AUBURN, Ala. – In its third SEC road game Tuesday at Ole Miss, Auburn hopes to match the offense it played at Georgia with the defense it displayed at Missouri.
“We’ve got to find a middle ground where we’re defending and executing,” Auburn coach Steven Pearl said. “It all starts with we’ve got to be the more excited team to play. If we do that, it cleans up a lof of the silly mistakes we may have made in those first two SEC road games.”
After dropping its first two SEC games, the Rebels have won three straight, including road wins at No. 21 Georgia and at Mississippi State.
“They do a great job of swarming to the basketball and creating turnovers,” Pearl said. “They do a good job of being active on all penetration, on all rebounds. I think they’re playing harder defensively. They have three options offensively that they can really feed and go to. They’re getting more confident with one another.”
Returning starter Malik Dia leads Ole Miss in scoring and rebounding, averaging 14.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. The Rebels rank second in the SEC, committing only 7.6 turnovers per game in league play.
For the Tigers, says Pearl, the winning recipe is simple.
“Defensively, we’ve got to be really good in this game because they have a lot of really good one-on-one players,” he said. “Offensively, we have to do a great job of executing and sharing the ball.”
In Auburn’s SEC wins over Arkansas and South Carolina, point guard Tahaad Pettiford has totaled 12 assists with only three turnovers.
“Trying to be the best point guard that my team needs,” said Pettiford, who has a 2-to-1 assist-turnover ratio in SEC play. “I’m trying to get my guys open looks.”
A key member of Auburn’s Final Four team as a true freshman a year ago, Pettiford sees a different identity for the 2025-26 Tigers.
“Fast paced and gritty,” said Pettiford, who averages 31.4 minutes per game in SEC play. “Trying to get down the floor, score either early or late in the clock, and get stops on defense. Stops are what’s going to get our offense going. We’re trying to play the hardest we can on defense and make it easier on us on offense.”
Seeking its 10th straight series win over the Rebels (11-7, 3-2), Auburn (11-7, 2-3) plays at the Pavilion at Ole Miss Tuesday at 8 p.m. CT on ESPNU. Andy Burcham and Randall Dickey will provide play-by-play and analysis for listeners on the Auburn Sports Network.
“A great opportunity against a team that’s ahead of us in the standings,” Pearl said.
The Tigers remain on the road Saturday for a matinee at No. 16 Florida before returning to Neville Arena Wednesday, Jan. 28, at 6 p.m. CT for the Rumble in the Jungle vs. Texas featuring free foam tiger paws for Auburn University students.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer