AUBURN, Ala. – With six Southeastern Conference teams ranked in the top 25, but none in the top 10, the chase for the championship begins with many contenders but no clear frontrunner.
“It is very wide open,” said Auburn guard Kevin Overton, who averages 12.5 points per game. “I think it’s all there for us.”
The defending league champion, Auburn tips off conference play Saturday on the road against one of the SEC’s half-dozen ranked teams, No. 23 Georgia, the Tigers’ sixth ranked opponent in 14 games.
“We’ve got to play with purpose, play under control,” Auburn coach Steven Pearl said. “They’re going to try to speed you up with their pressure and their press. We’ve got to build off what we did in the last game as far as sharing the ball with one another.”
In Auburn’s non-conference finale, Monday’s 106-65 win over Queens, the Tigers had 22 assists, including a career-high nine from Tahaad Pettiford.
“If we can do that, that’ll give us an opportunity and a chance to beat a really good team in our first SEC game,” Pearl said.
Auburn enters SEC play with the nation’s No. 8 strength of schedule, having played four teams currently ranked in the top eight and three of the top five.
“We had to be pretty locked in for our non-conference slate to survive it,” Pearl said. “That’s the benefit of playing a tough schedule, you know what you’re getting into. I know the guys are really excited about the opportunity to play a rival on the road in our first conference game.”
The country’s highest-scoring team, the Bulldogs average 99 points per game. They’re 9-0 at home and have won six straight games. Sophomore guard Jeremiah Wilkinson leads Georgia in scoring, averaging 17.3 points per game.
“Stegeman is going to be rocking,” Pearl said. “They’re ranked; they’re tied for the third best start in program history. There’s a lot of excitement around the program right now.”
Seeking its sixth consecutive win in the series, Auburn (9-4) plays No. 23 Georgia (12-1) Saturday at noon CT at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens on SEC Network. Andy Burcham and Randall Dickey will bring the action to listeners on the Auburn Sports Network.
“It’s going to take everything we’ve got,” Pearl said. “We’ve got to have a level of composure and calm about us. Our veterans have to do a good job in those situations of stepping up to get the rest of the group the confidence and the courage to beat a really good team.”
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer