Another ranked SEC matchup has Auburn traveling over to Ole Miss for a Saturday tilt; will the Tigers win another big one on the road or can the Rebels snag a major conference win?
TV schedule: Saturday, February 1, 2:00 pm ET. ESPN
Arena: The Sandy and John Black Pavilion in Oxford, Mississippi
No team can quite compare to what Auburn (19-1) has accomplished on the court this season, with a plethora of major wins amid a perfect start to SEC play. This team has beaten Houston, Iowa State, Purdue, Tennessee, and a whole host of other strong programs and hasn’t exactly been at full health for the entire season. Suffice to say, Bruce Pearl’s squad is having a historic effort.
After losing him for a couple of games, Auburn is glad to have senior forward Johni Broome (18.2 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 2.8 bpg) back in the lineup, as he’s become one of the best players in the nation and is an impactful rebounder and shot blocker. This season has also seen a positive surge from Chad Baker-Mazara (12.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.7 apg), a senior guard who transferred multiple times but has really found a home in this Tigers program. The freshman standout on this roster is Tahaad Pettiford (11.7 ppg, 2.6 apg), who’s made just under 41% of his 3-pointers and is playing more mature than a first-year collegian at times.
These Tigers remain #1 in the AP Top 25 and top the NET rankings thanks to their 12 Quad 1 wins, though they’re at just 2nd in KenPom. Auburn took care of business in those games without Broome and they’re top-ranked offense has produced game after game. It’s not just Broome, this team plays smart, they grab boards, and they bully people on a regular basis on this 7-0 start to SEC play.
Meanwhile, Ole Miss (16-5) is hoping to make a major impression with their performance on Saturday afternoon. The Rebels got their season started well but have struggled in recent weeks. They did score an impression road win at Alabama two weeks ago but lost three straight games afterwards. Wednesday saw them get back in the winning column against Texas but this will be a more significant challenge.
Senior guard Sean Pedulla (14.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.7 apg) has done wonders since transferring from Virginia Tech this past offseason and is having the best shooting figures of his career, making just under 40% of his 3-pointers. The offensive success has been similar for senior guard Jaylen Murray (11.3 ppg, 3.7 apg), who’s become a great ball handler and has made 42% of his outside shots. There’s a lot of talent in this rotation, though we’ll also point out senior guard Dre Davis (9.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg), who just had 17 points and 7 rebounds in their win over the Longhorns.
Ole Miss is #23 in the AP Top 25, 22nd in KenPom, and 21st in the NET rankings. While the offense has had some struggles with consistency, the defense ranks Top 10 in those efficiency metrics, with nice performances in wins over Alabama, Georgia, and Louisville in recent weeks. With that being said, the Rebels aren’t a great team at rebounding their own misses and they’re going to need to take advantage of their chances on offense in another high-profile SEC matchup.
There have been several games this season where Ole Miss got worked inside the paint but did enough to win, especially earlier in the year against weaker competition. Broome and company pose a much firmer challenge and even though this game is in Oxford it’s not going to be easy for the Rebels. In order to win, Ole Miss is going to need to take smart shots and to make those shots, since second-chance opportunities will be at a minimum.
That Rebels frontcourt needs their best performance because Broome is a menace. Auburn wins this game by playing smart, efficient basketball as they’ve done in nearly every healthy game this season. The Rebels can pull the upset at home if they can hit their shots and make headway on the boards, but we’re not expecting this red hot Tigers team to be slowed down by an Ole Miss squad still hunting for answers.
Prediction: Auburn 81, Ole Miss 73