Auburn looks to rebound from a Vanderbilt loss this past weekend with a win over the Ole Miss Rebels, who are currently 13th in the SEC.
Head coach Bruce Pearl called this another “must-win game” in his Tuesday afternoon press conference —putting an emphasis on what a loss would do to his team's NCAA Tournament resume.
“The last time against Missouri, it was a really good prize on the win,” Pearl said. “Because Missouri had won four in a row. They had just beaten Tennessee. They were seeded slightly ahead of us in the NCAA tournament. The win could do us some real good. The contest against Ole Miss is not the case.”
Auburn (18-9, 8-6 in SEC) has lost four of its last five games and is looking to close out the season strong.
The Tigers could benefit from Wendell Green Jr. getting out of a shooting slump as the junior has shot 2-of-18 from the field and 0-of-4 from deep over the last two games.
“I think Wendell’s ok as he goes when he goes,” Pearl said. “That’s a great comment. I trust him and I have confidence in him. But we’re working on some things to put him in some better positions where he’s not maybe getting double-teamed quite as much.
The Rebels (10-17, 2-12 in SEC) have also lost four of their last five game as well, with their one win coming against Georgia, 78-74. They have shot around 41.8% on the season and are allowing 67.1 points per game.
Their defense is solid and is known to create turnovers when they press the opposition — forcing 12 turnovers per game and 9.5 during SEC play.
“They do a great job of turning you over,” Pearl said.” They finish, they play fast, and they need turnovers to win.
Ole Miss is led by junior guard Matthew Murrell from IMG academy, who’s averaging just over 14 points per game on 36% shooting.
Two important keys to this game will be driving into the lane and getting fouled, as well as shooting well from behind the arc. Those two things plagued the Tigers in their loss to Vanderbilt, and they hope not to repeat the same woes in this matchup.
“With me when I go up, I try to shy away from contact,” said forward Jaylin Williams. “Because I try to get the best open shot I possibly can. So, I would say just going in there and being strong and going in knowing you're going to score.
Pertaining to the three-point shooting, senior guard Lior Berman emphasized how important confidence is and voiced that he is ready to step up when needed.
“Knowing that my coach, my teammates are confident in me in shooting the 3-ball gives me all the confidence in the world, to know that if I do want to take extra shots, I have the ability to do that,” Berman said.
The Tigers and Rebels tip off from Neville Arena at 8 p.m. CST. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
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William Halliday started with The Plainsman in fall 2022. He is a journalism major from Memphis, Tennessee.
Twitter: @wphalliday3
