Men vs Florida Game Thread

[WarTiger 3,928]

11 hours ago, AURex said:

Here we go again. Just like the past few years. Win at home. Tank on the road. So with all the home wins and wins against bottom-dwellers like Vandy, non-conference wins against powder-puffs, Auburn rings up a good record.

But loses on the road to middlin teams like Florida and Miss State.

Thing is, come March, all tourney games are ROAD games. Once again, like year after year, Auburn just can't seem to pump it up and win on the road. Vandy? hahaha Where is even one road win over a team that is above middlin?

Auburn has a truckload of "good" players. And I love my Tigers. But fact is, this is another year like previous years. A good overall record with nothing after the regular season.

Am I being too harsh?

 

 

 

I wasn't aware the season was over already.  Who won the National Title? I guess I missed the entire tournament.

MASSIVE reach to say nothing after the regular season when aren't even close to post season play.   Clearly you have given up on the team, which is fine.  Good luck finding someone to cheer for, its clear you don't expect much from Auburn you have over 300 options out there. Do you try hard to be this negative or is it just natural?

[WarTiger 3,928]

11 hours ago, AURex said:

ALL tourney games are road games. Neutral court is a Rroad game, not a home game.

 

No they are not.  They are ALL played at NEUTRAL sites.  A road game is played on the opponents floor and a NEUTRAL site game is NOT.  I can't believe this has to be explained to anybody here.  Wow.

[AU Is Gold 410]

I think it's just frustrating that we have to live the same moments over and over. That basketball game wasn't watchable at any point. It's okay to be critical of the team and Pearl. 

Most of us here are ready to be set apart  from the mindset of "well that's just college basketball now, you don't win on the road." It's an adversity that we need to overcome. 

You have to be ready for every opponent or we'll go out like the games of 2018 Clemson, 2022 Miami, and 2023 Houston. 

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,813]

16 hours ago, TigerOne said:

That doesn’t justify anything Auburn did today. We could very easily lose most of the remaining games.. or win them. It’s up to Auburn 

If you interpreted that post as justifying anything, then that’s your interpretation. I would just say there’s other interpretations 

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,813]

All I can definitively say is, you win at Knoxville and sweep these home games, and Auburn is going to almost certainly be the #1 seed in conference. I think you could even drop @ UGA and @ Mizz and that would still be a true statement. 
 

At the very least, that would make you #2 behind Bama, and it’d probably be within a game difference. I would personally take that after last season where we pretty much shut it down after conference play started. This should also get us a top 4 seed in the overall tourney 

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,813]

16 hours ago, GwillMac6 said:

First Florida and Mississippi state will be in the ncaa tourney. Second there are no road games in march madness. Neutral site games are not road games.

 

o and third ole miss is pretty good. We hung 90 on them at their place and it was their first home loss all season. 

I also think it’s just people exposing themselves with the lack of following other teams when they keep calling Florida or Miss St middling. Like Florida was a couple shots from beating UK at home and beat them in Rupp. Miss St beat Tenn at home and was a possession from beating Bama. These are top 45 NET teams. They’re middling in the sense of where they’re placed in the SEC standings, but that means nothing in comparing them to the top of the SEC. 

[AUght2win 6,883]

9 hours ago, AUBwins said:

Why is everyone so confused about neutral site vs road game?  The reason true road games are tougher is because you have 10k plus rooting against you, distracting you and doing everything they can to mess you up. They are an advantage for the opponent.  Neutral games are not an advantage for the other team. They are in the same environment as we are, why they are called neutral.  We fared well in neutral games, only losing a close one to Baylor to open the season.  Beat ND, ST bonny in Brooklyn and destroyed Indiana in Atlanta.  

Agreed neutral games are tougher to win than at home where we have that extra juice from our crowd, but the majority of neutral games in the NCAA tourney will not have that advantage for the opponent and therefore not true road games for us.  Even moreso now that the NCAA makes all the courts look the same. 

The true key seems to be Jaylin Williams.  He has looked abysmal in the losses.  Like indecisive on his shots etc. Need to get him comfortable. 

Then explain why this doesn’t affect road SEC football teams NEARLY as much, despite it being 100k bearing down on you. I don’t buy for a second guys get rattled by going into the average SEC gym. They don’t care about opposing fans. 

Basketball is the only sport with a small fixed target, which heavily relies on hand-eye to hit it.

You shoot better on your home goals - the ones your eyes are trained to hit from tens of thousands of practice shots. You get used to the arena lighting, depth perception in relation to the stands, different angles, etc.

The reason road games are so hard is you aren’t trained to hit those goals and it’s hard to acclimate over the course of one game. This is true for neutral site games as well - just for both teams. It still doesn’t bode well for us and we’ve seen them play HORRIBLE on neutral sites over Bruce’s tenure. Look at our SEC tourney exits. 

