As of late, Kermit Davis and Ole Miss have had Bruce Pearl and Auburn’s number as the Rebels have swept Auburn in two of the last three seasons and have won 10 out of 14 against Pearl since he arrived on the Plains, so the Tigers will be attempting to get that monkey off their back on Saturday in Oxford.
“Ole Miss has beaten us as much as anybody in the league,” Pearl said. “Kermit's done a good job against us and Andy [Kennedy] before that.”
Nysier Brooks is Ole Miss’ center and he is a seven-footer that averages 9.1 points and 8.3 rebounds on the season for the Rebels, and he will be a challenge for the Auburn centers.
“He's an outstanding defender,” Pearl said. “He moves really well for a 7-foot man ... He's good at getting out of ball screens and getting to the rim.”
Over the past two games, Auburn center Walker Kessler has had his impact minimized due to foul trouble, as he has had to sit out for long stretches and eventually ended up fouling out of both games.
Kessler was only able to play 12 minutes against Alabama and only had two points and two rebounds against the Tide on Tuesday.
“Obviously when you look at Walker, he's one of the best defensive players in the league,” Pearl said. “The game plan will be to go at him and get him in foul trouble, so they're going at him ... Hopefully he can continue to be vertical.”
Despite Kessler’s recent foul trouble, Auburn has been able to stay afloat down low due to Dylan Cardwell’s excellent play in relief of Kessler. Over the past two games, Cardwell has averaged 6.5 rebounds and three blocks.
“That’s what Dylan Cardwell is, coming in behind him,” Pearl said. “Jabari said after the Alabama game that Dylan Cardwell was our most important guy on the floor.”
Over the past two games Auburn guard K.D. Johnson has averaged 18 points for the Tigers and has had a huge impact on the Tigers’ win over Florida and Alabama.
“I think the fact that he is very explosive and he's so capable of making plays on both sides of the ball makes him both dangerous and at times elite," Pearl said.
Jabari Smith came in with a lot of hype, being Auburn’s highest-rated recruit ever, but he has exceeded expectations according to Pearl averaging 16.1 points and shooting 45.7% from behind the arc on the season.
"His maturity, his toughness, his competitiveness,” Pearl said. “I knew he was a great jump shooter. I just didn't know he was going to be the greatest jump shooter I ever coached... He has absolutely exceeded my expectations."
Auburn will travel to Oxford to face off against the Rebels on Saturday. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m CST.
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Henry is a sophomore from Dallas, Texas. This is his second year with The Auburn Plainsman.
Twitter: @Henry_Patton23
