Though the Auburn Tigers entered the NCAA Tournament as the #1 overall seed, their season had ended after a Final Four loss to the Florida Gators. Charles Barkley, former Auburn great and current basketball media personality, had some somber words to say after the game in which his alum fell 79-73.
Charles Barkley Dejectedly Sums Up Struggles from Auburn Tigers at the Final Four
Charles Barkley admitted that he was disappointed by Auburn’s inability to prevail in the game, but nonetheless asserted that Florida had been the better team and deserved to advance.
“The best team won. I thought our guys played valiantly. It was a heck of a game. I’m so proud of our team and Coach Pearl and those kids. Yeah I’m disappointed, but Florida was the better team.”
Barkley later got into some analysis of why he felt Auburn did not have their best day, starting by saying that he felt that Auburn was too sluggish on offense due to their unwillingness to allow Florida to play at a higher tempo. While they limited Florida’s fast-break points, a stat which the Gators are tops in the nation in, it also noticeably effected their offense. Auburn only had 8 made field goals in the second half.
The pace of the game meant that Pettiford and Jones were largely neutered, and the exciting plays from Pettiford in particular that had defined Auburn’s run so far were largely absent. Pettiford, who loves to get up and down the floor in a hurry, had just 7 points on 1-6 shooting. Meanwhile, Jones went 3-9 for just 10 points.
“I wish that we had played a little faster.”
Clark Kellogg agreed with Barkley’s assessment on the game’s tempo, feeling that Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl should have encouraged the team to push the ball a little bit more, particularly after securing defensive rebounds. Auburn’s lack of easy offense meant they were stuck in the halfcourt for the entire second half, which was where they ran into trouble once Florida’s defense improved,
Auburn’s 12 turnovers in the second half definitely helped the Gators score some easy baskets. Meanwhile, Auburn continued to operate against a set defense, and without the three-pointers falling (the team was 7-25 on the night), it was a tough go.
Charles Barkley Assesses Johni Broome’s Performance
Johni Broome did not have his best outing. He had 15 points and 7 rebounds, but shot under 50% from the field, had three turnovers, and looked tired and worn down by the end of the game. He only had 3 points in the second half and looked bothered by all the bodies Florida was deploying on him. While he wasn’t doubled very frequently, Florida’s variety of players that guarded Broome gave the big man some challenges.
Barkley felt that Broome had problems with dealing with Florida’s bigs in one-on-one situations. Where many teams opt to double Broome, allowing the big man to kick the ball out and find Auburn’s perimeter weapons, Florida head coach Todd Golden was determined to play Broome straight up in most situations.
Broome did not have an easy go of it, particularly struggling to carve out good position. He often started his backdowns from just inside the three-point line, as opposed to catching the ball already with good position near the basket. Kenny Smith jokingly compared Broome’s display to Barkley’s later years in the NBA, where he was older and was much less effective. Barkley was forced to agree. Without the ability to be effective in one-on-one possessions, Broome’s impact was largely negated.
Furthermore, Auburn lost the battle on the boards. The Tigers were outrebounded 39-30, and although they limited Florida’s activity on the offensive glass early in the game, the second half push meant the Gators finished with 12 offensive boards.
Barkley was saddened by the loss, but reiterated that Florida deserved to advance. They will take on Houston in the Championship on Monday.
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