AUBURN, Ala. – For Allen Flanigan, going back to Arkansas to play is always special. It's the state where he grew up, the state where a lot of his family and friends still reside. It's home.
"The Arkansas games are always big games to me personally," he said.
It was no different last year when Auburn played in Fayetteville – except that Flanigan was a freshman role player on last year's team. That is no longer the case. On Wednesday night, it will be Allen Flanigan leading the Tigers against Arkansas. The sophomore is tops on the team in points (200), rebounds (75), 3-pointers made (28) and free throws made (40).
Head coach Bruce Pearl said it best after Flanigan's 21-point, 9-rebound effort in Saturday's win over Kentucky: "There was only one grown man out there. No. 22."
"I'm really confident in my game just knowing I put in the work this summer and worked my butt off to put myself in a great spot," Flanigan said after the game. "I'm just taking advantage and trusting that the work I put in is going to be successful."
Last year, Flanigan watched and learned from fellow freshman Isaac Okoro who left Auburn after one year and was taken No. 5 overall in the NBA Draft. This year, through the first 14 games, he's averaging more points per game (14.3), rebounds per game (5.4) and assists per game (2.9) than Okoro was through 14 games a year ago.
That is not to say Flanigan is going to be a top-five NBA draft pick, but the 6-foot-6, 215-pound wing has stepped up and taken advantage of the opportunity this season.
"When I hear opportunity, the first thing that comes to mind is stay right, stay ready," Flanigan said. "BP tells you you're going to get an opportunity. Sooner or later, it's going to come. It's just about you being ready for the opportunity."
Flanigan and his teammates will look to make it three straight wins Wednesday night at Arkansas.
The game is scheduled to tip off at 8 p.m. CT from Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville. 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 SEC Network with Roy Philpott and Mark Wise on the call.
Player to Watch: Devan Cambridge
Since moving to the sixth-man role, Devan Cambridge has reached double figures in all three games and is averaging 12.3 points per game. He's shooting 62.5 percent from the floor (15-of-24), including 42 percent from downtown (5-of-12). The sophomore has also tallied 11 rebounds (3.7 per game), seven blocks and five steals in that three-game span.
Inside the Series: Arkansas
Auburn and Arkansas will meet for the 55th time in series history Wednesday night. The Razorbacks hold a 34-20 lead overal , but the Tigers have won four of the last seven, including three of the last five overall.
Arkansas won the first meeting this season, 97-85, in what was the SEC opener for both teams at Auburn Arena. After the game was knotted up at 74-74 following a pair of free throws by Allen Flanigan, the Razorbacks used a 10-0 run to create separation and pull away for the victory. Jamal Johnson had a career-best 21 points on 7 of 11 from the field, including 5 of 7 from 3, while Flanigan notched his first career double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
In Fayetteville, Auburn has won just five of the 26 meetings – but two of those five wins have come in their last three trips to Bud Walton Arena, including last season in which the Tigers came back from down 11 in the second half and won 79-76 in overtime.
Bruce Pearl is 9-7 against the Razorbacks all-time and 8-7 as a head coach. Last season, Pearl became the first coach in program history to win twice at Arkansas. Former head coaches Tommy Joe Eagles (1993), Cliff Ellis (2003) and Jeff Lebo (2009) each amassed just one win in Fayetteville during their stints at Auburn.
Baby Tigers
In terms of experience, the 2020-21 Auburn Tigers are the youngest team in head coach Bruce Pearl's career. The team averages 0.75 years of experience, which ranks as the youngest team in the country to play a game this season.
Auburn has 24 starts combined by freshmen this season, which is sixth in the country behind only Kentucky (39), Kansas State (31), North Carolina (29), Washington State (29) and Montana (25).
20-Point Club
With 21 points Saturday, Allen Flanigan became the fourth Auburn player to score 20 or more points in multiple games this season, joining teammates Sharife Cooper, Jamal Johnson and Justin Powell who have each reached the benchmark twice so far this season.
The Tigers are the only SEC team to have four or more players with multiple 20-point games on the season. LSU and Mississippi State are next on the list with three players apiece.
A 'confident' Allen Flanigan leads Tigers into Arkansas
