Jr. stats

Walter Clayton Jr. had 34 points, four rebounds and two assists for Florida.

He is the first player with back-to-back 30-point games in the Elite Eight and national semifinals since Larry Bird in 1979, according to ESPN.

Florida vs. Auburn: Final Four Highlights

Johni Broome stats

Johni Broome has 15 points and seven rebounds with one assist, three steals and two blocks for Auburn.

Have the Auburn Tigers ever won a national championship?

The Auburn Tigers have never won a national championship. They have reached as far as the Final Four in 2019. The program also claims two Elite Eight appearances (1986, 2019) and six Sweet 16 appearances.

Where is the Final Four? What to know about Alamodome

The Alamodome, opened in May 1993, is owned by the city of San Antonio. Named after the Alamo, it has a capacity of 65,000 and welcomes the 2025 Final Four. It previously served as the home of the San Antonio Spurs and also houses the annual Alamo Bowl.

Charles Barkley cheers for Auburn

Auburn alumnus Charles Barkley was seen cheering for the Tigers during the Final Four game against SEC rival Florida.

Auburn Tigers men’s basketball roster

Starters in bold

Tahaad Pettiford, Guard, 0

JP Pegues, Guard, 1

Denver Jones, Guard, 2

Jahki Howard, Forward, 3

Johni Broome, Forward/Center, 4

Chris Moore, Forward, 5

CJ Williams, Guard, 7

Ja’Heim Hudson, Forward, 8

Chad Baker-Mazara, Guard/Forward, 10

Joah Shay, Guard, 12

Miles Kelly, Guard, 13

Presley Patterson, Guard 14

Drake Cardwell, Guard, 17

Blake Muschalek, Guard, 21

Reed Trapp, Guard, 22

Addarin Scott, Forward, 23

Chaney Johnson, Forward, 31

Dylan Cardwell, Center, 44

Florida Gators men’s basketball roster

Starters in bold

Walter Clayton Jr., Guard, 1

Kevin Pazmino, Guard, 2

Micah Handlogten, Center, 3

Sam Alexis, Forward, 4

Will Richard, Guard, 5

Urban Klavzar, Guard, 7

Rueben Chinyelu, Center, 9

Thomas Haugh, Forward, 10

Denzel Aberdeen, Guard 11

Viktor Mikic, Center, 12

Alijah Martin, Guard, 15

Isaiah Brown, Guard, 20

Alex Condon, Forward/Center, 21

Bennett Andersen, Guard, 22

Kajus Kublickas, Guard, 30

Olivier Rioux, Center, 32

Cooper Josefsberg, Guard, 33

Johni Broome injury update

Johni Broome participated in pregame warmups for Auburn. The SEC Player of the Year produced a double-double in the victory over Michigan State last week. During that game, he managed to overcome an injury scare in the second half that sent him to the locker room for X-rays for some time. He did return to finish the game.

What time is Auburn vs. Florida Final Four basketball today?

March Madness continues Saturday with the Final Four matchup between the No. 1 seeded Auburn Tigers and the No. 1 seeded Florida Gators. The action tips off at 6:09 p.m. ET.

Where to watch Auburn vs. Florida: TV, streaming coverage 

TV channel: CBS
Live stream: Paramount+ and Fubo (Fubo offers a free trial subscription)

Watch March Madness with Fubo

What channel is March Madness on?

Men’s NCAA Tournament games on Saturday will be broadcast on CBS. You can also watch Final Four action via these streaming options: Paramount+ and Fubo. Fubo offers a free trial subscription to new users.

Florida vs. Auburn predictions and picks

Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY: Florida 85, Auburn 80
Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY: Florida 88, Auburn 84
Erick Smith, USA TODAY: Auburn 73, Florida 70
Eddie Timanus, USA TODAY: Florida 78, Auburn 72
Blake Toppmeyer, USA TODAY: Florida 82, Auburn 70
Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic: Florida 82, Auburn 77
Adam Dubbin, Gators Wire:  Florida 85, Auburn 84

Florida vs. Auburn odds and betting line

The Florida Gators are favorites to beat the Auburn Tigers, according to BetMGM odds as of Saturday, April 5.

Spread: Florida (-2.5)
Moneyline: Florida (-145); Auburn (+120)
O/U: 159.5

March Madness men’s championship odds

The Duke Blue Devils remains the favorite to win the 2025 national championship according to BetMGM odds as of Saturday, April 5.

