Jan. 5, 2018
Auburn vs. Arkansas
(2017-18 RECORD: 13-1, 1-0 SEC) vs. (2017-18 RECORD: 11-3, 1-1 SEC)
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| Tue, Jan 2 | 6 p.m. |
By Greg Ostendorf
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Auburn is 13-1 and currently riding an 11-game win streak. It's the program's best start since the 1999-2000 season, and as of Friday morning, the Tigers were ranked as high as a four-seed in one national expert's bracketology projections. This is a team that hasn't made the NCAA Tournament since 2003.
But the early-season success hasn't taken the edge away. Auburn has played with a chip on its shoulder all season, and it's not about to change now.
"We will deal with the (success) when the times comes," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. "But we are very hungry, and we all know where we're picked. We all know where they picked us after the non-conference. We all know our television schedule compared to other teams in the league and their television schedules.
"So it's not hard to look and see where everyone kind of looks at us, and we're not going to let a good start affect our ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" we're not good enough to be overlooking or overconfident for anybody."
The Tigers will be tested again this Saturday when No. 22 Arkansas comes to town. The Razorbacks have already beaten teams like Oklahoma, Connecticut and Minnesota in the non-conference schedule. They are currently ranked top-10 nationally in scoring offense, averaging 89.3 points per game. And they have won nine of the last 10 meetings in this series.
But that just means it's another opportunity for Auburn to prove the critics wrong and improve its tournament resume.
Saturday's SEC home opener is scheduled to tip off at 5 p.m. CT from Auburn Arena. Rod Bramblett and Sonny Smith will have the radio call on 93.9 Tiger FM, online at AuburnTigers.com and on the TuneIn app. The game will also be televised on ESPNU with Taylor Zarzour and Kyle Macy on the call.
Player to watch: Bryce Brown
In his third season on The Plains, Bryce Brown has been the go-to scorer on a team that has four players averaging double-figures. The marksman leads the team and is seventh in the SEC with 15.9 points per game. Brown also leads the league with 44 shots made from downtown. The junior has had success vs. Arkansas in his career as he buried a career-best nine 3-pointers in his rookie season to highlight a 27-point performance.
Inside the series: Arkansas
Auburn and Arkansas have met 50 times as SEC opponents with the Razorbacks holding a 33-17 edge in the series. The Tigers have yet to taste victory in Auburn Arena as Arkansas is 5-0 in the home building on The Plains.
The Tigers are 4-7 against a ranked Arkansas squad all-time, but three of those wins have come at home (3-4).
Down but not out
Auburn's win at Tennessee is the first time the Tigers have overcome a deficit of at least 14 points to win since defeating Xavier 89-88 in 2OT in Auburn on Dec. 20, 2014, after also trailing by 14. It is the largest deficit the Tigers have overcome in an SEC game since overcoming a 15-point deficit at LSU in the 2010-11 regular-season finale on March 5, 2011.
Return to sender
The Tigers have two of the top shot blockers in program history on the roster this season. Junior Horace Spencer (110) and sophomore Anfernee McLemore (84) are already among the top defenders in the Auburn record books.
McLemore leads the SEC and is ninth nationally with 47 blocks just this season, a total this is more than 171 Division I teams so far in the 2017-2018 campaign.
On this date
On Jan. 6, 1996, Lance Weems set an Auburn single-game record by knocking down 10 3-pointers in a 101-76 win against Arkansas. For the game, Weems went 10 of 19 from downtown and finished the contest with 36 points in a Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum record.
The Tigers hold a 13-12 record all-time on Jan. 6, including two wins against ranked opponents (1986 vs. No. 12 Kentucky, 1999 vs. No. 18 Arkansas).
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @greg_ostendorf