AUBURN, Ala. – As good as Auburn has been the last two years, winning 53 total games and making the program's first ever Final Four, the Tigers have struggled against Ole Miss. They were swept in the series a year ago and trailed by 19 in the second half when the two sides met earlier this season in Oxford.
"If it's all about matchups, this has not been a very good matchup for us," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "We've brought out some of the best in them, and they've obviously brought out some of the worst in us. And give them all the credit for that."
But Auburn didn't give up that night in Oxford. This year's team kept fighting, erased the 19-point lead and won the game in double overtime. It was the first of four overtime victories in the next five games, and they rallied from a double-digit deficit in three of the four games.
On Saturday, the Tigers came back from 17 down in the second half to beat Tennessee at home.
"We make no sense statistically," Pearl said. "We don't shoot it very well, we're not very efficient offensively. But we do three things pretty well that are three out of the four things that I think really are very important statistically as far as winning is concerned.
"One, we rebound the ball very well on both ends. Two, we don't turn the basketball over, and we turn you over. And then three, we get to the foul line based on the number of shots. That combined with having kids that care, kids that aren't selfish, particularly offensively – that's been good enough to find a way."
Next up for Auburn? Ole Miss again. The Tigers will put their undefeated home record this season to the test against the last team to win inside Auburn Arena.
The game is scheduled to tip off at 6 p.m. CT from Auburn Arena. Andy Burcham 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 Tom Hart and Dane Bradshaw on the call.
Player to watch: Anfernee McLemore
It was a spark by Anfernee McLemore in the second half that led Auburn to that 19-point come-from-behind victory at Ole Miss earlier this season. The senior scored 14 of his career-high 19 points after halftime, including knocking down a pair of 3s in a crucial 12-0 run late in the game. In home games this season, McLemore is shooting 48 percent from the floor, including 33 percent from deep.
Inside the series: Ole Miss
The Tigers and Rebels will meet for the second time this season and the 139th time in series history Tuesday night. Auburn leads the overall series at 76-62.
Though Auburn is 50-15 all-time at home against Ole Miss, the Rebels have won five of the eight contests in Auburn Arena, including a 60-55 victory over the Tigers last year on Feb. 13. It's the last time Auburn lost a game at home.
Bruce Pearl is 7-9 all-time against Ole Miss with three of those wins coming as Auburn's head coach. Pearl is 8-3 against Ole Miss head coach Kermit Davis, including a 7-1 mark against Davis when he leading Middle Tennessee State.
Welcome to The Jungle
Known as one of the best homecourt environments in all of college basketball, Auburn has fed off of its consistently-packed crowds inside Auburn Arena.
The Tigers are 15-0 this season at home and are riding an 18-game winning streak inside Auburn Arena. Auburn's active winning streak of 18 at home is the eighth-longest in the country, trailing only Gonzaga (37), Prairie View A&M (24), South Dakota State (24), Florida State (21), Liberty (20), Murray State (19) and Oregon (19).
For Auburn, it is the third home winning streak of at least 10 games since the final home game of the 2016-17 season. There had only been six home winning streaks of at least 10 games in program history prior to that.