The No. 1 Auburn Tigers take to the road for the final time this season and look to remain undefeated on the road in SEC play when the Tigers travel to No. 22 Texas A&M.
"We managed to check a lot of boxes on Saturday. But to this one here, to go undefeated on the road would really be something in the SEC and especially in this particular year," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "So again, one win away from our most SEC wins in our history, the most wins overall. There’s a lot of things that are available."
Auburn clinched the SEC regular season title with two games left in conference play after its victory over No. 17 Kentucky on Saturday, but the show must go on.
The Tigers defeated the Wildcats 94-78 for their first win in Rupp Arena since 1988. They will now attempt to add to their impressive resume and try to maintain their position as the No. 1 overall seed in March Madness.
The Aggies have been on a downward skid and fell 10 spots in the most recent AP Poll after they dropped their fourth consecutive game in a row.
The Aggies hosted No. 3 Florida in their most recent contest and hoped to end their skid. However, they got outplayed by the Gators on the road and fell 89-70, which likely ended their hopes of earning a bye in the SEC tournament.
The two programs have met 22 times, 17 times as conference foes. The Aggies hold a commanding 15-7 lead over the Tigers. Last season, the Tigers snapped a three-game losing streak to the Aggies in a 66-55 victory in Neville Arena.
Auburn hasn’t won in College Station, TX since the 2018-19 season and holds a 3-5 record on road trips to Texas A&M.
"We have got a lot to play for. We're trying to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The possibility of being undefeated on the road this year is incredible," Pearl said. "There's a lot to play for."
Players to watch:
Auburn: Taahad Pettiford
The freshman point guard Taahad Pettiford has yet to make a single start this season, but with starting guard Denver Jones sustaining an injury, his status is up in the air with the SEC already locked up.
After Jones left the contest against Kentucky, Pettiford was forced to play a season-high 33 minutes against the Wildcats, and he did not disappoint. He scored 21 points, dished out four assists, and did not turn the ball over once.
With the decision to play Jones looming, head coach Bruce Pearl will have to turn to his young guard to continue to deliver and further expand upon his role of bench spark plug if the Tigers want to remain undefeated on the road in conference play.
Texas A&M: Henry Coleman lll
The Aggies thrive on the glass, and Henry Coleman III has been the leading force on the boards of Texas A&M.
The Aggies are first in the SEC in offensive rebounds per game, with 15.9 per game, and third in the conference, with 40.8 total rebounds per game. Coleman III is at the front of this effort.
The senior forward averages 7.7 points per game and 5.1 rebounds per game, and is at the center of the group rebounding effort the Aggies put forward.
He will be tasked with SEC leading rebounder Johni Broome and will need to limit him on the glass if the Aggies want to snap their four game skid.
The No. 1 Auburn Tigers and No. 22 Texas A&M Aggies will meet in College Station, TX for the Tigers' final SEC road game of the season. The game will be at 8 p.m. CST and broadcast on ESPN.
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Craig Noyes is a senior from Kensington, Maryland, majoring in journalism. He joined The Plainsman in January 2023.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @CraigNoyes58
