AUBURN, Ala. – When Auburn and Ole Miss meet in Oxford on Wednesday night, both teams will be searching for their first SEC win of the 2020-21 season.
For the Tigers, it's not been a lack of effort. They competed in each of the first two league games, going toe-to-toe with Arkansas at home and then battling back on the road and nearly stealing a win against Texas A&M. Expect the same type of effort and intensity when they square off against the Rebels.
Instead, the key for Auburn will be taking care of the basketball. Without a true point guard, the Tigers have struggled in that area this season. They are averaging 18.5 turnovers per game in SEC play and will now face one of the nation's best teams at turning opponents over.
"The challenge with Ole Miss is, defensively, they're doing a great job of turning people over," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "Turning the basketball over has been a challenge for us against everybody. It's probably as big of a reason as to why we've lost the last couple of games in league play. It's because we've not be able to take care of the basketball."
There is good news for Auburn. The Tigers, who were playing primarily without Justin Powell due to injury, only turned the ball over five times in the second half at Texas A&M. As a result, they outscored the Aggies, 44-35, over the final 20 minutes.
Powell's status is questionable for the Ole Miss game with a head injury, but with or without Powell, they will look to carry that momentum into Wednesday's matchup.
"Allen Flanigan, Jamal Johnson, Jaylin Williams – and Devan Cambridge the last couple games – you can see some of our returning players take advantage of the opportunity they have right now to play more," Pearl said. "I'm proud of those guys for how hard they've worked and how they've improved."
Auburn and Ole Miss will tip off at 8 p.m. CT from The Pavilion at Ole Miss. 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: Jamal Johnson
In a team full of underclassmen, recent Auburn graduate Jamal Johnson has stepped up in a big way in his second season with the Tigers. The junior is tied for fifth in the SEC with an average of 20.5 points per game in league play. In fact, Johnson is one of just seven players in the country to tout two 20-point outings off the bench, doing so against Arkansas (21) and Texas A&M (20).
Read: 'Different attitude': Johnson grows on and off court
Inside the Series: Ole Miss
The Tigers and Rebels will meet for the first time this season and for the 139th time in series history Wednesday night. Auburn leads the overall series at 77-62.
Auburn is 25-42 at Ole Miss all-time, but the Tigers have won two of the last three, including a historic come-from-behind victory last year. They trailed 39-20 early in the second half, and ESPN had Auburn's win probability at 3.1 percent. Entering the game, SEC teams were 0-102 when trailing by 17 or more at halftime on the road over the last decade. But the Tigers stormed back and pulled it out in double overtime.
The 19-point comeback is tied for the third-largest comeback in program history.
Bruce Pearl is 9-9 against Ole Miss all-time with four of those wins coming as Auburn's head coach. Pearl is 9-3 against Ole Miss head coach Kermit Davis, including a 7-1 mark when Davis was at Middle Tennessee.
Balanced Attack
After losing a majority of its production from a season ago, Auburn has had to count on players to assume new roles for the 2020-21 season. In doing so, the Tigers have found balance across their lineup.
Auburn is the only team in country to have three players averaging at least 10 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Allen Flanigan is averaging a team-high 14.5 points, to go along with 4.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. Justin Powell is averaging 11.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists per contest. And Jaylin Williams is averaging 10.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.
Let it Fly
Auburn set a program record with 22 3-pointers vs. South Alabama in the first home game of the season, and it was a sign of things to come for this team. The Tigers currently lead the SEC and are 19th nationally at 10.3 makes from deep per game. They have three players in the top 10 in the SEC in total 3-pointers made with Allen Flanigan and Jamal Johnson tied for second with 23 and Justin Powell at ninth with 19.
Auburn has finished either first or second in the SEC in 3-pointers made in five of six seasons under Bruce Pearl, including a record performance in 2018-19 where they set the conference record with 454 3s en route to a run to the Final Four.
Auburn continues SEC play on the road at Ole Miss
