Following a solid home victory against South Carolina, the Auburn Tigers are on the road for two conference matchups.
"We have a tough week," said coach Tony Barbee. "Obviously, playing on the road in college basketball is a tough task, and as good as the coaches and teams are in this league, it is even tougher.
"Going to Arkansas and then to Tennessee--two teams coming off big weeks for them beating Michigan and UConn, respectively--it is going to be a tough task."
The Tigers have enjoyed the home court of Auburn Arena this season, posting a 11-1 record thus far.
"We have been playing well at home and not so well on the road, even though our last outing against LSU we gave ourselves a chance," Barbee said. "We will be prepared and we will go in there with a game plan that will give our guys a chance to win."
After scoring 14 of Auburn's 24 first-half points against South Carolina, junior guard Frankie Sullivan led the Tigers with a season-high 22 points.
"Frankie is playing well," Barbee said. "He is still not back 100 percent in terms of the speed and quickness. Frankie's game is never measured by that--it was by his toughness and the size of his heart and his leadership ability--so that is what he has brought back to the team. "
Barbee also commented on Sullivan's desire to fight through his recent lack of offensive production.
"There is nobody who has worked harder to get his game back than Frankie has," Barbee said. "He is one of the guys who deserves to play well because of what he puts in the game. He works hard in practice, but when he is on his own time, he will come in an hour early, stay an hour late, come back after study hall and stay an hour and work on his game."
The Tigers were scheduled to take on the Razorbacks Wednesday night, and the team will travel to Knoxville Saturday to take on a Tennessee squad that has had an up-and-down season.
The Volunteers have defeated No. 11 Connecticut and No. 14 Florida this month, but they also lost to unranked Vanderbilt, Georgia and Memphis.
Both of Tennessee's January wins against ranked opponents were at home, while four of their five losses have come on the road.
The Volunteers have gotten a spark from early enrollee Jarnell Stokes, who forewent his last semester of high school to join the team earlier this month.
The 6-foot-8-inch, 250-pound freshman has shown the ability to hold his own against the best big men in the nation.
Against premier shot-blocker Anthony Davis of Kentucky, Stokes scored nine points and grabbed four rebounds in his 17-minute college debut.
Against Alex Oriakhi of Connecticut, Stokes filled the statsheet with 16 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks and no turnovers.
The Tigers will rely on junior center Rob Chubb to contain Stokes, and Barbee said he thinks Chubb's improving play has helped the Tigers establishment themselves during games this season.
"He is a guy who gives us an interior presence that can compete in this league," Barbee said. "He is definitely a key for us."
With Saturday's win over USC, the Tigers surpassed their win total from last season.
"We are just going to build it the right way, and each year we want to keep taking the steps in the positive direction," Barbee said. "We are kind of on track of where we want to be in year two."
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