With a shot at the national title on the line, Auburn takes on Florida in Saturday night’s Final Four showdown—marking just the second Final Four appearance in program history for the Tigers.

Our sports staff answered a few questions about the matchup in San Antonio between the Tigers and Gators.

Walter Clayton Jr. is a scoring machine. How does Auburn limit his production?

Patrick Bingham, Sports Editor: "Denver Jones."

Grace Heim, Assistant Sports Editor: "I don’t think anyone can totally shut down Clayton, but there’s no one better for the job than Denver Jones. He and the rest of the Auburn crew have to make sure Clayton doesn’t take over when Florida hits an offensive slump — whether that means cutting off his drives or chasing him off the three-point line. It’s definitely gonna be a challenge."

Logan Fowler, Sports Reporter: "Auburn won’t completely shut him down—no one has. But the Tigers are well-equipped to slow down the high-scoring guard, with Denver Jones leading the defensive effort.

"Clayton is coming off a 30-point performance, capped by a display of late-game heroics in Florida’s Elite Eight comeback against Texas Tech to propel the Gators to their first Final Four in 11 years.

"The key for Auburn is keeping Clayton off the 3-point line. The Tigers defend the perimeter at a high level, holding opponents to 29.6% from beyond the arc—11th-best in the nation—and have faced plenty of high-scoring guards this season. Auburn must force Clayton to beat it off the dribble and challenge him inside against two of the nation’s top shot blockers, Dylan Cardwell and Johni Broome."

Tyler Cox, Sports Writer: "Walter Clayton will score regardless, but he cannot take over the game like he did in the previous matchup. Denver Jones will be key to shutting him down, as he has had a great tournament both offensively and defensively. Auburn cannot let Clayton shoot 3s, they have to guard the perimeter and force Clayton to beat them inside against another player in Dylan Cardwell who has been one of the best defenders in the entire nation this March."

Rory Garvin, Sports Writer: "Shutting down Walter Clayton Jr. has been a tough task for every team in college basketball this season. The Iona University transfer has been on fire as of late, averaging 22 points in seven postseason games. The key for Auburn limiting his production will be Denver Jones. If Jones has a good night on the defensive end, the Tigers will be in a good position."

Albert Osorio, Sports Writer: "They just have to get crucial black and find a way to defend outside the perimeter to limit Florida's guards. Auburn must also have big shots from their guards like Miles Kelly and Tahaad Pettiford to pace themselves for the win."

Jack Chambers, Sports Writer:  "Walter Clayton Jr. is arguably the best guard in the country so it will be nearly impossible to stop him, so it is all about making his life hard on the floor. Denver Jones will more than likely have the assignment so that is a good thing for Auburn. Forcing him into tough shots and putting heavy pressure on the ball will be key to try and throw him off his rhythm. If he hits tough shots, you just have to tip your cap but trying to force him into bad looks and not letting him get the other guards and bigs involved will be crucial to winning."

What adjustments does Auburn need to make from its regular season loss to Florida?

Patrick Bingham, Sports Editor: "Auburn has really controlled the boards during its March Madness run. The Gators racked up 11 offensive rebounds in the first duel. That can't happen again if the Tigers want to play for a national championship on Monday night." 

Grace Heim, Assistant Sports Editor: "Auburn tried to go shot-for-shot with Florida in their regular season loss, but it takes a near-perfect offensive night to win that kind of battle. This time, the Tigers’ defense has to lead the way. If they can bring the same intensity they showed during that dominant stretch against Michigan State — when they completely suffocated the Spartans' offense — they’ve got a real shot at slowing Florida down."

Logan Fowler, Sports Reporter: "Bruce Pearl said it best on Thursday. Florida simply outplayed Auburn in the regular season and hit 13 threes while dishing out 22 assists. Auburn's defense must show up on Saturday and keep the Gators in check from the 3-point line."

Tyler Cox, Sports Writer: "Guarding the perimeter is crucial. The Gators shot nearly 40% from three and that allowed them to jump out to an early lead and hold onto it. Rebounding will also be a crucial part of this game as Florida has great size. Auburn had a great performance rebounding against Michigan State and that helped lead to a victory, the Spartans were a smaller team. These two factors will be significant in making adjustments from last matchup for Auburn to have the best chance at winning."

Rory Garvin, Sports Writer: "The Gators took it to Auburn in every aspect of the game in their February meeting. The Tigers need to hit the reset button and play their brand of basketball.

“I’ve seen enough Florida tape to make me sick,” said Auburn Head Coach Bruce Pearl.

"One thing Pearl will notice on the tape is that the Gators hit 13 three-pointers against his team a little over two months ago. Another thing the Tigers need to clean up is their performance from the charity stripe. Auburn shot 14-23 from the line in their first meeting with the Gators.

"If Auburn is going to advance to the National Championship those two things will have to change."

Albert Osorio, Sports Writer: "They need to play faster and physical on defense, especially behind the 3-point line because Florida can get hot from there. The Tigers must also dominate on the paint offensively and defensively and show their strengths there."

Jack Chambers, Sports Writer: "Auburn gave up a lot of open three pointers in the first matchup to Florida which Florida capitalized on burying 13 threes. Running Florida off the 3-point line and into the lane where Johni and Cardwell will be to contest their shots should make life more difficult for the Gators as well as putting more on ball pressure to Florida's four guards. Auburn also gave up a bunch of key offensive rebounds especially down the stretch that led to second chance points. So, Auburn will have to be aggressive and strong getting defensive rebounds to limit Florida's ability to do what they do best. Auburn will have to be more physical in this matchup while limiting fouling."

Florida erased a nine-point deficit with an 18-4 run against Texas Tech in the Elite Eight. How can Auburn handle the Gators' late-game surges?

Patrick Bingham, Sports Editor: "To some extent, improbable runs can be inevitable in March, but I think it's as simple as limiting the production of Walter Clayton Jr."

Grace Heim, Assistant Sports Editor: "Like I said earlier — stop Walter Clayton Jr. from taking over. He’s been the engine behind Florida’s late-game comebacks in March."

Logan Fowler, Sports Reporter: "Florida has been one of the hottest teams in basketball during its March Madness run, riding the momentum of an elite comeback against Texas Tech. But the Gators have yet to face a defense as tough as Auburn’s.

"The Tigers have found multiple ways to win this season, and their experience in late-game situations should be a factor on Saturday.

"If Auburn can keep Clayton from taking over and limit Florida’s bench production, it will be in a strong position to punch its ticket to the grandest stage of them all."

Tyler Cox, Sports Writer: "As I said earlier, stopping Florida's momentum can only take place by stopping Walter Clayton Jr. He had 19 in the last matchup earlier in the season that led to a huge Florida win. Denver Jones will need to continue to show up this tournament defensively to stop Clayton from taking over the game down the stretch as he did against Texas Tech."

Rory Garvin, Sports Writer: "Florida has been on the ropes twice in the NCAA Tournament thus far but they never seem to go away. If Auburn wants to put Florida away they need to knock down their free throws in the clutch. In the Tigers’ February loss to the Gators, they missed nine shots from the charity stripe. If that happens again, Florida will use those misses to spark runs and they will be headed to the National Championship."

Albert Osorio, Sports Writer: "They have to keep their momentum going by making crucial shots in the paint and spreading out their defense in order to keep themselves alive for the national championship. Of course, it will be a tough offense to defend, but the Tigers have most certainly held down some great offenses this season."

Jack Chambers, Sports Writer: "Auburn will have make their free throws down the stretch which ended up costing Texas Tech by missing two front ends of 1 in 1's late in the game. Auburn again will have to close out hard on shooters and make sure they find Walter Clayton Jr. and stick to him close late in the game. Again, limiting offensive rebounds and contesting threes will be the difference in this matchup."