AUBURN, Ala. – Knowing that road wins count more toward your NET and where you'll be seeded in March, Bruce Pearl was happy to leave Saint Louis with a victory Saturday. His Auburn team showed character in fighting back down the stretch. But there were also weaknesses exposed and breakdowns that need to be fixed.
Next Game:
Murray State
Dec. 22, 2021
5 p.m. CT
TV: SEC Network
Radio: Auburn Sports Network
It won't get any easy easier for the Tigers, ranked No. 12 in the AP poll, on Wednesday night against a Murray State team that is currently ranked No. 38 in the NET.
"To give you an idea of what the 38 in the NET means, Kentucky is No. 32 in the NET. That tells you how good this Murray State team is," Pearl said.
"People think if we're ready to play and take this opponent seriously, we'll be fine. It's not true. If you take Kentucky seriously and you're ready to play, that's fine. But you better play really well or you're not going to beat Kentucky. We better play really well or we're not going to beat Murray State. We need to continue to improve on both ends of the floor."
There's a chance Allen Flanigan makes his 2021-22 season debut on Wednesday. The junior wing has been practicing with the team for the last week and will be a game-time decision. He averaged 14.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game last year.
The Tigers (10-1) and Racers will tip off Wednesday at 5 p.m. CT from Auburn Arena in what will be Auburn's last non-conference game before SEC play begins.
Andy Burcham and Sonny Smith will have the radio call on 93.9 Tiger FM and online at AuburnTigers.com, and the game will also be televised on SEC Network with Dave Neal and Mark Wise on the call.
PLAYER TO WATCH: WALKER KESSLER
Sophomore Walker Kessler averaged a team-leading 16.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game in two wins against North Alabama and Saint Louis last week. Kessler led all scorers and tied a season high with 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting at SLU. He had also pulled down nine rebounds and blocked six shots. Kessler has scored in double figures five times this season and leads the SEC in blocks per game (3.6) which ranks No. 5 nationally.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Auburn leads 5-1 in the all-time series with Murray State. The teams last met four years to the day on Dec. 22, 2018, at Auburn Arena where the Tigers pulled out a 93-88 victory behind a 20-point effort from Samir Doughty. Chuma Okeke and Austin Wiley scored 17 apiece while future NBA star Ja Morant led the Racers with 25 points.
Auburn has won three straight in the series and is 3-0 when playing on their home court.
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
With an 11-player rotation, the Auburn bench has outscored its opponents' bench, 325-216, this season. The Tiger reserves have accounted for 36 percent of the team's scoring output behind sixth man Wendell Green Jr. (11.6 ppg), as well as Jaylin Williams (7.5 ppg), Chris Moore (3.3 ppg), Lior Berman (3.3 ppg) and Dylan Cardwell (2.5 ppg).
In Saturday's win at Saint Louis, Auburn's bench scored 26 of the team's 74 points, including four of its last 11 points in the final minutes of regulation.
FAN INFORMATION
Home for the Holidays Game: Aubie Clause, Santa and Mrs. Clause will all be roaming the concourse and bleachers to greet fans and take photos.
Raptor Center Appearance: The Southeastern Raptor Center will be on display with an Eagle Exhibit in the Alabama Power Kids Zone, behind Section 114 from 4 to 5 p.m.
AUTLIVE CANCER SHIRTS ON SALE
The annual AUTLIVE Cancer game will be Feb. 12, 2022, against Texas A&M, but this year's AUTLIVE t-shirts will be on sale Wednesday night in Auburn Arena. The Bruce Pearl Family Foundation and volunteers will sell the shirts in the Scholarship Entrance while the team shop will sell shirts at the Main Entrance. Shirts are also on-sale at AUTLIVE.com.