Auburn’s home stand continues Wednesday night, as the Tigers take on the Vanderbilt Commodores in Auburn Arena.
Following its loss to Arkansas last Tuesday, Auburn rebounded nicely with a convincing victory over Texas A&M on Saturday. The Tigers will seek to build upon this momentum heading into their next matchup. Vanderbilt has won three of their last five matchups, with its most recent game being a nine-point loss to No. 16 Tennessee.
The Commodores' most efficient work comes from the 3-point line, as they currently shoot 33% from behind the arc, ranking third in the conference. Vanderbilt also defends the three well, holding opponents to an average of 29.7% from the arc.
Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl commended this aspect of the Commodores’ game.
“They’re playing with confidence,” Pearl said. “They shoot a good percentage from three… defend the three-ball well… they have good personnel”
In their past five games, the Commodores are shooting 43.8% from three and are holding opponents to a three-point field goal percentage of 28.2%.
Other aspects of the Commodore's defense have been limited. They rank near the bottom of the conference in rebounds, blocks and steals.
When asked about Auburn’s recent shooting slump and the challenges Vanderbilt will give the Tigers to break out of it, Pearl was clear about sticking to his game plan.
“You gotta take what the defense gives you,” Pearl said, ”I don’t think for us we’ll ever take guys and tell them to stop shooting it, I’m telling them to take the same shots but start making them”
Vanderbilt’s focal point on offensive will almost certainly be Scotty Pippen Jr.
Pippen was this year's SEC Preseason Player of the Year and he currently leads the conference in scoring with 18.9 points per game.
Along with his scoring ability, Pippen has proven to be a capable facilitator, averaging 3.8 assists per game, ranking 10th in the conference. Pippen has been active on the defensive end as well. His 1.8 steals per game ranks 8th in the SEC.
Other key players to watch for on Vanderbilt is Jordan Wright, a player Bruce Pearl referred to as “the most physical guard in the league” and forward Myles Stute.
Wright contributes 12 points per game and has defensive capability, averaging 1.3 steals per game. Stute averages 8.8 points per game, currently shooting 43.6% from three and has proven his ability to knock down long-range shots and stretch the floor.
The turnover differential will play a vital role in the outcome of this game. The Tigers do a good job of taking care of the basketball and limiting turnovers. Vanderbilt averages 13.2 turnovers per game and forces their opposition to turn the ball over an average of 14.8 times per game.
The Tigers have proven all year that they have a knack for forcing their opponents into mistakes. Pippen has shown a proneness to turnovers, giving up 3.5 per game, if the Tigers capitalize on this and force him into mistakes, they are in a good position.
For the Commodores it’s about making 3-point shots. If the Tigers limit this aspect of their game, Vanderbilt may be in trouble. For Auburn, it must play its brand of basketball, excelling on the defensive end and taking good shots.
The game will take place on Tuesday at 8 p.m. CST and will be broadcast on SEC Network.
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