AUBURN, Ala. - When it comes to point guard-power forward combos, Auburn's game Saturday at LSU will match up two of the SEC's best.
"The combination of (Tremont) Waters and Naz Reid, really formidable," said Auburn coach Bruce Pearl, whose Tigers will counter with Jared Harper and Chuma Okeke. "Just a great matchup, there. Jared Harper and Tremont Waters are two of the top two or three smaller point guards in the country. They're really important to their teams as scorers and playmakers and the focal point of every scout."
Auburn is seeking to beat the Bengal Tigers in Baton Rouge for the third straight time.
"We get a lot of credit for having a great home-court advantage and playing really well at home," Pearl said. "But I'm very proud of the fact that we've won the last two times we've been down there. That's hard to do. LSU is having a great year, they're a very talented team, really well-coached."
Auburn's Samir Doughty played for LSU coach Will Wade at Virginia Commonwealth before transferring to the Plains.
"Will had great things to say about Samir," said Pearl, who considered Wade's strong endorsement when offering Doughty a scholarship. "I really enjoy coaching Samir. He wants to get better. He's emotional. He's accountable. Those are great qualities to combine."
The game is set to tip at 1 p.m. CT from the Maravich Center. 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 ESPN2 with Beth Mowins and Jimmy Dykes on the call.
Player to watch: Danjel Purifoy
Danjel Purifoy has begun to assert himself on the offensive end lately. The Centreville, Ala. native is averaging 6.7 points and is 4-of-6 from 3 over his last three games. In his lone matchup with LSU in 2017, Purifoy scored 15 points, highlighted by three 3-pointers, to go along with seven rebounds and two steals.
Inside the series: LSU
Saturday is the 155th meeting all-time between Auburn and LSU, and LSU holds an 85-69 advantage. Auburn has won 11 of the last 16 between the two teams, including three straight. A win would give Auburn its fourth winning streak of at least four games in the series and its first since winning five straight from Feb. 25, 1974-March 6, 1976.
LSU leads 46-25 in games played at LSU, including a 23-19 at the PMAC, but Auburn has won five of the last eight in Baton Rouge.
Bruce Pearl is 10-5 in his head coaching career against LSU, including a 5-2 mark at Auburn and 5-3 at Tennessee. Against LSU, Pearl is 4-3 at home (2-2 at Auburn), 4-1 on the road (2-0 at Auburn) and 2-1 at neutral sites (1-0 at Auburn).
60 wins over last three seasons
Auburn has compiled a record of 60-28 over the last three seasons, including 16-6 so far this season. It is the sixth time the Tigers' have won at least 60 games over a three-year span in program history.
Turning over the opponent
Auburn is fourth nationally, and first among power conference teams, forcing 18.8 turnovers per game. The Tigers have forced at least 20 turnovers nine times this season. Auburn is forcing an average of 20.7 turnovers per game at home (269 in 13 home games). Auburn is averaging 13.0 turnovers and is third in the country with a plus-5.8 turnover margin.
The Tigers are outscoring their opponents 24.8-12.0 on points off turnovers (545-264). Auburn has scored at least 20 points off turnovers 14 times this season (13-1 record), 30 points off turnovers eight times (8-0 record) and topped the 40-point plateau for the first time in their last nonconference game with 41 points off 33 North Florida turnovers in its win over the Ospreys, while setting a school record for turnovers forced.