AUBURN, Ala. – In the second game of the year, Auburn lost to a Gonzaga team who has yet to lose this season and is currently ranked No. 1 in the country.
The Tigers are a different team now. They have won four of their last five games, scoring 86.2 points per game in that stretch. They're coming off a win against No. 12 Missouri, arguably their best win of the season, and they're playing like one of the SEC's best teams.
But as good as Gonzaga was, Auburn's next opponent might be better. The Tigers will travel to Waco, Texas on Saturday to face No. 2 Baylor in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
"I believe both teams have improved, but this is a much better team today with Baylor then we played the second game of the season against Gonzaga," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "What happened if they both played? I do not know. You might find it's the national championship game because I don't see two better teams than these two."
Like Gonzaga, Baylor is undefeated on the season (15-0). The Bears, who feature former Auburn point guard Davion Mitchell, are beating teams by an average of 25 points per game and are coming off a 107-59 victory over Kansas State on Wednesday night. They're 21-1 at home over the last two seasons.
"This will be a great challenge for us," Pearl said. "There is a chance they are the best team I've played against, period. Yet, we are working hard to prepare to have a chance to beat them."
The biggest difference between the game earlier this season against Gonzaga and Saturday's game is not the opponent, but rather where Auburn is as a team.
Sharife Cooper is now in the lineup and averaging 22.3 points and 8.7 assists per game through his first six games. Allen Flanigan, who scored 20 against Gonzaga, has emerged as one of the SEC's most improved players with 14.2 points per game. JT Thor gets better and better every game. On defense, the Tigers lead the nation with 106 blocks this season and 20-plus each from Thor, Jaylin Williams, and Babatunde Akingbola.
So while the challenge is great, this Auburn team will be locked in and ready to compete.
The game is slated to tip off at 3 p.m. CT from the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas. 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 ESPN with Jon Sciambi and Fran Fraschilla on the call.
Player to Watch: Sharife Cooper
There's no doubt that Sharife Cooper has made an immediate impact for Auburn since taking the court. In his first six career games, Cooper has scored or assisted on 253 of Auburn's 521 points (48.6 percent). In his last time out against Missouri, Cooper had 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. He is one of only four players in the country to post that stat line this season.
Inside the Series: Baylor
When Auburn and Baylor clash Saturday, it will be the seventh meeting in the series with the Bears holding a 4-2 edge. The series is tied 1-1 in games played in Waco, and the Tigers won the most recent duel at Baylor, 83-64, in 1995.
Auburn is 18-16 all-time against members of the currently constructed Big 12 Conference. The Tigers have racked up wins against nine of the 10 members, including multiple wins vs. seven programs. The only Big 12 team Auburn has not defeated is Kansas State.
Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl is set to face Baylor for the first time in his career on Saturday afternoon. Pearl is 10-8 against the Big 12 in his career.
Tigers Against the Top-5
Auburn is 9-57 against top-five teams all-time. The Tigers are 1-25 on the road against top-five teams with the lone win coming at No. 1 Kentucky on Jan. 9, 1988. They're 1-15 against the No. 2 team all-time with the lone win coming against Kentucky on Jan. 13, 1984.
Bruce Pearl is 9-14 against top-five opponents in his career with a pair of those wins coming as Auburn's head coach. The Tigers defeated No. 5 Tennessee, 84-80, on March 9, 2019 and No. 3 North Carolina, 97-80, in the Sweet 16 during the historic 12-game winning streak and postseason run that included an SEC Tournament title and trip to the Final Four.
Pearl has also racked up wins against No. 2 Florida (2006), No. 5 Florida (2007), No. 1 Memphis (2008), No. 1 Kansas (2010), No. 2 Kentucky (2010), No. 5 Ohio State (2010) and No. 3 Pittsburgh (2010) while leading Tennessee.
Road Warriors
While Auburn has taken care of business at home, the Tigers have also shown their grit on the road in recent years. Auburn owns a 39-25 (.609) mark away from home since the 2017-18 season, which is tops in the SEC. Tennessee is next at 34-22 (.607), followed by Kentucky at 34-25 (.576) and Florida at 32-29 (.525).
In their last road game, the Tigers set a program record for points on the road in a conference game with 109 points to beat South Carolina.
Tigers ready for No. 2 Baylor in SEC/Big 12 Challenge
