AUBURN, Ala. – Prior to Saturday's game in Neville Arena, Auburn will recognize six senior players and three senior managers as part of Senior Day.
Next Game:
vs. Georgia
March 9, 2024
5:30 p.m. CT
TV: SEC Network
Radio: Auburn Sports Network
The players include Johni Broome, Dylan Cardwell, K.D. Johnson, Chris Moore, Carter Sobera and Jalen Harper. Jaylin Williams and Lior Berman are also seniors, but because they were recognized last year, they won't go through the ceremony again.
In all, it's a deep senior class that has made a significant impact on Auburn basketball.
"Obviously, these are guys that have been in the program for a long time," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "Johni is going to be a two-time All-SEC performer. He's got a chance to rack up some national awards depending on how far we go. But the faces of these guys – Dylan or K.D. or Chris or Lior or Jaylin – are the faces of Auburn basketball.
"It will be an emotional start to the game. Those guys loved Auburn, and Auburn loved them."
All this senior class has done over the years is make history. This year is no different. With a win against Georgia on Saturday, No. 13 Auburn (23-7, 12-5) can guarantee a top four seed in next week's SEC Tournament and reach 13 conference wins.
"They have a chance to make history, which is what we talk about all the time," Pearl said. "Thirteen wins would tie for the third-most wins in the history of Auburn basketball. It would be the second-best regular season that we've had in the last 10 years.
"I don't know that I saw it coming. I felt like we had 11 really good players. We had really good depth. I thought we had the potential to have great chemistry because we had good kids. I thought this was a good team that had a chance to be very good. It turned out at this point to be a very good team that has a chance to be great."
But Pearl knows the Tigers will have to earn it Saturday against a Georgia team who is coming off a win against Ole Miss and who has played well on the road in the SEC, winning three and giving Florida and Kentucky all they can handle.
Auburn and Georgia will tip off at 5:3- p.m. CT from Neville Arena. Andy Burcham and Sonny Smith will have the radio call on 94.3 FM, online at AuburnTigers.com and on the Auburn app. The game will be televised on SEC Network.
PLAYER TO WATCH: DENVER JONES
With 10 points in Auburn's win over Missouri on Tuesday night, Denver Jones has scored in double figures in seven of the team's last 10 games. He is averaging 10.7 points per game while shooting 44.4 percent from long range over that span. He is also shooting 61-of-67 (91 percent) from the charity stripe this season, which would rank second in the SEC if he had enough free throws to reach the qualification of 2.5 made free throws per game.
Jones now has 12 games in double figures this season, including seven in SEC play. He went over 1,200 career points at Missouri and is up to 1,202 career points to date.
INSIDE THE SERIES: GEORGIA
Auburn leads 101-97 in the all-time series with Georgia. It is the longest played series in program history as the two sides will meet for the 199th time in 104 seasons on Saturday. The Tigers have won 10 of the last 13 contests, including a 97-76 victory in Athens last month. Chad Baker-Mazara led the way with a career-high 25 points.
Auburn has won five of the last six games at Neville Arena and leads the Bulldogs 64-25 in games played on The Plains.
MAKE HISTORY
With a win, Auburn would finish the regular season with a record of 24-7. Regardless of the outcome of the game, the Tigers are going to finish with the fifth-most regular-season wins in program history. This marks the sixth time in the last seven seasons, and the 10th time in program history, Auburn has won at least 20 games in the regular season.
LAST TIME IN NEVILLE
Unlike the six seniors who will be honored prior to Saturday's game, graduate Jaylin Williams and Lior Berman (sidelined with an ACL injury) are out of eligibility after this season. That means Saturday will truly be their final home game in Neville Arena. Both were honored on Senior Day last year, which is why they won't be recognized this year.
Williams will finish his career as the winningest player in program history (109) and one of only three fifth-year seniors in the SEC who played all five years at the same school, along with Josiah Jordan-James and Santiago Vescovi of Tennessee.