DES MOINES, IOWA - MARCH 23: The Florida Gators band performs against the Michigan Wolverines during the second half in the second round game of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena on March 23, 2019 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)The unranked Florida Gators just pulled off one of the best upsets of the season against the No. 2 Auburn Tigers.
In a packed house at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, head coach Mike White and his Florida club notched a thrilling 63-62 victory over one of this year’s most dominant teams in the nation.
Fans spilled out onto the court as Gator Nation celebrated this massive SEC victory.
Florida upsets No. 2 Auburn in Gainesville 🤯
(via @espn)pic.twitter.com/DnPdNZifjO
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) February 19, 2022
— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) February 19, 2022
Fans from around the college basketball world have taken to Twitter to react to this improbable upset.
Some questioned Auburn’s status as a legitimate title contender.
“Honestly, not all that shocking. Auburn has shown over and over again that Auburn away is not as good as Auburn at home,” one wrote.
“Auburn is so overrated man. They’ll be a first weekend exit,” another added.
Florida beats Auburn 63-62 – no crazy takeaway, but this is why it's dumb to do the "Bracket Reveal" show before a big college hoops Saturday.
Auburn losing this game just completely makes that whole process of putting out a bracket this morning completely pointless 🤦♂️🤦♂️
— Aaron Torres (@Aaron_Torres) February 19, 2022
Others pointed out the crowd’s lackluster court storming effort.
“Glad to see all 3 fans enjoy themselves with the court storm,” one fan wrote.
“Worst court storming of all time,” another declared.
Nvm Florida wack for not flooding the court Lmaoo https://t.co/aYz1x73TVb
— CLUTCH RIPZ (@ClutchRipz) February 19, 2022
With this win, the Gators move to 17-10 on the season. And while this was no doubt an exciting day for the program, there’s still concern regarding Florida’s inability to reach its full potential.
The Gators have wins over top-25 teams like Auburn and Florida State, but also losses to teams like Texas Southern.
“I think this game shows the *frustration* of the Mike White era,” college basketball analyst Aaron Torres wrote. “Only consistency in the program last few years has been inconsistency.”
Mike White special: Finally winning a big game at the end of the season to give the fans/administration false hope and save his job for another year.
Huge win today but don’t expect this Florida team to get another upset like this for the rest of the season.
— Christian Franco (@Franco_C15) February 19, 2022
The Tigers remain atop the SEC with a 12-2 conference record. Florida now sits in the middle of the table at 7-7.
