The Ole Miss Rebels play host to the Auburn Tigers on Tuesday night in an SEC showdown from The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss. Auburn comes into this one winner of three in their last four, including an impressive win their last time out. For Ole Miss, four losses in a row have them simply searching for that first SEC win. Auburn swept the season series last year, though it has been a close series over the last ten meetings, with Auburn sitting with a 6-4 record against their regional rivals. This promises to be a close one and SEC fans will surely want to tune in.
Auburn started this season blowing away the competition in the non-conference slate but as soon as the road games started to build, concerns started to mount. The Tigers have a 1-2 record in true road games, including struggling on the road against Georgia in their lone road game in SEC action. Losses on the road to USC and Memphis fill out the rest of the schedule, which makes it worrisome how they'll handle being away from home in this one. A win against Arkansas at home the last time out should have momentum going in the right direction and adding in a sweep in the series last year should have this group feeling good about their chances to grab the win on Tuesday night.
It also should help matters that Auburn has been one of the healthiest teams in the SEC for much of the season. With no injuries or absences to worry about, a full complement of players could make the difference in this one.
Back on road ??#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/ZK1dQcv9K3
— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) January 9, 2023
Auburn's defense expects to be the difference in this one, especially against one of the worst offenses in the SEC. Defense seems to translate well, whether a team is at home or on the road, which will serve well in this one. The Tigers come into this one with the nation's 37th-ranked scoring defense and 27th-ranked field-goal efficiency, with limiting offensive rebounding being their biggest concern. With only two double-figure scorers in Johni Broome (12.9 ppg) and Wendell Green Jr. (12.7 ppg), the defense will have to be strong to take some pressure of their offense.