Auburn just came off a big win against the No. 5 team in Houston last Saturday night and will head right back home to face first time opponent in Kent State.
The Tigers are now ranked No. 1 in KenPom after their win against the Cougars thanks to a great defensive effort in which they held the Cougars under 70 points.
Two of the players that were key in that defensive effort for the Tigers were Denver Jones and Chaney Johnson, who both had no personal fouls in the game. However, Denver was the one that received high praise from head coach Bruce Pearl on Tuesday in his preview of Kent State.
“I think he’s one of the best defensive guards in the country,” Pearl said. “He’s become a great defender, which is going to make him more attractive at the next level.”
Highly touted Auburn freshman Tahaad Pettiford had his best game of the season so far with a 21-point effort and will look to build off that to garner more attention at his position.
“He knows he’s as good as the best freshmen in the country,” Pearl said. “Obviously he got a chance to show it on that stage in that moment.”
Both Auburn and Kent State are averaging 84 points per game with the Golden Flashes shooting 50.9% from the field compared to the Tigers' 54.8%.
If Auburn continues its trend from last year in its domination on the home court, this game could get out of hand and be over very quickly. The Tigers have a 55-consecutive home game winning streak against non-conference opponents.
Johni Broome is the reigning SEC player of the week after averaging 16 points, eight rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game in the two wins over Vermont and Houston.
If there’s one thing to be concerned about for the Tigers against this Golden Flashes team, it’s that Kent State has picked up five power conference wins in the 14 seasons that current head coach Rob Senderoff has been there.
Pearl did comment on Jakhi Howard and Ja’Heim Hudson but did not touch on whether or not they would be playing in the game on Wednesday.
“Those guys were in class and in practice on Monday,” Pearl said.
Auburn will take on Kent State is set to take place in Neville Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 13. The matchup will be played at 7 p.m. CST on SECN+.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
William Halliday is a junior journalism major from Memphis, Tennessee. He started with the Plainsman in fall 2022.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @wphalliday3
