Just two weeks ago, Auburn sat last in league play with an 0-6 start to SEC play and stars Aicha Coulibaly and Honesty Scott-Grayson out due to injury. The year two progress for coach Johnnie Harris looked meek as the Tigers neared the final stretch of the 2022-23 campaign.
An overtime win against Ole Miss in Neville Arena on January 22, that featured a 31 point statement by Coulibaly, propelled Auburn into the win column for the first time this season and the Tigers haven’t looked back. Auburn has won three straight SEC games for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
Following the Tiger’s latest win against Florida, Kharyssa Richardson was named SEC Freshman of the Week after her double-double against the Gators; it was the first 15-point, 15-rebound game by an Auburn freshman since 1990. Richardson’s season high 36 minutes against Florida led to season high in points, rebounds and blocks.
The return of Scott-Grayson and Coulibaly has made all the difference for the Tigers with Coulibaly’s eighth career double-double in Tigers' latest win and Scott-Grayson’s 10.6 points per game over the last three contests in an average of 35.3 minutes per game. The duo is also tied for eighth in the SEC among active career leaders with 119 steals.
While Auburn has rode the highs of a three game winning streak, the Razorbacks started off 4-1 in league play and were nationally ranked, but have dropped their last four contests coming into Sunday.
Arkansas’s average of 75.2 points per game ranks fourth in the SEC and 40th nationally. They are also the SEC leader in three-point attempts per game with 26.2, and they rank third in the country with 24.2 free throw attempts per contest.
Erynn Barnum leads Arkansas with 16.8 points per game, and Samara Spencer adds 15.2. Three Razorbacks — Chrissy Carr, Makayla Daniels and Spencer — all average more than 1.8 three-point attempts per game.
Harris and the Tigers will look to capture a four-game SEC winning streak for the first time since the 2015-16 season. With a win, Auburn would also double the SEC win total from last season and snap a five-game skid against Arkansas.
The last three games between the Tigers and Razorbacks have been decided by 10 points or less with today’s matchup scheduled for a 2 p.m. CST tipoff. The contest, inside of Neville Arena, will be televised on SEC Network.
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Patrick is a sophomore from Auburn, Alabama, double majoring in journalism and marketing. He started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
