COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Through the first half of the season, Auburn has been nearly unbeatable at home. The Tigers have yet to lose a game inside Auburn Arena (9-0), and they're averaging 91.2 points per game and shooting 48 percent in those games.
Away from home, it's been a different story. Auburn is 3-3 in games not played at Auburn Arena, and the points per game average drops down to 74.3.
What has been the issue? That's what the Tigers are trying to figure out as they prepare for another difficult road test at Texas A&M on Wednesday night. But while they have put up less points on the road this season, the key might actually be on the other side of the ball.
"It's just locking in on defense and understanding our spots," senior Malik Dunbar said. "It's mainly defense. I feel like we can beat anybody. Most of the games that we lost, we beat ourselves. It's just little mistakes, so we need to correct those mistakes and make as few mistakes as possible."
"We really want to focus on defense," added fellow senior Horace Spencer. "Anyone on this team can score, so we want to be able to shut down other teams on defense and be that more dominant team on defense and rebounding."
For head coach Bruce Pearl, it simply comes down to effort. And he's confident that Auburn will bring the same effort to Texas A&M that they bring to every home game.
"I think for us, we want to go on the road and play better," Pearl said. "We want to handle the ball better and not turn the ball over as much. We're going to play with the same effort, energy and confidence that we do at home. From that standpoint, this is a great opportunity for us."
Wednesday's game is scheduled to tip off at 6 p.m. CT from Reed Arena in College Station. 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 Karl Ravech and Dan Dakich on the call.
Player to Watch: Malik Dunbar
It's hard to argue who has improved the most from last season to this season. Malik Dunbar has spent most of his summer in the gym and it's had a huge impact on his production during the 2018-19 campaign. The senior has raised his point average from 5.4 to 8.9 while shooting 50 percent from the floor - an eight percent increase from a season ago.
Inside the Series: Texas A&M
This is the 15th meeting all-time between Auburn and Texas A&M with Aggies holding a 10-4 advantage. Texas A&M won the only matchup between the two teams last season, 81-80, in Auburn, but the Tigers have won two of the five games played in College Station.
Beyond the Arc
Auburn leads the SEC and is sixth nationally with 10.8 made 3s per game and also leads the league with 13.0 3-pointers in SEC play. The Tigers made 14 shots from long range in its win over Georgia on Saturday after knocking down 12 at Ole Miss the game before.
Auburn has made double-digit 3-pointers in nine of its 15 games this season. With 162 3-point field goals in the first 15 games, the Tigers are currently ahead of last year's pace when the team set a single-season program record with 324 3s.
Big Mac
Anfernee McLemore had arguably his best game of the season in Auburn's 93-78 victory over Georgia on Saturday as he scored 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting and pulled down nine boards. It was just his fourth game in double figures this season, and he came within one point of matching his total from the previous four games combined.
Stealing the Show
Auburn is averaging 10.0 steals per game, which leads the SEC and is tied for fifth nationally. The Tigers have recorded at least 10 steals in a game eight times this season, including 20 in their last nonconference game against North Florida, which is one off the school record of 21 steals set in 2008. They have six double-digit steals games in their last nine games.
Auburn is also fourth nationally averaging 6.1 blocked shots per game. Auburn and Duke are the only two teams in the country that are in the top 5 in blocked shots and steals per game.
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @greg_ostendorf
No. 14 Auburn looks to solve road woes at Texas A&M
