It was another successful trip to Atlanta for the Auburn men’s basketball team. The Tigers defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Holiday Hoopsgiving. This week, they return to Neville Arena before heading to Birmingham to face Purdue in a top-20 showdown. Here’s a recap of the win over the Buckeyes and a preview of those upcoming matchups.
Auburn 91, Ohio State 53
There are not many more words to describe how Auburn is playing right now. The Tigers produced yet another dominating display in Atlanta with a 38 point victory over Ohio State. The Tigers respected their opponents who had beaten teams such as Rutgers and Texas. It was another big game for Johni Broome who had a double-double at halftime. He would finish the game with 21 points and 20 rebounds.
Broome and his teammate Dylan Cardwell would also graduate from college later that evening.
The Tigers would race out to a 28 point lead at halftime thanks to hot shooting from Miles Kelly, Tahaad Pettiford, and Denver Jones. The Tigers shot 43 percent from the three-point range and 45 percent from the field.
Broome and three other Tigers finished the game in double figures including freshman Jakhi Howard.
Ohio State’s head coach Jake Diebler praised the Tigers saying, ““They may be the best team in the country right now. They’re certainly playing as one of the best in the country. They have a lot of experience, and they made us pay when we made a mistake.”
The Tigers are now 4-1 all time at the Holiday Hoopsgiving and just five wins away from head coach Bruce Pearl becoming the all-time winningest coach in program history.
Looking Ahead
Auburn returns to Neville Arena on December 17th to play the Georgia State. The Panthers are usually a decent mid-major program with several appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Currently, they sit at 4-6, but have played some tough SEC opponents already including Kentucky and Mississippi State. Auburn will be a heavy favorite at home, but they must respect their opponent. Tip-off is at 6:00 p.m. central time with coverage on ESPN+.
The Tigers will then head up thread to Birmingham on December 21st to face the Purdue Boilermakers in their final non-conference test of the season. It’s a highly anticipated matchup that will feel a little like March.
Purdue comes into the matchup off a loss to Texas A&M last weekend. The Boilermakers, like most teams, have not had much success against the SEC. Besides the loss to Texas A&M, they also have lost to Ole Miss as well. They also have losses against Penn State and Marquette as well. Their lone win over the SEC comes against Alabama at home. Tip-off is at 3:30 central time with coverage on ESPN.
