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A spirit that is not afraid

Pearl preparing for 'meticulous' Ole Miss guards

<p>Jabari Smith (10) takes the first of a pair of free throws during a match between Auburn and Florida in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on Feb, 19, 2022, in Gainesville, Fla.&nbsp;</p>

Jabari Smith (10) takes the first of a pair of free throws during a match between Auburn and Florida in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on Feb, 19, 2022, in Gainesville, Fla. 

With the end of the regular season approaching, Auburn is trying to hold its lead in the conference standings, clinging to a one-game lead over the Kentucky Wildcats. Auburn’s next test will be against an Ole Miss team that has struggled as of late but still has the talent to beat anyone in this league.

The Rebels have not been at full health nearly all season, as their leading scorer Jarkel Joiner missed eight straight games in the middle of conference play (including their first matchup against Auburn), and their starting point guard Daeshun Ruffin was lost for the season on Feb. 1 due to a torn ACL.

“They are a team that hasn’t given up,” said Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl. “I look back, they’ve had injuries, sickness, and they’re playing some of their better basketball right now… It’s a team that’s capable [of winning]. They have seven guys that can make the three. That’s what makes them dangerous.”

Recently, Auburn has struggled to start games offensively, as it fell behind early to Vanderbilt 14-3 and only put up 21 points in the first half against Florida. 

“It’s a combination of us not executing,” Pearl said. “As the season progresses, the scouting reports get more detailed and when you play opponents for the second time, you have to change things up… As we begin to try and put in some of the details to build on the basics of our offense to be harder to guard, we haven’t done as well, and we aren’t executing.”

The first match-up for the teams was in Oxford near the start of SEC play. The Rebels started out hot that game, as they were up 14 points on the Tigers in the first half, but the Tigers were able to claw their way back and win that game 80-71. Ole Miss's guards and its offensive half-court execution gave the Tigers issues in that match-up.

“Their guards fly around and they are really meticulous in their offensive execution,'' Pearl said. “They were on pace early in our game to score a lot of points. They had 35 points in the first 12 minutes… We have to lock in how to guard Ole Miss. They are an excellent half-court offensive team.”

Freshman sensation Jabari Smith had his best week of the season as he averaged 29.5 points per game last week. As a result of his play, he won SEC Freshman of the Week for the fifth time this season.

“He’s just a competitor,” Pearl said. “He’s an absolute competitor. He wants to win… In the league, everybody is challenged at their matchup. That’s when the great ones are going to rise. Jabari is better than his matchup every night.”

Pearl did emphasize that Auburn is better when everyone on the team is contributing rather than when Smith has to put up crazy numbers like he did last week.

“We’re best when everybody contributes,” Pearl said. “We need Jabari to keep doing what he’s doing, but not to carry us. He’s had to carry us a little bit because some of the other guys haven’t played as well as they need to play for us to be a championship team. He’s doing more because he has to right now.”

Auburn and Ole Miss will face off at 7:30 p.m. CST at Auburn Arena. The game will air on the SEC Network.


Henry Patton | Sports Writer

Henry is a sophomore from Dallas, Texas. This is his second year with The Auburn Plainsman. 

Twitter: @Henry_Patton23


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