AUBURN, Ala. – The 12th-ranked Auburn basketball team will look to set the bar for the best non-conference record in the Southeastern Conference over the past three years when it hosts North Florida Saturday.
The Tigers boast a 33-5 mark in non-league action since the beginning of the 2016-17 season, good for an .868 winning percentage. The win total and percentage are both tops in the SEC leading into the final non-conference game of the season for Auburn.
Mississippi State is next on the list with a 32-5 record (.865). Arkansas and Kentucky are the only other programs to amass 30 regular season non-conference wins in the past two-plus seasons.
The Tigers recently won a shootout against Murray State, 93-88. Five players reached double figures, led by double-doubles from Austin Wiley (17 points, 10 rebounds) and Jared Harper (12 points, 10 assists).
With the victory, Auburn won 10 games before Christmas for the sixth time in program history, including the third consecutive season under head coach Bruce Pearl.
Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. CT inside Auburn Arena on Saturday. 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 on SEC Network+ with an audio overlay of Bramblett and Smith's call.
There will also be a postgame autograph session on the second level concourse by sections 108 and 109.
Shuttle service shut down
Fans who park in the facilities management lot will not have a shuttle for the final non-conference game due to winter break. The shuttle will resume Jan. 12 when Auburn hosts Georgia.
Player to watch: Samir Doughty
Junior Samir Doughty has been a difference maker in his first season on the floor for the Tigers. More recently, in his last five games, Doughty is averaging 10.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while shooting .567/.467/.917 from the floor, 3-point line and charity stripe, respectively. The Philadelphia, Pa. native is shooting a team-best 95% from the free throw line on the season.
Inside the series: North Florida
Auburn won both of its previous meetings with North Florida, both of which were in Auburn. The Tigers defeated the Ospreys 84-71 on Dec. 17, 2011, and 83-66 on Nov. 11, 2016, in the season opener. In the 2016-17 opener, the Tigers hit 13 3s and placed four players in double figures, including Bryce Brown, who led Auburn with 19 points. Danjel Purifoy chipped in with 14 points, and Jared Harper and Mustapha Heron added 10 points apiece.
The Tigers' 83-66 win over North Florida in the 2016-17 opener is Bruce Pearl's only previous game against the Ospreys as a head coach.
Homecourt advantage
Auburn is 22-1 at Auburn Arena since the start of last season. The Tigers' lone home loss over that period was by one point, 81-80, to Texas A&M last season. During that span, Auburn is outscoring its opponents by 20.6 points per game (89.1-68.5) at home. The Tigers have reached the 80-point plateau in 18 of those 23 games and have scored at least 76 points in all but one game. Auburn is averaging 11.3 made 3-pointers per game in that span. Also, the Tigers have forced 393 turnovers, an average of 17.1 per game.
No. 12 Tigers look to set SEC mark in final non-league game vs. North Florida
