The Auburn women's basketball team faces South Carolina and Mississippi State in its next two contests.
The Tigers' (9-8, 0-5) next game will be at home against the Gamecocks (14-4, 3-2) Thursday at 6 p.m. in the Auburn Arena.
South Carolina is coming off consecutive losses against Kentucky and LSU after winning their previous eight games, and the Gamecocks are led by senior guard Markeshia Grant, who is averaging 9.6 points per game as the team's top scorer.
Auburn will also look to use a freshman guard in Hasin Muhammed, who is averaging almost 10 points and 1.8 blocks per game, to control the pace of the game on both ends of the court.
Muhammed said Auburn has helped her to achieve her goals this season.
"Auburn is way different than high school and AAU," Muhammad said. "The intensity level is so much more physical. From the first game of the season to the last game I think I have progressed. I am just coming along. I want to be SEC Freshman of the Year."
The game against the Gamecocks will be played in honor of University of Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt, who is fighting the early stages of dementia.
"We Back Pat" is a weeklong awareness drive focused on promoting the Pat Summitt Foundation Fund and the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, each of which is battling against Alzheimer's disease.
"Pat Summitt is a leader both on and off the court," said SEC Commissioner Mike Slive. "The establishment of the Pat Summitt Foundation Fund only reiterates this point.
"We are pleased that the Southeastern Conference can play a small part in helping Pat reach her goals for The Foundation Fund today and in the future."
The South Carolina game will also be the first of many "green games" this season.
Fans are encouraged to bring used cellphones to benefit the National Collation Against Domestic Violence.
The "green games" are multiple promotional events that address issues prevalent in the Auburn and global community.
Representatives will be at the Auburn Arena doors Thursday and at the Jan. 26 game against Kentucky to accept cellphone donations.
The next "green game" will be Feb. 2 against Vanderbilt and will promote EYEsee, which collects eyeglass frames to donate to children in underprivileged countries.
"The Auburn family includes some of the best fans in the world and we have a great group of them that come to our games," said coach Nell Fortner.
"We thought this was an excellent way for us to use the exposure we get at our games to assist some great causes in our community.
"We have two programs here that use recycling to help groups of people that are in need, and I think that is a win-win for everyone."
The Tigers' match following South Carolina will be against Mississippi State (11-6, 1-3) in Starkville at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Like the Gamecocks, the Bulldogs have also lost to Kentucky and LSU in recent weeks and have lost two of their last six games.
Auburn will look to sophomore guard Tyrese Tanner to play well against Mississippi State. Tanner has scored in double digits the past two contests, including a career-high 22 Sunday against Arkansas.
The Tigers will have their hands full with the Bulldogs' offense, specifically senior guards Diamber Johnson and Porsha Porter who are averaging a combined 31.5 points per game.
Although Auburn has lost five of their last six games, the matchups against two other teams struggling in the SEC offer an opportunity for the Tigers to get back on track during the home stretch of conference play.
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