AUBURN, Ala. – It will be 35 years in March since Auburn men's basketball played Bradley in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Chris Morris led the Tigers with 36 points and 12 rebounds. Bradley's Hersey Hawkins, an NBA All-Star, led all scorers with 44 points. But it was Auburn who prevailed in the end with a 90-86 victory.
Next Game:
Bradley
Nov. 22, 2022
5 p.m. CT
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: Auburn Sports Network
On Tuesday, the two teams will meet again in the first round of the Cancun Challenge.
A lot has changed in 35 years, but Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl – who talked to Morris on Tuesday – knows his team will get all they can handle from Bradley.
"I think Bradley will be the best team we've played this season," Pearl said.
"One of the things I tried to explain to my guys is Bradley was like one of those mid-major programs that have always thought of themselves as being a high major right there in the state of Illinois," Pearl continued. "Big city, a great following, big building. I would imagine they're going to have a lot of people here."
The Braves, who are 3-1 this season, finished 11-7 in the Missouri Valley Conference a year ago and nearly pulled off upsets against Xavier and Missouri.
For Auburn, ranked No. 13 in the latest AP Poll, it will be unchartered territory this week in Mexico as they play away from Auburn Arena for the first time this season.
"Adversity reveals character," Pearl said. "It doesn't just build it. I would imagine we're going to see some adversity, and how we react and how we respond, I think, will go a long way as we continue to become a better basketball team."
Auburn and Bradley will tip off at 5 p.m. CT from the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya in Cancun. 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 CBS Sports Network with Brett Dolan and Pete Gillen on the call.
The winner will advance to play either Northwestern (4-0) or Liberty (2-2) in Wednesday night's championship game to be played at 7:30 p.m. CT.
PLAYER TO WATCH: JAYLIN WILLIAMS
Senior forward Jaylin Williams is one of two four-year veterans on this year's squad averaging 20 or more minutes a game (24.7), along with Allen Flanigan (22.4). In Friday's win over Texas Southern, Williams scored in double figures for the first time this season with 14 points and knocked down a pair of 3-pointers. It marked his 23rd career game in double digits. He also finished with a career-high four steals in the contest.
AGAINST THE TOURNAMENT FIELD
Auburn leads 2-0 in the all-time series with Bradley. The teams last met on Dec. 16, 1999, in Mobile, Alabama where the Tigers won 78-64. The only other meeting was in the first round of the 1988 NCAA Tournament (W, 90-86) in Atlanta.
Against the rest of the Riviera Division field, the Tigers have never played Northwestern on the hardwood and are 1-0 all-time against Liberty. The lone win came on Dec. 8, 1995, when Auburn beat the Flames 63-58 in Waco, Texas.
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
With a rotation of 11, 12 and sometimes 13 players, Auburn currently ranks 30th in the nation in bench points per game (35.4) showing their depth. Through four games, 11 players are averaging double-digit minutes compared to nine in 2021-22.
Bench Points
George Mason: 25 (36%)
USF: 34 (51%)
Winthrop: 39 (44%)
Texas Southern: 26 (36%)
WORLD TRAVELERS
With this week's visit to Cancun, the Tigers are about to embark on a stretch of racking up the frequent flyer miles over the next two months with trips to Cancun (880 miles), Los Angeles (1,946 miles) and Seattle (2,182). This will be the team's second international trip after taking a preseason foreign tour to Israel in August (6,437 miles).