AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn is 2-0 to start the season and moved up two spots to No. 13 in the AP Poll on Monday. And yet, head coach Bruce Pearl will be the first to tell you that it's not always been pretty, primarily on the offensive end.
Next Game:
Winthrop
Nov. 15, 2022
6 p.m. CT
TV: SEC Network
Radio: Auburn Sports Network
Through two games, the Tigers are averaging 68.5 points per game and shooting 36.6 percent from the field. They're shooting just 18 percent from beyond the arc.
Not to worry, say the players.
"The ball just needs to fall," freshman guard Tre Donaldson said. "We're in the gym 24/7. The ball just needs to fall. At the end of the day, it's mainly just a confidence thing. We're getting open shots. We just have to have the confidence to knock them down. And once they start falling, people are going to be in trouble."
"This is the hardest-working team I've ever been on," added center Dylan Cardwell. "Everyone has been in the gym grinding. We have guys coming at 6 in the morning. We have guys coming after practice. It frustrates me not seeing the ball go in for these guys, seeing them work so hard. I feel like we're going to pick it up soon."
The positive for Auburn is the defense has done its part through two games with 25 steals, 17 blocks and 36 turnovers forced. The Tigers have held both opponents under 60 points.
The defense will have to step up again Tuesday night against a Winthrop team that won 23 games a season ago. The Eagles would love nothing more than to go into Neville Arena, snap Auburn's non-conference home winning streak and pull the upset.
No. 11 Tennessee was the latest victim Sunday night, falling to Colorado at home.
"You've just got to be excited about playing every night regardless of the matchup," Pearl said. "That's going to be my message for our guys against Winthrop. I understand it. Will our players understand it? I hope so."
The game, a non-bracketed game of the 2022 Cancun Challenge, is scheduled to tip off at 6 p.m. CT from Neville Arena. Andy Burcham and Sonny Smith will have the radio call on 93.9 Tiger FM, online at AuburnTigers.com and on the TuneIn app. It will also be televised on SEC Network with Tom Hart and Daymeon Fishback on the call.
PLAYER TO WATCH: ALLEN FLANIGAN
After recovering from surgery to his right Achilles last season, senior forward Allen Flanigan is finding his groove. He came off the bench and scored eight of the team's first 18 points in the first half against USF. Flanigan ended the night with 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field and a trio of 3-pointers. It marked the 28th double-figure game of his career.
INSIDE THE SERIES: WINTHROP
Auburn leads 5-1 in the all-times series with Winthrop. The teams last met on Nov. 24, 2017, in Auburn where the Tigers scorched the nets on their way to a 119-85 victory. It remains tied for the most points scored by an Auburn team in the Bruce Pearl Era. Auburn also put up 119 points against Northwestern State in 2015.
Five of the six matchups between the Tigers and Eagles have been played in Auburn. The only other meeting was in Indianapolis for the first round of the 1999 NCAA Tournament where Auburn was an 80-41 winner. The Tigers reached the Sweet 16 that year.
40 AND COUNTING
With home wins over George Mason and South Florida to start the year, Auburn has now won 40 consecutive non-conference games at Neville Arena – a streak that began back in 2015. Head coach Bruce Pearl is 50-3 at Auburn in non-conference home games.