In need of another bounce-back win, Auburn has its chance for revenge when Ole Miss travels to The Plains Wednesday night.
In the last meeting, Ole Miss dominated the then No. 11 ranked Tigers, 82-67 in a game where Auburn committed 24 fouls and sent the Rebels to the line 37 times.
Ole Miss leading scorer, Breein Tyree was held to only five points, but senior guard Terence Davis torched the Tigers for 27 points while grabbing 12 rebounds in the process.
Senior forward Horace Spencer agreed with head coach Bruce Pearl that Auburn has improved in every facet of the game – especially defensively – since Ole Miss.
“I feel like we have progressed, and some of our numbers show we have progressed, mainly on defense,” Spencer said. “I just feel like we’re starting to identify ourselves much more as a defensive team and be much more capable of a defensive team and just be able to stop them and what they do, and just be more of a nuisance on defense and let our identity be like we’re a tougher defensive team. That’s what we’re trying to be as we progress throughout the season.”
Since the Auburn game, Ole Miss has cooled down from its 13-2 regular season start and has dropped five of the last eight.
With a much-improved Auburn squad hosting an Ole Miss team that has lost its early-season footing, Wednesday’s game is set up to be a lot closer than the 15-point beatdown that played out a month ago.
Here are some players to watch and keys to victory for Ole Miss at Auburn.
Players to watch
Terence Davis (Ole Miss):
Like mentioned before, Davis lit up the Tigers for 27 points and 12 rebounds in the first go-around between the two teams. But that is not out of the ordinary for the senior as he is continuously ranked in the top two or three on the team in statistics.
Davis’ team rankings for Ole Miss as it stands before Wednesday’s game:
16.2 PPG (2nd)
6.3 RPG (1st)
3.6 APG (1st)
1.7 STLPG (1st)
38.4 3P% (3rd)
Davis’ rebounding prowess for a guard has a chance to give Auburn fits as they rank second-to-last in the SEC in defensive rebounding at 23.7 per game. Once Davis gets a rebound he has the chance to run coast-to-coast and finish at the other end, which gave the Tigers fits last meeting.
Davis is a player to watch in this matchup because of what he did to the Tigers last meeting but also because his elite versatility that has given the entire SEC fits all season.
Dominik Olejniczak (Ole Miss):
The 7-footer from Poland will not light up the box score by any means, but his down-low presence is an impact felt throughout the game.
Dominik Olejniczak is the quintessential workhorse for the Rebels; setting picks, blocking shots, defending the paint, all while the rest of his team reaps the rewards.
In the last meeting, Olejniczak had Austin Wiley’s, Anfernee McLemore’s and Horace Spencer’s numbers. He caused the three to shoot 16 percent from the field and was a big reason why McLemore and Spencer fouled out.
Olejniczak only had two field goal attempts but made it to the line 12 times and converted nine of them, while also grabbing seven rebounds in the process.
The area where Olejniczak does his best work is altering shots while not committing fouls. This season, Olejniczak has yet to foul out in a game while ranking fifth on the team in minutes per game.
The battle between Olejniczak and Auburn’s bigs is something to keep an eye out for Wednesday night.
Chuma Okeke (Auburn):
As Auburn’s leading rebounder, Chuma Okeke has a big task ahead of him against Ole Miss.
Last time these two teams met, Auburn was out-rebounded 45-37 with only a four-rebound contribution from Okeke.
Okeke scored the least amount of points out of Auburn starters, committed the most turnovers on Auburn and failed to convert on any of his free throw attempts.
Since then, Okeke has bounced back with double-digit scoring in seven of his last eight games – including two double-doubles.
It will be interesting to see if Okeke stays on his hot streak or falters back into the previous Ole Miss performance.
Keys to victory
Auburn:
- Auburn must rebound the ball on the defensive side of the floor. The Tigers out-rebounded on the offensive boards last matchup but failed to capitalize on the defensive side, getting out-rebounded 32-21 on the defensive glass.
- Auburn must convert on its free throws. The Tigers are ninth in the conference in free throw percentage and No. 196 in the country.
Ole Miss:
- Get Auburn’s bigs into foul trouble. Spencer and McLemore both fouled out last meeting and if Ole Miss can get them into foul trouble again, it will force Auburn to either go small or put an injured Austin Wiley into minutes he might not be able to handle.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
