Auburn looks to rebound from a blowout loss against South Carolina Sunday morning as the Tigers face the No. 21 Georgia Bulldogs.
The Tigers are on a five-game losing streak while Georgia recently snapped a three-game losing streak by defeating Missouri on Thursday night.
The game will be at home for the Tigers, but Georgia has not had much trouble this season playing on the road – holding an 8-2 record away from home.
For Auburn, it has been a tale of close losses all season. Three of Auburn last five losses since upsetting Tennessee have been decided by six points or less.
The Tigers have been able to keep games close a lot this season, but the late game play must improve with just three games remaining before the SEC tournament.
Georgia has several strong wins this season with wins at No. 4 North Carolina State, No. 17 Florida and a home win against Ole Miss on its resumé. The Bulldogs sit squarely in the middle of the SEC standings and eye a postseason run with March Madness nearing.
On offense, Georgia plays through Jenna Staiti. The senior center scores 15 points per game while averaging eight rebounds per contest. Staiti is also second in the conference in field goal percentage – shooting 52% from the field.
Auburn had no answer last game against Aliyah Boston – South Carolina’s center. The double-double machine had 10 points and 12 rebounds. Head coach Johnnie Harris will be forced to make some adjustments, so that Auburn is not dominated in the paint once again.
Auburn’s Jala Jordan and Precious Johnson will have their hands full guarding Staiti, but perhaps that experience of guarding Boston will better prepare them for the matchup against Georgia’s top player.
Georgia’s Que Morrison is another weapon for the Lady Bulldogs. The fifth-year senior has been a steady hand in Georgia’s offense all season. Morrison’s 4.8 assists per game ranks third in the SEC, and the talented guard also averages just under 14 points per game while shooting 34% from 3-point range.
Auburn has had issues guarding teams’ top guards all season. Last game, South Carolina’s Zia Cooke dropped 20 points. Tennessee’s Jordan Horston scored 21 points against the Tigers earlier in the season and Kentucky’s Rhyne Howard scored 29.
Teams have scored 70 or more points against Auburn in four of the last five games, so Auburn must find a solution defensively or else the duo of Morrison and Staiti will make Auburn pay.
On the other side of the court, Georgia only allows 59 points per game. The Bulldogs also rank fifth and second in steals and blocks per game, respectively. Auburn saw eight shots get blocked against South Carolina and though Auburn did not turn it over much that game, the Tigers are still fifth in the SEC in turnovers per game.
Morrison averages two steals per game, so she will certainly be lurking whenever Auburn runs its offense. Valuing every possession against a team as dangerous as Georgia’s is incredibly important for the Tigers. Auburn does not have the luxury of wasting possessions if it wants to upset the Lady Bulldogs.
All of Georgia’s losses have come against top 25 teams, so it has not suffered an upset all season. Auburn would love nothing more than to be that loss for the Lady Bulldogs and build some momentum with the conference tournament nearing.
The matchup will take place Sunday morning in Auburn Arena at 11 a.m. CST and be broadcast on SEC Network.
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Jacob is a sophomore from Leeds, Alabama. This is his second year with The Auburn Plainsman.
Twitter: @JacobWaters_
