AUBURN | One of the biggest keys for Auburn in its Final Four rematch with Florida will be slowing down the Gators’ deadly transition offense.
Florida totaled 14 fast-break points in a 90-81 win over the Tigers at Neville Arena Feb. 8.
And it’s not just about how Auburn defends UF’s fast break. It actually starts with AU’s offense.
“I thought we took a lot of questionable shots at home that led to their transition,” said assistant coach Steven Pearl. “We were pretty aggressive because we were playing at home. I think we’ve got to understand that we’ve got to take shots within our offense.
“We can’t take shots with no rebounding position because that allows them to get the ball out and you get guys like (Walter) Clayton and (Will) Richard and all those guys getting out and going. They can bang shots in transition and they’re better when they’re playing faster.”
The Tigers have been challenged by some pretty strong transition offenses during the NCAA tournament, giving up 12 fast-break points to Creighton, but holding Michigan State to just nine.
“It was a good test in those two games but Florida is even better in transition,” said Pearl. “We’ve got to do a great job of getting back, building a wall and getting bodies on bodies and building our defense.”
It’s also important for Auburn’s offensive players to stay on their feet. Players that make wild drives to the basket and fall down without drawing a foul, could be sitting on their rear end watching Florida drain a 3-pointer or get an easy layup on the other end.
“It challenges us to execute our offense better and take better shots,” said Broome. “Even myself, I can’t shoot a bad shot and be on the floor. I’ve got to finish strong around the basket so they can’t get it out in transition.”
Tip-off at the Alamodome is scheduled for Saturday afternoon at 5:09 p.m. CT on CBS.
