AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn and Memphis are not all that different from one another. Both teams like to shoot the 3. Both teams like to run. Both teams are young. However, unlike Auburn, Memphis has a little more experience on its side.
The starting lineup for Memphis features four sophomores and a freshman, but two of those sophomores (D.J. Jeffries and Lester Quinones) started a year ago, and a third (Landers Nolley) made the ACC All-Freshman Team last year playing at Virginia Tech. Nolley currently leads the Tigers with 15.0 points per game.
On the other side, it's been well-documented how young this Auburn team is this year with no starters back and a rotation built primarily around freshmen and sophomores. The lone exception is junior guard Jamal Johnson who began his career at Memphis before transferring to the Plains after his freshman year.
As a result of that youth, there's been more contact at practices than normal this week as Auburn tries to emulate what it's going to be like to go against Memphis on Saturday.
"We're still so new and so young that there's still so much to learn and so much to be exposed," head coach Bruce Pearl said. "There's no way you can duplicate Memphis' ball pressure unless you play against yourself, so we tried to play against ourselves a little bit this week. I think that was the best way for us to get ready to play."
Still, Pearl knows it will be a challenge for his young team. He believes Memphis will likely be the best defensive team Auburn has played to this point in the season.
"A lot of ball pressure. They make it really difficult for you to run your offense," Pearl said. "If we can't handle their pressure, it will be a recipe for disaster for a young team. Can we take advantage of some of their overplay? Can we handle their pressure? That is going to be what we're going to find out Saturday afternoon."
The game, part of the Holiday Hoopsgiving event, will tip off at 4:30 p.m. CT from State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Brad Law and Sonny Smith will have the radio call on 95.9 Tiger FM, online at AuburnTigers.com and on the TuneIn app. The game will also be televised on ESPNU with Mike Morgan and Joe Kleine on the call.
Player to Watch: JT Thor
After living in four states while growing up, JT Thor has found a home on the Plains in his first season with the Tigers. The Alaska native is coming off his best game of the young season in which he had 10 points, four rebounds and four assists on 3 of 6 from the floor, including 2 of 4 from the 3-point line, against South Alabama. Thor is averaging 7.8 points and 2.3 rebounds per game this year.
Inside the Series: Memphis
Saturday's game between Auburn and Memphis will be only the second meeting in series history between the two sides. Auburn won the first contest, 78-64, in 1953 at Memphis.
Head coach Bruce Pearl is fairly familiar with Memphis going to back to his days as the head coach at Tennessee. He was 4-2 in six games against the Tigers. In all six meetings, at least one of Tennessee or Memphis was ranked, and the series was highlighted by a wire-to-wire matchup in 2008 when Pearl and his No. 2 Tennessee team took down No. 1 Memphis, 66-62.
Welcome to Atlanta
Over the last few years - arguably the most successful period in program history - Auburn has had many notable players from in and around the city of Atlanta and , including Bryce Brown (Stone Mountain), Jared Harper (Pebblebrook), Chuma Okeke (Atlanta) and Isaac Okoro (Powder Springs). This year's team features two players who attended high school in the Atlanta area with Babatunde Akingbola and Sharife Cooper, who were teammates at McEachern High School.
JP Makes History
In Auburn's last game, freshman Justin Powell made history with his performance against South Alabama. The combo guard form Kentucky had 26 points, which tied Eddie Johnson for most points in a home debut by a freshman in Auburn history. His nine assists and seven 3s in the game were the most by a freshman in his home debut in program history.
Powell is one of six freshmen in the country since 2010 to have nine assists and seven 3s in a game, joining Trae Young (Oklahoma), Ky Bowman (Boston College), Shamorie Ponds (St. John's), Jordan Bohannon (Iowa) and Braden Norris (Oakland). On the season, Powell is the only freshman in the country to average at least 14 points, six rebounds and three assists per game.
A-Town Showdown: Auburn, Memphis square off in Atlanta