[AUght2win 6,883]

6 hours ago, WarTiger said:

No they are not.  They are ALL played at NEUTRAL sites.  A road game is played on the opponents floor and a NEUTRAL site game is NOT.  I can't believe this has to be explained to anybody here.  Wow.

So you guys really believe Johni Broome and the gang struggled at Miss State because they were emotionally affected by their fans? You really think that? 

[e808 3,028]

57 minutes ago, AUght2win said:

So you guys really believe Johni Broome and the gang struggled at Miss State because they were emotionally affected by their fans? You really think that? 

U could easily flip that question. u don’t think Auburn fans affect a game. U at the free throw line by yourself. U don’t think the opposing team crowd affects ur concentration. To date from watching basketball only Vandy and Mizzou is pretty bad in the SEC

I see u asked why it doesn’t matter as much in football is because the other team is so superior to the other team that it doesn’t matter.Auburn in basketball isn’t superior up and down the roster to other schools. In bball one guy can keep u in a game unlike football 

Edited February 11 by e808

[Old fan 47 775]

19 hours ago, e808 said:

Unfortunately to date it has been hard to replicate that final four team. U had snipers, a floor general, athletic guys, depth, at least one pro and dogs on defense. When the snipers got hot leads could be erased very quickly and could also blow a game wide open. 

Good take. We haven’t had any consistent 3 point shooters since, but it seems BP tends to want to win or lose based on 3’s. We had 2 top players 2 years ago and still couldn’t advance anywhere. We have to have a good PG who is the General and at least one capable PF to compliment him. Broome is the only relatively consistent player we have and he is as much our center as a PF. This comes back to setting up a team that finds a cohesive bond and for as exciting and relevant as BP has made us, our last good/great PG was Jared Harper and then our big 3 threat was Bryce Brown. Okeke was very good too, but was a ready made pro. 

[GwillMac6 20,791]

9 hours ago, AU Is Gold said:

I think it's just frustrating that we have to live the same moments over and over. That basketball game wasn't watchable at any point. It's okay to be critical of the team and Pearl. 

Most of us here are ready to be set apart  from the mindset of "well that's just college basketball now, you don't win on the road." It's an adversity that we need to overcome. 

You have to be ready for every opponent or we'll go out like the games of 2018 Clemson, 2022 Miami, and 2023 Houston. 

It’s not a mindset it’s a reality. Big difference. Several ranked teams have lost to Un ranked teams all season on the road. It happens every year in college basketball. This is not some Auburn only problem you are trying to make it out to be. It happens to blue bloods with decades of basketball excellence every season. It’s something our fans are eventually going to have to get used to. The melt downs after every road loss are so tiresome.

[SumterAubie 3,033]

3 hours ago, GwillMac6 said:

It’s not a mindset it’s a reality. Big difference. Several ranked teams have lost to Un ranked teams all season on the road. It happens every year in college basketball. This is not some Auburn only problem you are trying to make it out to be. It happens to blue bloods with decades of basketball excellence every season. It’s something our fans are eventually going to have to get used to. The melt downs after every road loss are so tiresome.

Yep.

Take North Carolina, for instance.

[AUght2win 6,883]

9 hours ago, e808 said:

U could easily flip that question. u don’t think Auburn fans affect a game. U at the free throw line by yourself. U don’t think the opposing team crowd affects ur concentration. To date from watching basketball only Vandy and Mizzou is pretty bad in the SEC

I see u asked why it doesn’t matter as much in football is because the other team is so superior to the other team that it doesn’t matter.Auburn in basketball isn’t superior up and down the roster to other schools. In bball one guy can keep u in a game unlike football 

Nonsense. And no, I don’t think KD Johnson or Johni care what students are doing in the student section while they’re at the line. They’re freaking experienced D1 basketball players. It’s not about the visiting teams getting rattled - again, do you REALLY think Alabama’s players are affected by our fans booing them? Are they scared? Angry? Like how, exactly, would their mental state be altered? 

Aside from the goal familiarity, home court advantage works because it provides the home team energy - allowing them to play as the best version of themselves. But with the talent we have, we should be able to beat the best version of Mississippi State on any night. And we should never, even on their absolute best night, not get blown out by 30 by Florida.

The bottomline is the drop off when we leave the confines of our arena should not be as dramatic as they are. It’s a bad sign. If we were a truly good team we would be able to acclimate better to other gyms. And that problem isn’t going anywhere in tourney time.