Duke -115
Florida +310
Houston +450
Auburn +575

Auburn vs. Florida all-time head-to-head record, history

The Auburn Tigers and Florida Gators have played one another 174 times. Auburn enjoys a 90-84 record in the series. The Gators most recently defeated the Tigers 92-81 on Feb. 8, 2025.

Florida Gators national championship, NCAA tournament history

The Florida Gators have won the national championship twice (2006, 2007). The Gators also went to the finals in 2000, losing to Michigan State, 89-76.

Florida vs. Auburn preview

Florida’s first priority will be keeping Auburn’s star big man Johni Broome under wraps. The Gators have a number of options there, as frontcourt starters Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu have been joined by key reserve Micah Handlogten, another seven-footer who had planned to redshirt but rejoined the team in mid-February to provide needed depth. Broome, for his part is still likely to post yet another double-double by night’s end, and Dylan Cardwell can help on the glass. But the Tigers will need points from the arc to keep pace with the Gators. Tahaad Pettiford has had a good tournament thus far, but the Tigers need better shot selection from Miles Kelly can continued success from Denver Jones.

Ah yes, about those Gators’ scorers. As we’ve seen, it will probably be Walter Clayton Jr. taking the big shot when needed, which means he’s likely to draw attention from Auburn’s Chad Baker-Mazara. But Florida also has Elijah Martin, who has Final Four experience from his time at Florida Atlantic, to help alleviate the ball pressure on the perimeter. — Eddie Timanus

Final Four by the numbers: Metrics predict No. 1 seed boon

All hail Ken Pomeroy; the king of the calculator, the seer of the stats, the architect of the analytics and the executive of efficiency.

For more than a decade, a website run by a former meteorologist and atmospheric sciences instructor has been the numbers-based Bible of college basketball. Pomeroy’s formula ranks teams by a variety of different metrics including offensive efficiency, defensive efficiency, tempo and luck. But his top-line number assigned to each team, calculated from data over thousands of possessions across the season, is pretty much the gold standard in terms of predicting on a game-to-game basis which team is more likely to win. — Dan Wolken

March Madness 2025 expert predictions

USA TODAY experts set their picks ahead of the NCAA Tournament. Here is who they picked before the madness.

Jordan Mendoza

Full bracket

Final Four: Michigan State, Florida, Duke, Houston
Final: Florida vs. Houston
National champion: Houston

Final Four: Auburn, St. John’s, Duke, Tennessee
Final: Auburn vs. Duke
National champion: Duke

Eddie Timanus

Full bracket

Final Four: Auburn, Florida, Duke, Houston
Final: Florida vs. Duke
National champion: Florida

Dan Wolken

Full bracket

Final Four: Michigan State, Florida, Duke, Houston
Final: Florida vs. Duke
National champion: Duke

2025 Men’s March Madness Printable Bracket

Here is your printable March Madness bracket.

Click for your 2025 NCAA Tournament printable bracket

Men’s March Madness bracket: Dates, times, TV, results and scores

All times Eastern

Tuesday, March 18

First Four games

South region: No. 16 Alabama State def. No. 16 St. Francis, 70-68
South region: No. 11 North Carolina def. No. 11 San Diego State, 95-68

Wednesday, March 19

First Four games

East region: No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s def. No. 16 American, 83-72
Midwest region: No. 11 Xavier def. No. 11 Texas, 86-80

Thursday, March 20

Round of 64 games

South region: No. 9 Creighton def. No. 8 Louisville, 89-75
Midwest region: No. 4 Purdue def. No. 13 High Point, 75-63
East region: No. 3 Wisconsin def. No. 14 Montana, 86-66
Midwest region: No. 1 Houston def. No. 16 SIU-Edwardsville, 78-40
South region: No. 1 Auburn def. No. 16 Alabama State, 83-63
Midwest region: No. 12 McNeese State def. No. 5 Clemson, 69-67
East region: No. 6 BYU def. No. 11 VCU, 80-71
Midwest region: No. 8 Gonzaga def. No. 9 Georgia, 89-68
Midwest region: No. 2 Tennessee def. No. 15 Wofford, 77-62
West region: No. 10 Arkansas def. No. 7 Kansas, 79-72
South region: No. 4 Texas A&M def. No. 13 Yale, 80-71
West region: No. 11 Drake def. No. 6 Missouri, 67-57
Midwest region: No. 7 UCLA def. No. 10 Utah State, 72-47
West region: No. 2 St. John’s def. No. 15 Omaha, 83-53
South region: No. 5 Michigan def. No. 12 UC San Diego, 68-65
West region: No. 3 Texas Tech def. No. 14 UNC-Wilmington, 82-72

