AUBURN, Ala. – No. 13 Auburn enters the final week of the regular season still in contention for an SEC championship.
Next Game:
at Missouri
March 5, 2024
8 p.m. CT
TV: SEC Network
Radio: Auburn Sports Network
"There's so much to play for coming down the stretch," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. "From a standpoint of seeding, both in the SEC Tournament as well as the NCAA Tournament, and the ability to advance in tournament play in March. We're trying to be at our best right now."
There's a complex scenario that ends with five teams sharing the SEC title. To do its part, Auburn needs to win both of its games this week, beginning in Tuesday's Late Show at Missouri, a team that's winless, but competitive, in SEC play.
"Missouri has played everybody tough," Pearl said. "They have not laid down, they have not quit, not one ounce. They play as hard as anybody in the league."
Pearl began his conversation with reporters Monday by praising senior Lior Berman, who will have knee surgery after tearing his ACL while helping Auburn beat Mississippi State Saturday at Neville Arena.
"He's meant a lot to our program over the last five years both on and off the court," Pearl said. "He had worked his way into a really good spot in the regular rotation. He's worked so hard to put himself in this position. He'll be back and he will play professionally next year in Israel, God willing."
With Berman out for the season, senior Chris Moore will see increased playing time at small forward behind Chad Baker-Mazara.
"Chris brings a strong voice and leadership to our team," Pearl said. "He's our best defensive communicator. We're always better defensively with Chris on the floor."
Auburn (22-7, 11-5) and Missouri (8-21, 0-16) tip off Tuesday at 8 p.m. CT at Mizzou Arena in Columbia on SEC Network. Andy Burcham and Randall Dickey will bring the action to fans on the Auburn Sports Network.
"It's Senior Night at Missouri," Pearl said. "I can't imagine the intensity and passion those guys are going to play with to try to get the victory. But it means a lot to us too. A loss to a team whose math is so compromised would set us back."
PLAYER TO WATCH: JOHNI BROOME
Johni Broome, a National Player of the Year candidate this season, has scored in double figures in 20 straight games following a 17-point effort against Mississippi State on Saturday. He is averaging 16.9 points (338 total points) on 55.3 percent shooting (131-of-237), 8.6 rebounds (171 total rebounds) and 2.7 blocks per game (54 total blocks) over that period.
Broome ranks second in the SEC with 8.55 rebounds per game and is ninth in scoring at 16.34 points per game. He is the only player in the league averaging at least 16.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game and is the only player ranked in the top 10 in the SEC in scoring and rebounding. He is second in the SEC with a 55.1 field-goal percentage.
INSIDE THE SERIES: MISSOURI
Auburn leads 7-6 in the all-time series with Missouri and has won three straight games and six of the last seven. Auburn is 3-4 on the road in Columbia, Missouri. The last time the Tigers traveled to Missouri, they were ranked No. 1 in the nation for the first time in program history and escaped with a 55-54 win at Mizzou Arena.
NOTABLE
» A win on Tuesday would give the Tigers their 12th victory in SEC play – tied for the fifth-most SEC wins in program history since 1949-50. It would also be their 23rd overall victory – the seventh-most wins in a single season in the 118 years of Auburn Basketball.
» With a win at Mizzou, Auburn would finish 5-4 in SEC road games this season marking the third time in the last seven seasons the Tigers have had a winning SEC road record.
» Senior guard Lior Berman is out for the remainder of the season after suffering an ACL injury in Auburn's 78-63 win over Mississippi State on Saturday. He was a regular member of the team's rotation this season averaging 6.4 minutes per game as a reserve.
» Missouri associate head coach Charlton "C.Y." Young had two stints as an assistant coach at Auburn (1996-97 and 2000-04). Young's wife, Carolyn, was a two-time All-American at Auburn and the 1991 SEC Player of the Year. She was a member of two Final Four teams.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer