AUBURN, Ala. – Returning from Louisiana Wednesday night after defeating LSU, No. 1 Auburn practiced on the Plains Thursday before departing Friday for Oxford, Mississippi.
A quick turnaround before the Tigers take on No. 23 Ole Miss Saturday afternoon.
“One of the shorter preps we’ve had,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “We’ll be fine. It’s just a lot in a short period of time.”
With only one day on campus to prepare, Pearl balanced the need to recover from Wednesday’s game while simultaneously getting ready for the Rebels.
“LSU is such an athletic team, and we had to exhaust a tremendous amount of energy to withstand their speed and athleticism, and the pace of the play,” he said.
The Rebels are 10-1 at SJB Pavillion, have handed No. 4 Alabama its only home loss, and have lost by a combined 12 points in their three SEC defeats.
“It’s a big game for both clubs,” Pearl said. “Oxford on a Saturday is going to be pretty lit up. They’re good and they’re well coached.”
The Tigers and Rebels, says Pearl, share a penchant for outside shooting and valuing possessions.
“Two teams that take care of the ball,” he said. “The 3-ball is important to both teams.”
Twenty games into the season, Pearl praised his team for its unselfishness, prioritizing winning and balance ahead of individual statistics.
“They’re each willing to take less because they want all their teammates to feel good about making a contribution,” Pearl said.
After back-to-back road games, Auburn returns to Neville Arena next week to host Oklahoma and Florida. After that, the Tigers’ tunnel-visioned head coach will need to reference the Auburn Tigers app on his phone or AuburnTigers.com to identify upcoming opponents.
“I couldn’t tell you who we play after Florida and when,” he said. “Most of the time I can’t even tell you who we’re playing next week.”
With four SEC road wins on their resume, including a ranked victory over Georgia, Auburn hopes to further bolster its postseason credentials with a win over the Rebels.
“Ole Miss isn’t going to lose to hardly anybody at home,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to be a separator.”
Seeking its13TH consecutive victory, No. 1 Auburn (19-1, 7-0) plays No. 23 Ole Miss (16-5, 5-3) Saturday at 1 p.m. CT at SJB Pavillion on ESPN. Andy Burcham and Randall Dickey provide play-by-play and analysis for listeners on the Auburn Sports Network.
“We still have work to do to get better,” Pearl said. “We have to play better in certain areas or we’re going to lose, and it will be of our own doing. That’s the upside of this team, that there is plenty of upside.”
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer