Florida basketball shook up the top 25 rankings Saturday, plus gained a new milestone. The Gators took down No. 1 Auburn 90-81 on the road — making it the first time Florida defeated a top-ranked team on the road. And the win becomes a significant accolade for head coach Todd Golden, despite how uneasy Johni Broome made UF feel.

Golden got tasked with drawing up schemes to slow down the dominating Tigers star. Broome still delivered his 14th double-double of the season. However, Golden's team bottled him to 18 points with 11 rebounds. Florida's defensive strategy forced Broome to hit just 8-of-19 from the floor and settled for only two free throws.

Florida kept Broome away from the white stripe, and caged him from dropping 20 or more on the Gators. Golden, though, still shared how tough it was to game plan against him via Justin Ferguson of the Auburn Observer.

“He has played like the best player in America to this point. He deserves that recognition,” Golden said.

Florida basketball's Todd Golden makes 1 more Johni Broome admission

Florida Gators head coach Todd Golden and Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl talk before the game as Auburn Tigers take on Florida Gators at Neville Arena in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025.
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Golden even dropped a stunning admission about Broome. Turns out, Auburn almost didn't land the star forward on the recruiting trail.

“I recruited Johni when I first got at Florida, and Bruce punked me there and got the best player in America for a few years,” Golden revealed.

The then 6-foot-8, 200-pound center went largely under-recruited out of Tampa Catholic High School. Not a single power conference school offered him. He eventually committed to Morehead State for the 2020 class.

Broome, however, emerged as a hot commodity in the transfer portal. He rose as the nation's No. 2 ranked portal center for the 2022 class, per 247Sports. He also became a four-star prospect after originally earning a three-star ranking out of high school. Broome became one of the most wanted portal talents — and Golden tried bringing him on board for his first Gators team of 2022.

Golden and the Gators, however, now look ready to rise up from their No. 6 ranking after taking down Broome and Auburn. It's also the second time the Golden-led Gators took down a previous No. 1 — as Florida smacked Tennessee 73-43 back on Jan. 7.