AUBURN, Ala. – Before the season, you might not have circled Tuesday night's home game against Missouri on the schedule. You better circle it now.
Next Game:
Missouri
Feb. 14, 2023
6 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN2
Radio: Auburn Sports Network
"They're all big, but I think this is the biggest game of the year for us this year," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said Monday. "This is a must-win for us."
What makes it so important? For starters, Auburn comes in having lost three straight and needs to get right with a win. There's also the fact that Missouri, with a signature upset at Tennessee on Saturday, is now tied with Auburn for fourth place in the SEC at 7-5. Plus, both teams are battling to make the NCAA Tournament. In ESPN's latest bracketology, Auburn is a 10 seed while Missouri is a 7 seed.
"Win this game, we've got a chance to go to the NCAA Tournament," Pearl said. "Don't win this game, we're in sixth place or seventh place, and we have an uphill battle.
"We worked so hard to put ourselves in a great position. We're still in a great position, and we've earned the position we're in by virtue of our record and the quality of some of our wins. But if we don't start winning, then the NCAA Tournament is not going to be available to us."
The message in the locker room is no different. Win or go home.
"We have to always know what the end goal is, and that's to make it to the NCAA Tournament," junior Chris Moore said. "With (Pearl) telling us where our seeding would be after certain results of games, it really helps us and shows us the picture we've got to paint."
It's not that Auburn has been playing poorly the last couple weeks. The Tigers had chances to win at Tennessee, at Texas A&M and at home Saturday against Alabama. They were right there against the top three teams in the SEC. But with just six games remaining in the regular season, including rematches with Alabama and Tennessee, winning is paramount.
Every game matters from here on out, beginning Tuesday night in Neville Arena.
Auburn and Missouri will tip off at 6 p.m. CT. 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 be televised on ESPN2 with Karl Ravech, Jimmy Dykes and Marty Smith on the call.
PLAYER TO WATCH: K.D. JOHNSON
Johnson has come alive of late. The junior guard came off the bench and finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals in 26 minutes against Alabama on Saturday. He has now scored in double figures in four of the last five games, and his seven rebounds were one shy of his career high (8). Last year, Johnson scored a game-high 17 points at Missouri to help No. 1 Auburn stave off the upset and win its 16th game in a row.
INSIDE THE SERIES: MISSOURI
Auburn and Missouri are tied 6-6 in the all-time series between the two schools. Auburn has won two straight after escaping Mizzou Arena with a 55-54 victory in the lone meeting last year. K.D. Johnson scored 17 points, including five straight in the final 90 seconds of regulation to thwart the upset bid. Two years ago, Auburn upset No. 12 Missouri at home 88-82 behind 28 points from freshman Sharife Cooper.
All games in the series have occurred during Missouri's membership in the SEC.
NOTABLE
» Auburn is ranked No. 35 (2-6 vs. Quad 1) in the latest NET rankings. Missouri comes in at No. 45 (4-6 vs. Quad 1). Auburn's two Quad 1 wins this season came against Northwestern, who just upset No. 1 Purdue over the weekend, and Arkansas.
» Wendell Green Jr. scored a season-high 24 points against Alabama on Saturday. It was his fifth 20-point game of the season and 17th of his career. Green became the first Auburn player since Jabari Smith to register back-to-back 20-point games in SEC play.
» Four of Auburn's last six games have been decided by single digits: at West Virginia (-3), at Tennessee (-3), at Texas A&M (-5) and vs. Alabama (-8).