The 10-3 Tigers face the No. 1 team in the country in a rematch from earlier in the season, where Auburn fell 197.550-195.590. That competition took place in a neutral site in Nashville, TN in a meet that also featured BYU and Nebraska.
The Tigers are 3-0 at home this season, so having this advantage will help the Tigers especially with a sold out crowd each night. The Sooners are 1-1 away, with their only loss on the season to LSU in Baton Rouge.
Auburn is used to having to face the best competition, as this will be its 11th ranked matchup on the season. The Tigers are 7-3 in ranked matchups on the season.
In the brief history that Auburn has faced Oklahoma, the Tigers have not won and are 0-6 in the series. This presents a chance for the Tigers to pick up their first win against Oklahoma in what would be the biggest of the season.
The Sooners are coming off a two-win weekend against the No. 6 Gators and the Tarheels. Auburn recently lost to Florida, but beat its biggest rival, Alabama, last Friday.
Oklahoma has been a force, ranking number one on vault, bars and floor. They are number two in the country on beam.
The Sooners have incredible talent including Faith Torrez, Jordan Bowers and Lily Pederson. The trio has earned 356.475, 356.35 and 355.325 total points respectively. The Sooners also have Audrey Davis and Addison Fata who have earned incredible all-around scores on the season. The team is hard to compete with because of the talent they have competing in all the events.
The Tigers currently rank 11th on vault, 13th on bars, fifth on beam and 15th on beam. Auburn has been the underdog before in matchups against Oregon State and Georgia, so the team has been in this position already and will be ready to pull off the upset.
In doing so, the standout freshman Katelyn Jong will need to continue her impressive all-around performances to match the Sooners. Jong leads the team with an average all-around score of 39.368.
Olivia Hollingsworth will also have to play a crucial role in all the events as she averages the second highest all-around score at 39.25.
The Tigers need to continue to have an impact on the beam, as it is their best event. Marissa Neal who averages a score of 9.905 on the beam will need to keep up her phenomenal scores in order to pull of the biggest win of the season.
Auburn will have its “All Auburn All Orange” event during this meet. Students who attend will receive tiger stripe bucket hats and Chick-Fil-A sandwiches through the promotion.
Auburn will host Oklahoma at Neville Arena on Friday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. CST. The competition will be broadcast on SECN+.
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Tyler Cox is a sophomore from Atlanta majoring in journalism. He joined The Plainsman in fall 2023.