Edited February 12 by AUght2win

[AUght2win 6,883]

7 hours ago, GwillMac6 said:

It’s not a mindset it’s a reality. Big difference. Several ranked teams have lost to Un ranked teams all season on the road. It happens every year in college basketball. This is not some Auburn only problem you are trying to make it out to be. It happens to blue bloods with decades of basketball excellence every season. It’s something our fans are eventually going to have to get used to. The melt downs after every road loss are so tiresome.

It’s a problem because you can look back at national title winners and no, they usually don’t struggle this mightily on the road. We are #12 in the country right and many have picked us for the final four this year. If you want to grade us against the standard of being an above average SEC team - then yeah, we’re right on schedule.

But Bruce has elevated this program to championship expectations. Most of us are looking for signs as to whether this team can make a Final Four or win the SEC. And the signs aren’t good.

[AUght2win 6,883]

2 minutes ago, AUght2win said:

It’s a problem because you can look back at national title winners and no, they usually don’t struggle this mightily on the road. We are #12 in the country right and many have picked us for the final four this year. If you want to grade us against the standard of being an above average SEC team - then yeah, we’re right on schedule.

But Bruce has elevated this program to championship expectations. Most of us are looking for signs as to whether this team can make a Final Four or win the SEC. And the signs aren’t good.

Road losses for past 10 NC winners:

2023 UConn - 5 (3 ranked)
2022 Kansas - 4 (3 ranked)
2021 Baylor - 1 (ranked)
2019 UVA - 1 (ranked)
2018 Nova - 3
2017 UNC - 5 (3 ranked)
2016 Nova - 2 (2 ranked)
2015 Duke - 2 (1 ranked)
2014 UConn - 4 (3 ranked)

We’re currently at 4, all unranked losses, with 3 road games to play. I’m predicting a UT loss, leaving us with 5 (1 ranked). Doesn’t bode well for us when compared to the list above.

[mustache eagle 2,416]

12 hours ago, GwillMac6 said:

It’s not a mindset it’s a reality. Big difference. Several ranked teams have lost to Un ranked teams all season on the road. It happens every year in college basketball. This is not some Auburn only problem you are trying to make it out to be. It happens to blue bloods with decades of basketball excellence every season. It’s something our fans are eventually going to have to get used to. The melt downs after every road loss are so tiresome.

Not just every year but every weekend of every year.  Every team ranked ahead of Auburn has lost multiple of these games.  Blown out … maybe not because I don’t really follow other teams but a handful of teams ranked ahead of us lost on the road by double digits to unranked teams this weekend.  I’m always confused when this melt happens.  I guess it’s ignorance of how college bball unfolds … Every. Single. Year. (Weekend)

edit: before I get replies - we have our warts.  We “might” be a sweet 16 team.  We are definitely in the top 4 of the sec and top 20 in the country.  Not sure we have the dudes to be consistent.  But we can beat anyone.

Edited February 12 by mustache eagle

[e808 3,028]

6 hours ago, AUght2win said:

Nonsense. And no, I don’t think KD Johnson or Johni care what students are doing in the student section while they’re at the line. They’re freaking experienced D1 basketball players. It’s not about the visiting teams getting rattled - again, do you REALLY think Alabama’s players are affected by our fans booing them? Are they scared? Angry? Like how, exactly, would their mental state be altered? 

Aside from the goal familiarity, home court advantage works because it provides the home team energy - allowing them to play as the best version of themselves. But with the talent we have, we should be able to beat the best version of Mississippi State on any night. And we should never, even on their absolute best night, not get blown out by 30 by Florida.

The bottomline is the drop off when we leave the confines of our arena should not be as dramatic as they are. It’s a bad sign. If we were a truly good team we would be able to acclimate better to other gyms. And that problem isn’t going anywhere in tourney time.

If u don’t think people get distracted in an opposing team’s arenas with people screaming and shouting idk what to tell u. Is it easier to shoot them with peace and quiet or a raucous crowd. In that argument u mentioned two of the experienced players. What about the rest and Broome isn’t the greatest free throw shooter anyways. He has improved but work still needs to be done.
  Secondly don’t know what Auburn them u have been watching this team isnt so superior that they can just show up and win. That statement alone shows u haven’t watched Moo State much or Auburn play. Auburn doesn’t have great guard play , shoot the three well or have multiple go to guys. Hopefully at least one of those areas get fixed. Hopefully Aden can get going sooner rather than later. If not Tre should be playing more minutes.
  Lastly, Auburn has played better at neutral sites than true road games . All tourneys still depend on the matchups

Edited February 12 by e808

[JuscAUse! 1,497]

6 hours ago, AUght2win said:

Road losses for past 10 NC winners:

2023 UConn - 5 (3 ranked)
2022 Kansas - 4 (3 ranked)
2021 Baylor - 1 (ranked)
2019 UVA - 1 (ranked)
2018 Nova - 3
2017 UNC - 5 (3 ranked)
2016 Nova - 2 (2 ranked)
2015 Duke - 2 (1 ranked)
2014 UConn - 4 (3 ranked)

We’re currently at 4, all unranked losses, with 3 road games to play. I’m predicting a UT loss, leaving us with 5 (1 ranked). Doesn’t bode well for us when compared to the list above.

