What to expect as the Tigers take on the Sooners

Auburn forward Keyshawn Murphy had perhaps his greatest game in an Auburn uniform against Kentucky, shooting an efficient 9-14 with 25 points and 10 rebounds. The Mississippi State transfer has impressed mightily in a season where the Tigers have needed to rely on his presence for size, rebounding, and paint presence. Murphy currently leads the SEC with a 138.8 individual offensive rating, proving to be a reliable force whenever leading scorers Tahaad Pettiford or Keyshawn Hall are having an off night. The Tigers will look to Murphy to continue this elite level of production against an Oklahoma team that ranks last in the SEC in opponent FG% and does not have a considerable size advantage in the paint. 

Forward Keyshawn Hall and guard Tahaad Pettiford are the other names to watch for the Tigers on Tuesday night. Hall averages 20.6 points per game (4th in the SEC), and Pettiford averages 14.7 points per game (20th in the SEC). The duo has faced a considerable amount of adversity on and off the court this season, but Auburn will be relying on them both to produce on the offensive side of the ball, preferably at the same time, which has proven to be a challenge this season. 

Despite the losing streak, Pettiford has been playing some of his best basketball in an Auburn jersey as of late. Pettiford averaged 24 points per game and 5.5 assists per game over the four losses before the matchup against Kentucky, where he shot 2-of-9 for nine points. Hall, who has battled disciplinary restrictions lately, went 3-of-15 for 10 points against Kentucky. 

Auburn will likely defeat Oklahoma if one of Hall or Pettiford perform to their offensive potential, but in order to consistently compete in March against staunch competition, the duo will need to learn how to consistently produce alongside each other in a cohesive manner. Look for the duo to bounce back from an inefficient offensive performance against Kentucky to take advantage of a Sooner defense that ranks 13th in the SEC in opponent points per game. 

As for Oklahoma, they have suffered a season to forget, only winning three of their 14 in-conference games. The Sooners are currently ranked 11th in the SEC in points per game to complement a mediocre defense, but a major strength has been their ability to make shots from behind the arc. The Sooners are ranked third in the SEC in three-pointers made per game with 9.3 and second in team 3-point percentage with 36.4%.  

These 3-point heroics are led by senior sharpshooting guard Nijel Pack, who leads the SEC in individual 3-point percentage with an astounding 44.1%. Pack also leads the Sooners in scoring, averaging 15.7 points per game. Pack will have an opportunity to take advantage of an Auburn defense that ranks dead last in the SEC in 3-pointers allowed and 3-point percentage allowed, especially after the Tigers gave up 10 threes and 46 points to Mississippi State guard Josh Hubbard a week ago. 

Auburn, on the other hand, looks to prove that such massive scoring outputs are a rare anomaly against their defense that ranks 10th in the SEC in points allowed per game. It is no secret that the key to an Auburn victory and an eventual NCAA tournament bid is an improvement with their perimeter defense, which harkens back to Pearl’s strenuous efforts to ignite a fire under his team defensively regardless of the opponent. 

The Tigers gained a much-needed cushion with their victory against Kentucky, but to be one of the teams participating in the most iconic tournament in sports this March, they’ll need to take care of these bottom-half SEC opponents instead of letting them play spoiler. A win against Oklahoma would massively increase their chances of making their fifth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance. 

Don’t miss the Auburn Tigers clash with the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman, Oklahoma this Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. CST on ESPNU.