Auburn currently owns the nation’s longest active winning streak, which dates back to Nov. 17 when the Tigers lost their third game of the season to Temple.
Since the loss to the Owls, the Tigers have rattled off 14 straight wins to put themselves in the driver’s seat of the SEC race early in conference play.
Auburn will put its longest winning streak since the 1999-2000 season on the line Wednesday night in Tuscaloosa against its archrival Alabama.
The Crimson Tide, led by future NBA lottery pick Collin Sexton, will look to snap the Tigers’ win streak and hand Auburn its first loss in the SEC.
“Alabama is really, I think they’re the most talented team we’ve played so far,” Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. “They’ve got great size and they do a great job with their size, big guards and big wings, forward and center. They’re a powerful team.”
Sexton, who averages 19.3 points per game, scored 40 points for the Crimson Tide in a loss vs. Minnesota early this season. Sexton is a former high school teammate of Auburn point guard Jared Harper.
“He’s a lottery pick,” Auburn’s leading scorer Bryce Brown said. “That will be a big opportunity for me to step up on the defensive end as well as the offensive end trying to contain players like that cause he’s a great player.”
Auburn has won just three of the last 16 meetings between the two teams in Tuscaloosa, including just one of the last eight. The Tigers won last season’s meeting in Tuscaloosa 82-77 to complete a season-sweep of the Crimson Tide.
“We’re going to have to play our best game to be able to win,” Pearl said. “It’s a tough place to play, obviously, and it’s a rivalry game for us. It just means more.”
Despite limited success in Tuscaloosa, Auburn has won four of the last five games against the Crimson Tide.
Auburn will look for its first 5-0 start in SEC play since the 1998-1999 season Wednesday night inside Coleman Coliseum. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. CST and can be seen on the SEC Network.
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