Friday March 21

Round of 64 games

East region: No. 9 Baylor def. No. 8 Mississippi State, 75-72
East region: No. 2 Alabama def. No. 15 Robert Morris, 90-81
South region: No. 3 Iowa State def. No. 14 Lipscomb, 82-55
West region: No. 12 Colorado State def. No. 5 Memphis, 78-70
East region: No. 1 Duke def. No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s, 93-49
East region: No. 7 Saint Mary’s def. No. 10 Vanderbilt, 59-56
South region: No. 6 Ole Miss def. No. 11 North Carolina, 71-64
West region: No. 4 Maryland def. No. 13 Grand Canyon, 81-49
West region: No. 1 Florida def. No. 16 Norfolk State, 95-69
Midwest region: No. 3 Kentucky def. No. 14 Troy, 76-57
South region: No. 10 New Mexico def. No. 7 Marquette, 75-66
East region: No. 4 Arizona def. No. 13 Akron, 93-65
West region: No. 8 UConn def. No. 9 Oklahoma, 67-59
Midwest region: No. 6 Illinois def. No. 11 Xavier, 86-73
South region: No. 2 Michigan State def. No. 15 Bryant, 87-62
East region: No. 5 Oregon def. No. 12 Liberty, 81-52

Saturday, March 22

No. 4 Purdue def. No. 12 McNeese, 76-62
No. 10 Arkansas def. No. 2 St. John’s, 75-66
No. 5 Michigan def. No 4 Texas A&M, 91-79
No. 3 Texas Tech def. No. 11 Drake, 77-64
No. 1 Auburn def. No. 9 Creighton, 82-70
No. 6 BYU def. No. 3 Wisconsin, 91-89
No. 1 Houston def. No. 8 Gonzaga, 81-76
No. 2 Tennessee def. No. 7 UCLA, 67-58

Sunday, March 23

No. 1 Florida def. No. 8 UConn, 77-75
No. 1 Duke def. No. 9 Baylor, 89-66
No. 3 Kentucky def. No. 6 Illinois, 84-75
No. 2 Alabama def. No. 7 Saint Mary’s, 80-66
No. 4 Maryland def. No. 12 Colorado State, 72-71
No. 6 Ole Miss def. No. 3 Iowa State, 91-78
No. 2 Michigan State def. No. 10 New Mexico, 71-63
No. 4 Arizona def. No. 5 Oregon, 87-83

Thursday, March 27

East and West region Sweet 16 games

No. 2 Alabama def. No. 6 BYU, 113-88
No. 1 Florida def. No. 4 Maryland, 87-71
No. Duke def. No. 4 Arizona, 100-93
No. 3 Texas Tech def. No. 10 Arkansas, 85-83

Friday, March 28

Midwest and South region Sweet 16 games

No. 2 Michigan State def. No. 6 Ole Miss, 73-70
No. 2 Tennessee def. No. 3 Kentucky, 78-65
No. 1 Auburn def. No. 5 Michigan, 78-65
No. 1 Houston def. No. 4 Purdue, 62-60

Saturday, March 29

No. 1 Florida def. No. 3 Texas Tech, 84-79
No. 1 Duke def. No. 2 Alabama, 85-65

Sunday, March 30

No. 1 Houston def. No. 2 Tennessee, 69-50
No. 1 Auburn def. No. 2 Michigan State, 70-64

Saturday, April 5

Final Four

No. 1 Florida vs. No. 1 Auburn: 6:09 p.m. | CBS
No. 1 Duke vs No. 1 Houston: 8:49 p.m. | CBS

Monday, April 7

National championship game: 8:50 p.m. | CBS

When does the women’s national championship start?

The women’s Final Four championship game will be Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.

Women’s March Madness schedule

Here is the remaining schedule for the women’s NCAA Tournament: 

Final Four: Friday, April 4, 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, hosted at Amalie Arena in Tampa. Second game starts 30 minutes after first game ends.
NCAA championship game: Sunday, April 6 at 3 p.m. ET on ABC, hosted at Amalie Arena in Tampa.

Women’s March Madness printable bracket

Click here to print your 2025 NCAA women’s tournament printable bracket

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