It’s a big week for the Auburn Tigers as they look to bounce back after losing Florida at home on Saturday. Auburn faces two big road games this week that could determine who wins the regular season title. The Tigers are still number one in the country after Duke fell to Clemson on Saturday. Here’s a look at the previous two games and a preview of what’s ahead this week in SEC play.
Auburn 98, Oklahoma 70
Auburn did pick up a win against Oklahoma on Tuesday in Neville Arena. The Sooners were not match for the physicality and strength of the Tigers.
Five Tigers were in double-digits including Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell, who led the team with 15 points each.
“We had an advantage on the inside,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “I was really pleased with our effort. We’ve got great size at the rim. That was the key to us being able to hold them down. We’ve got some big, long guards. Our length was a factor tonight.”
The second half was one of the best performances we’ve seen from the Tigers. The team scored 54 points including a highlight reel alley-oop from Cardwell.
The Sooners only made 18 shots and shot just 33 percent from three-point range.
“Pretty good defense”, Pearl said. “Our offensive efficiency numbers are what they are, we’ve got inside-outside, and the fact that we will guard. Those two things together are why we are the No. 1 team in the country.”
Florida 90, Auburn 81
Things did not go as planned when sixth-ranked Florida visited Neville Arena. The Gators put on show on the road, knocking down a total of 13 three-pointers.
Five Gators were in double-digits including Walter Clayton Jr. who scored 19 points and Alex Condon who added 17.
After a close first half, Auburn let the lead slip to ten going into halftime. The Gators pushed the lead out to 21 after a barrage of three-point shots.
Auburn was able to cut the lead to to nine points, but Florida respond with two more three-point shots.
“The last 36 minutes of the game, I thought we were as good as you can be in an environment like this,” Florida coach Todd Golden said. “Our players deserve all the credit for this victory today. Bruce and their program have done an incredible job. They’re the best team in the country. It’s an incredible venue.”
Looking Ahead
Auburn will face Vanderbilt Tuesday night in Nashville. It’s a very difficult game against a team who has taken down some of the best teams in the SEC already. The Commodores were ranked for a week after taking down Kentucky and Tennessee at home.
Tip-off for that game is at 6:00 P.M CT with coverage on SEC Network.
This week is probably one of the biggest basketball games the state of Alabama has ever seen. The top-ranked Tigers faced the second-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide with number one on the line. It’s also the first time two SEC teams have faced each other as number one and number two.
ESPN’s College Gameday will be in town for the game as well. Tip-off is at 3:00 p.m. CT with coverage on ESPN.