Were the rankings for the past seasons during the respective seasons or at the end of the year? If it's the latter, we don't know who is ranked where at this point. UConn lost several of their games last year by double digits I believe. You also included Virginia in 2019. That one ain't kosher, my man! 

Also, have you ever been at the foul line with a bunch of folks yelling at you to miss? Have you always been a huge basketball fan? Not that it matters one way or the other. I'm just curious. 

Edited February 12 by JuscAUse!

[akillshot 299]

Props to those of you who are trying to provide some reason to the road loss at Florida but it seems you are fighting a losing battle with some. Auburn is a good team with lots of pieces but at this point they are not great but no knows how the season will end. No one saw the final four run coming the year it happened.

One positive note from the game - Chaney Johnson had his best game of the season 9 points and 10 rebounds (3 offensive) in 19 minutes on the court

[JuscAUse! 1,497]

5 minutes ago, akillshot said:

Props to those of you who are trying to provide some reason to the road loss at Florida but it seems you are fighting a losing battle with some. Auburn is a good team with lots of pieces but at this point they are not great but no knows how the season will end. No one saw the final four run coming the year it happened.

One positive note from the game - Chaney Johnson had his best game of the season 9 points and 10 rebounds (3 offensive) in 19 minutes on the court

💯. And our guard play was nothing to brag about at all. Still it's a long season. We'll see. 

[AU Is Gold 410]

52 minutes ago, akillshot said:

Props to those of you who are trying to provide some reason to the road loss at Florida but it seems you are fighting a losing battle with some. Auburn is a good team with lots of pieces but at this point they are not great but no knows how the season will end. No one saw the final four run coming the year it happened.

One positive note from the game - Chaney Johnson had his best game of the season 9 points and 10 rebounds (3 offensive) in 19 minutes on the court

It wasn't just a loss. They were never in the game to begin with. Most everyone here is quite acquainted to losing road games. I don't know why so many of you need to be white knight heroes. I rarely see the road game excuse used in the football forums. Nobody saw the final four run coming, but nobody saw us getting completely dominated in the other tournament games either. 

Edited February 12 by AU Is Gold

[Dunndone414 469]

 

3 hours ago, e808 said:

Hopefully Aden can get going sooner rather than later. If not Tre should be playing more minutes.

I take absolutely no pleasure in saying this, but the odds on Aden playing for Auburn next season can’t be better than even money. 

[AUght2win 6,883]

2 hours ago, JuscAUse! said:

Were the rankings for the past seasons during the respective seasons or at the end of the year? If it's the latter, we don't know who is ranked where at this point. UConn lost several of their games last year by double digits I believe. You also included Virginia in 2019. That one ain't kosher, my man! 

Also, have you ever been at the foul line with a bunch of folks yelling at you to miss? Have you always been a huge basketball fan? Not that it matters one way or the other. I'm just curious. 

Those were rankings at the times of the losses I believe. 

Huge sports fan. Football fanatic. Basketball is a little down on the list for me but have followed Auburn bball my whole life. Enough to know that legit D1 players aren’t leaving these arenas saying “my gosh I was so shook up!!!”. I mean, the first thing Jaylin (or whoever did the postgame interview) said after OM was how fun it was to play in that environment and how awesome the crowd was. Didn’t exactly sound like PTSD.

[JuscAUse! 1,497]

5 minutes ago, AUght2win said:

Those were rankings at the times of the losses I believe. 

Huge sports fan. Football fanatic. Basketball is a little down on the list for me but have followed Auburn bball my whole life. Enough to know that legit D1 players aren’t leaving these arenas saying “my gosh I was so shook up!!!”. I mean, the first thing Jaylin (or whoever did the postgame interview) said after OM was how fun it was to play in that environment and how awesome the crowd was. Didn’t exactly sound like PTSD.

That's fair. I'm not sure many others had a lot of fun there. 

[JuscAUse! 1,497]

1 hour ago, AU Is Gold said:

It wasn't just a loss. They were never in the game to begin with. Most everyone here is quite acquainted to losing road games. I don't know why so many of you need to be white knight heroes. I rarely see the road game excuse used in the football forums. Nobody saw the final four run coming, but nobody saw us getting completely dominated in the other tournament games either. 

Not a knight by any stretch, but I agree that the road 'excuse' is not used as much in football. That's because the two sports aren't anywhere near the same.