AUBURN, Ala. – With 28 consecutive victories inside Neville Arena, Auburn boasts the longest home winning streak in college basketball. It's a streak that has now spanned three seasons. The team with the next closest streak is UCLA at 19 games.
Next Game:
Texas A&M
Jan. 25, 2023
8 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN2
Radio: Auburn Sports Network
It's yet another example of this program making history.
Credit the fans for the environment they have created – one of the best environments in the country – but head coach Bruce Pearl knows the fans can only do so much. His Auburn team, ranked No. 15 nationally, still has to show up Wednesday night against Texas A&M.
"Obviously, it speaks to The Jungle and the incredible support," Pearl said. "It speaks to the sellouts and the Auburn Family's commitment and the great environment. But that environment is not going to rebound for us, and it's not going to make shots. We're going to have to continue to play better and better."
The streak also puts a target on Auburn's back. The Aggies know what's at stake.
"Everybody wants to break the record," sophomore Johni Broome said. "But we've got to keep doing what we've been doing in order to get it. That streak has been going on for the last two or three years. It's our job to keep it going and keep defending home court."
Ironically, it was Texas A&M who spoiled Auburn's perfect home record during the 2019-20 season with a 78-75 victory in what was the final home game for the Tigers.
This year's matchup features two teams who each have just one loss in league play. Auburn (16-3, 6-1) is on a five-game winning streak while Texas A&M (13-6, 5-1) had won seven games in a row before Saturday's loss at Kentucky. Streaks aside, it's a pivotal game in the SEC with major implications toward the regular season title.
Auburn and Texas A&M will tip off at 8 p.m. CT from Neville Arena. Andy Burcham and Brad Law 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 ESPN2.
PLAYER TO WATCH: JOHNI BROOME
Johni Broome ranks second in the league behind Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe, the reigning National Player of the Year, with six double-doubles this season following his monster 27-point and 11-rebound performance at South Carolina on Saturday. For his career, which includes two seasons at Morehead State, Broome now has 41 double-doubles and 20 20-point outings. He is shooting a team-best 53.7 percent from the floor in SEC play this season while averaging a near double-double in those games with 14.6 points and 9.3 rebounds.
INSIDE THE SERIES: TEXAS A&M
Texas A&M leads 13-6 in the all-time series with Auburn and is 6-2 at Neville Arena since joining the SEC in 2012. Auburn will look to avenge a 67-62 loss to the eighth-seeded Aggies in the quarterfinals of last year's SEC Tournament. However, the Tigers did beat Texas A&M at home last season 75-58 behind a triple-double from Walker Kessler.
TAKING CARE OF THE BALL
On Saturday at South Carolina Auburn turned in its best assist-to-turnover ratio (2.22) of the season, dishing out 20 assists to just nine turnovers against the Gamecocks. Point guard Wendell Green Jr. was a big part of that with a team-high 12 assists. Over the last five games, Green has a 2.58 assist-to-turnover ratio and is 20 assists shy of 100 on the season.
KINGS OF THE HOME COURT
Auburn holds the title of the nation's longest home-court winning streak at 28 games. Florida was the last team to leave Neville Arena (then Auburn Arena) victorious (W, 74-57) on Feb. 23, 2021. Since then, the Tigers have won 28 straight – a streak that includes 14 wins over SEC teams and four wins over teams ranked in the Top 25.
NCAA Division 1 Active Home-Court Win Streak
1. Auburn: 28
2. UCLA: 19
3. Kent State: 16
4. Memphis: 15
5. Clemson: 14