Auburn men’s basketball and head coach Bruce Pearl prepare for one last game in Neville Arena before hitting the road for the 2024 Maui Invitational, hoping to earn a victory over the North Alabama Lions on Monday.
The Tigers and Lions are battling for just the second time in history, with the last meeting coming on Dec. 14, 2021, one that saw Auburn take a decisive 70-44 victory.
North Alabama currently sits at 3-1 on the young season, coming off of a heartbreaking defeat at the hands of the Samford Bulldogs, 97-96 in overtime.
The Lions last took down an SEC opponent in 2022, taking a 66-65 win over the Ole Miss Rebels. Meanwhile, the Tigers currently hold a 56-game home winning streak over non-conference foes, which North Alabama looks to play spoiler to.
Here is everything you need to know about the Lions ahead of tipoff on Monday night.
Head coach:
North Alabama head coach Tony Pujol is in his seventh season at the helm of the program, holding nearly two decades of collegiate coaching experience. Prior to taking over as the leader of the Lions, he was an assistant at the University of Wyoming.
Pujol has enjoyed success at North Alabama, leading his team to the ASUN Conference Tournament in each season of his tenure, including a championship berth in 2021 and a semifinal appearance in 2024. In the 2022-23, he led the Lions to their highest win total since 2013-14, posting an 18-15 record while also earning the team’s first postseason appearance in Division I with a bid to the CBI Tournament.
Offense:
The North Alabama offensive charge is led by 2023-24 First Team All-ASUN guard Jacari Lane, who is a junior out of Huntsville that has spent his entire collegiate career with the Lions.
Lane is currently the undisputed leader in points for North Alabama, beginning his junior campaign with 22.8 points per game to go along with 2.8 rebounds and 4.25 assists. He shoots well from all areas of the field, converting on 44.8% of his 3-point shot attempts and 83.3% of his free throw opportunities.
As a team, the Lions are scoring 87.5 points per game, tied for 47th in the nation in that category. However, outside of Lane’s production, the offense is highly stagnant, as North Alabama only shoots 47% from the field, coming in at No. 130 in the country.
The Lions also shoot 37.3% from beyond the arc, tied for 91st nationally and marking them as a team who, while they are not afraid to take shots from deep, will not pose a giant threat should it be contained.
North Alabama will have its hands full if Lane is shut down for the majority of the game.
Defense:
The Lions’ defense has not put out the best start in their first four games of the year, allowing 70.3 points per game. That is slightly lower than last year’s performance, when they allowed 76.1 points per game over the course of the entire season.
North Alabama is currently allowing opponents to shoot 41.7% from the field, placing it No. 169 amongst the nation. It is also allowing a 35.1% success rate in 3-point shots, ranking well into the lower half nationally, tied for 262nd.
Where the team does excel, though, is in forcing turnovers. The Lions are forcing 18.25 turnovers and 12.5 steals per game on average, putting them at No. 24 and tied for No. 9 in the country, respectively. For a team that only turns the ball over nine times per game, Auburn will be highly tested in ball security when it takes the floor.
The No. 5 Tigers will take on North Alabama on Monday, Nov. 18 at 8 p.m. CST. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
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Tyler Raley is a senior from Birmingham, Alabama, majoring in journalism. He joined the Plainsman in the spring of 2022.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @traley34.
