It’s been nearly two weeks since Auburn’s played a basketball game and the stage for its return couldn’t be bigger.
First-year head coach Johnnie Harris led the Tigers to an 8-3 non-conference record in their first 11 games. But now the real test begins. Auburn’s about to dive into its conference schedule, a stretch of games against some of the nation’s finest.
That stretch begins in Tuscaloosa on Sunday, when the Tigers take on their biggest rival, Alabama, to open up SEC play.
Alabama has won the last four matchups against Auburn, with three of the four by double digits. The last time that Auburn found the win column against the Crimson Tide was in the 2018-19 season, where the Tigers had a clean three-game sweep of Alabama on their way to winning 22 games that year.
This season, Auburn’s led by Aicha Coulibaly, who has been a phenomenal asset on offense for the Tigers. She’s third in the league in points per game and has recorded 20-plus points in five of her last six outings.
Jala Jordan also looks to continue doing what she’s done over the last few games — provide points off the bench. Jordan has scored in double figures in three consecutive games, including a career-best 23 points two outings ago against Grambling State.
Against an Alabama defense that allows 54.3 points per game, Sunday will be a test for the Tiger offense.
Defensively, Auburn will need to play a clean game by limiting turnovers and preventing Alabama from getting to the free-throw line. It’s a place where Alabama has excelled this season, the Crimson Tide leads the SEC in free-throw-make percentage.
The efficiency at the free-throw line has helped Alabama become one of the higher-scoring teams in the SEC at 75.8 points per game.
It also helps that the Crimson Tide make nearly eight 3-pointers per game, another category where Alabama holds the advantage. However, Auburn’s played several teams this season that aren’t afraid to fire 3s from the field.
Belmont is a team that similarities can be drawn to when scouting Alabama. It’s a team that shot 27 3-pointers against the Tigers in mid-December. However, Auburn’s perimeter defense held the Bruins to 22.2% from downtown on the way to a win.
If Auburn can prevent open looks from beyond the arc and keep Alabama off the free-throw line as much as possible, it could open SEC play with a victory for the first time since the 2017-18 season.
A win also marks Johnnie Harris’ first conference win as head coach and the first conference victory since March 4, 2020.
The game is set to begin at 4 p.m. CST from Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa. It will be broadcast on SEC Network.
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Originally from Helena, Ala., Caleb Jones is a senior studying journalism at Auburn University. He has been on staff with The Plainsman since 2019.
You can follow him here on Twitter: @calebjsports
