Conference play is underway and so far Auburn is 1-1 against conference opponents, the most recent being a loss at Georgia 76-64 to the Bulldogs.
A strong 22-point performance from Johni Broome wasn’t enough to keep Auburn in this game. The Tigers struggled shooting the ball from the three, with only six makes in 28 attempts. Fouling was an issue for the Tigers, having 20 fouls on the night and allowing the Bulldogs to make 22 of their 32 attempts from the charity stripe.
Auburn has now lost two of their last five games, both being on the road. The Tigers haven’t played a ranked opponent yet this season but that changes when the No. 13 ranked Arkansas Razorbacks come to Neville Arena.
The Tigers will have a chip on their shoulder for this one. Last season, No. 1 Auburn lost in an 80-76 overtime game that saw Razorback fans storming the court at the conclusion of the game.
This will be the Razorbacks' fourth ranked matchup this season and they are 2-1 on the year against ranked opponents. Arkansas' last of these was over No. 20 ranked Missouri 74-68, which put them at 1-1 so far in conference play.
Arkansas has been fairly efficient shooting the ball, shooting 71.5% from the charity stripe, 48.5% from the field and 29% from the three point line.
The Razorbacks have been led by junior guard Ricky Council IV this season. Council is coming off a 25-point performance against Missouri. He has averaged 16 points on the road this season, so Arkansas will want to keep his momentum rolling into Neville Arena this Saturday.
For the Tigers, they look to stay undefeated at home and continue their home game win streak of 26 games. Defense for the Tigers hasn’t been the issue this season with the team dominating the boards and averaging 39.4 rebounds a game.
Auburn will need to get out of the three-point shooting slump. The Tigers’ last two games, they have shot 21.4% from the three point line. The bright side offensively for the Tigers has been transfer forward Broome.
The sophomore has been the standout for Auburn this season. At home, Broome has averaged 8.9 rebounds and 3.4 blocks a game. The Tigers will rely on him to keep them in this game with the Razorbacks.
Auburn needs a bounce-back win this weekend in their third SEC matchup this season, while Razorbacks look to get another ranked victory and improve their game in a hostile environment. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. CST in Neville Arena with the game broadcast on the SEC Network.
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Jac Myrick is a journalism major from Talladega, Alabama. This is his second year at the Plainsman after joining in the fall of 2022.
