GAINESVILLE — This one is personal for Florida’s Todd Golden.
When the No. 16 Gators host Auburn on Saturday, Golden will square off with Steven Pearl — a one-time teammate, former co-assistant with the Tigers and lifelong friend — for the first time as head coaches.
The two men will set aside their decades-long connection and lean into their innate competitiveness as Florida (14-5, 5-1 SEC) aims to extend its league-leading five-game winning streak while Auburn (12-7, 3-3) attempts to build on back-to-back wins and stay on track amid a high-profile coaching changeover.
“We want to beat them pretty bad. They want to do the same to us,” Golden said Friday. “I think we can do a good job of separating that relationship from the competition this weekend.”
Golden and Pearl faced a similar dynamic during the 2025 Final Four when the Gators beat the Tigers 79-73 as Steven served alongside his father Bruce. When Bruce Pearl suddenly retired Sept. 22, the 65-year-old 700-game winner clearly had in mind a succession plan for his 37-year-old son.
The transition hasn’t gone as smoothly as either Pearl envisioned.
After a two-point season-opening loss unranked Oklahoma State, the No. 20 Tigers needed overtime to beat Bethune-Cookman at home. A 73-72 loss to then-No. 1 Houston was acceptable, but harder to swallow were a 30-point loss to Michigan, a 29-point loss to Arizona and a 28-point loss to Purdue.
Florida’s similarly demanding pre-SEC slate left the Gators a disappointing 5-4, but the four losses were by an average of 3.4 points.
“It’s all about expectation,” Golden said. “Some of the stuff we dealt with early in the year, having high expectations and struggling to meet that. They also had a lot similar. Obviously, we probably kept it a little closer in those games.”
Florida coach Todd Golden, left, celebrates during the Gators’ victory over Auburn in the Final Four April 5, 2025 in San Antonio, Texas. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
The Tigers did bounce back from the Nov. 25 Michigan loss to beat St. Johns the next day. After opening SEC play 0-2, Auburn beat No. 15 Arkansas 95-73.
“They’re a very talented team that has a really high ceiling,” Golden said.
The Gators and the Tigers now are rounding into form at the right time.
Yet Golden’s squad is showing the potential to push for another Final Four appearance while Pearl’s team is in danger of missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021 when Auburn was ineligible because of recruiting violations.
The Tigers have otherwise appeared in the Big Dance ever since 2018 when Bruce Pearl was in his fourth season of building a moribund program into a national power, with his son on the same bench shared by Golden in 2014-16.
On Friday, Golden likened the elder Pearl to “a second father.” Their relationship dates to the 2005 World Maccabiah Games, akin to the Jewish and Israeli Olympics, when Bruce Pearl was Golden’s coach and Steven Pearl a teammate.
“But again when we’re between the lines, it doesn’t really matter,” Golden said.
The younger Pearl does not stalk the sideline drenched in sweat, veins bulging from his neck and spittle flying at every questionable call. Yet Auburn still plays with the ferocity and pace Bruce Pearl instilled in his teams during his 31 seasons as a head coach.
“They are going to play a certain way and take pride in being good in the margins like we do and being competitive,” Golden said.
The Tigers also have an abundance of talent.
Golden is focused on containing Tigers power forward Keyshawn Hall, who averages 20.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists after he transferred from UCF. The 6-foot-7, 225-pound Hall and 6-foot-10, 230-pound KeShawn Murphy will challenge the Gators’ rugged front court, led by 6-foot-11, 230-pound Alex Condon (14.1 ppg, 8.1 rpg) and 6-foot-10, 260-pound Rueben Chinyelu, who averages an SEC-leading 11.2 rebounds after grabbing 21 during this past Tuesday’s 79-61 win against LSU.
Florida center Rueben Chinyelu lead the SEC with an average of 11.2 rebounds. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Filip Jović, a 6-foot-8, 225-pound freshman from Serbia, averages 4.6 rebounds and 6.9 points while shooting 21-of-25 during conference play.
“We’re gonna have our hands full with those guys,” Golden said. “We got to lean into our depth and make sure that we’re putting pressure on them on every shot and every possession in our hope of wearing them down a little bit.”
Meanwhile, Auburn sophomore point guard Tahaad Pettiford (13.9 ppg, 3.2 apg) is a shotmaker and 6-foot-8, 195-pound sophomore shooting guard Elyjah Freeman a matchup problem.
To upset the Gators, the Tigers must overcome one of the nation’s top frontcourts and homecourt advantages. Florida has won 10 straight SEC games in the O’Connell Center and 16 games in a row overall, including nine this season by an average margin 25.2 points.
Going against one of his closest friends in the business and son of a future Hall of Famer, Golden is expecting a battle.
“They’re better than their record is right now in the league,” he said. “We’re mindful of that.”
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
