» Fresh off of winning its third in-season championship in the Bruce Pearl Era, Auburn (3-1) returns home to host Alabama A&M (0-2) on Tuesday night at Neville Arena, prior to the Thanksgiving holiday break.
» The Tigers added more hardware to their trophy case by defeating Notre Dame (W, 83-59) and St. Bonaventure (W, 77-60) to be crowned the 2023 Legends Classic champions. They previously won the 2019 Legends Classic and the 2022 Cancun Challenge (Riviera Division) under Pearl. It was the program's 23rd all-time in-season championship title.
Next Game:
vs. Alabama A&M
Nov. 21, 2023
7 p.m. CT
TV: SEC Network+
Radio: Auburn Sports Network
» Auburn currently ranks No. 14 in the country and tops in the SEC dishing out 20.25 assists per game. The Tigers have assisted on 70.8 percent of their baskets this season.
» Ten players are averaging between 15.5 and 24.0 minutes per game.
» The Tigers boast the fifth-best scoring offense (82.0 ppg) in the SEC behind Alabama, Kentucky, Florida and Arkansas. They have scored 80+ points in the three of their first four games of the season.
» Junior guard Denver Jones is 12 points away from 1,000 career points, while K.D. Johnson is 38 points away from the same milestone.
» The Tigers have won 46-consecutive non-conference home games at Neville Arena including an 86-71 victory over Southeastern Louisiana in the home opener on Nov. 10.
SCOUTING ALABAMA A&M
» Alabama A&M is one of two SWAC opponents on the Tigers' schedule this season next to Alabama State on Dec. 22. The Bulldogs were predicted to finish seventh in the SWAC preseason poll, while the Hornets eighth.
» Alabama A&M ranks third in the country averaging 44.5 bench points per game. The Bulldogs have 13 players averaging between 11.0 and 22.5 minutes per game. Meanwhile, Auburn ranks No. 30 in the country averaging 35.0 bench points per game.
» The Bulldogs are looking to bounce back from a 106-81 loss at Lipscomb on Nov. 18. Tuesday night's contest will be their third-straight road game.
» Auburn is the first of three SEC opponents Alabama A&M will play this season. The Bulldogs travel to Vanderbilt on Dec. 2 and Georgia on Dec. 30.
SERIES HISTORY
» This is the fourth meeting all-time between the Tigers and Bulldogs – the first since 2009.
» Auburn leads 3-0 in the all-time series with Alabama A&M. The Tigers last played Alabama A&M in Huntsville (W, 94-78) – the last time it played in the Rocket City, prior to this year's neutral-site game versus UNC Asheville on Dec. 13.
FROM THE SIDELINES
» Alabama A&M Head Coach Otis Hughley Jr. served as a special assistant to the head coach for former Auburn women's basketball coach Terri Williams-Flournoy during the 2018-19 season as the Tigers finished 22-10 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, finishing with the program's most wins since the 2008-09 season.
» This is the first meeting between Bruce Pearl and Otis Hughley Jr., who is in his second season at Alabama A&M, in their respective head coaching careers.
PLAYER TO WATCH: JOHNI BROOME
» Junior forward/center Johni Broome led Auburn to a 2-0 week with victories over Notre Dame and St. Bonaventure to win the 2023 Legends Classic championship title in Brooklyn, N.Y. It was the Tigers' second-straight year to win an in-season championship. He led Auburn with a game-high 18 points on 7-of-11 field goals to go with five rebounds and an assist versus the Bonnies in the championship game. Broome also recorded 15 points, four assists and six rebounds against the Fighting Irish.
» He is currently on a 13-game double-digit scoring streak including all four games this season. Broome is averaging 16.2 points and 7.3 rebounds during the stretch and 16.8 points and 8.3 rebounds this season. Broome averaged 16.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in two games at the Legends Classic and was named MVP.