'Another big opportunity' awaits Auburn vs. Kansas in NCAA Tournament

'Another big opportunity' awaits Auburn vs. Kansas in NCAA Tournament'Another big opportunity' awaits Auburn vs. Kansas in NCAA Tournament
Wade Rackley/Auburn Athletics

SALT LAKE CITY – Having survived and advanced in the NCAA Tournament, Auburn's players practiced 3-pointers Friday from the same corner where New Mexico State missed a potential game-winning shot at the buzzer 24 hours earlier.

"Definitely a great feeling to be here right now," said Samir Doughty, whose free throw with 6 seconds left provided the margin of victory in Auburn's 78-77 victory.

The Tigers worked out Friday for 90 minutes at Vivint Smart Home Arena, preparing for Friday's 8:40 pm. CT matchup with fourth-seeded Kansas on TBS and the Auburn Sports Network.

"I was pleased with our team after the game because we weren't very happy," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. "We were accountable for the fact that we had a meltdown, and we did not play very well defensively or keep New Mexico State off the boards. New Mexico State's inside guys really had their way with us, and Kansas's inside guys are bigger and better. So we have our hands full from that standpoint.

"We were really tired yesterday. Five games in eight days is a lot, plus the travel. So, even though this will be six games in ten days, I really feel like having played early Thursday and now with a later start Saturday we'll be fine, we will be fresher than we were on Thursday."

Ten Tigers played 10 or more minutes on Thursday, including backup point guard J'Von McCormick, who scored a career-high 16 points in nearly 18 minutes, lightening the load on backcourt starters Bryce Brown and Jared Harper.

"We've had great play from our bench, we've had lots of different guys step up," Pearl said. "And from a confidence standpoint, I think it's been really, really good that those guys don't have to carry us, that somebody else is capable. The kids are trusting a process and they're beginning to rely on themselves and each other more."

The Tigers have earned nine straight wins in part by generating points off turnovers, a point of emphasis against the Jayhawks.

"Simply put, we try to take a look at what you like to do and take away what you like to do and make you do something else," Pearl said. "So how can we stop Kansas's inside game? How can we stop Lawson with his inside-outside game? How can we stop those guys from driving down the lane? If we can figure out a way to do that and turn them over some in the process, we have a fighting chance to win the game."

Kansas forward Dedric Lawson leads the Jayhawks in scoring (19.3 points per game) and rebounding (10.3). Auburn forward Chuma Okeke will be tasked at times with defending Lawson, his former AAU teammate.

"He is always in the right place at the right time," Pearl said of Okeke. "He is a great defender. Great hands, great instincts. Covers up a lot of our misses and mistakes and has got a great future.

"He gives us terrific versatility. The matchup of he and Lawson will be a good matchup when Lawson is playing the four. He's been a great, great guy to coach because he gives us great versatility defensively and then offensively he can score inside and out. And so he's really a guy that we try to play-call for and he's been a big difference maker for us this year."

Okeke's individual battle with Lawson will be a key storyline in Friday's prime-time showdown.

"Another big opportunity for me and also another big opportunity for the team," said Okeke, who scored 13 points in Auburn's first-round win. "Go out there and show that we can compete with anybody in the nation. We're just going to take advantage of it."

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer