Auburn to host No. 19 Vanderbilt on Tuesday

AUBURN, Ala. – Noting No. 19 Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner’s 37-point explosion Saturday against Oklahoma, Auburn’s Kevin Overton flips into Michael Jordan “The Last Dance” mode.

“I take every matchup personally,” said the junior guard, who leads Auburn with 33 steals, “in terms of what I need to do to guard the ball. That’s going to be a collective effort, especially the way he’s playing right now.”

Vanderbilt’s leading scorer, Tanner averages 18.6 points and 5.3 assists per game, helping the Commodores produce the nation’s No. 12 offense at 88.9 points per game.

“I definitely will be the first line of defense but with our switching and the things we do, I know I won’t be able to guard him the whole game,” said Overton, who also logged minutes at point guard Saturday against Alabama. “So, it’s really a collective effort.”

“Tyler Tanner is one of the best point guards in all of college basketball,” Auburn coach Steven Pearl said. “He does a little bit of everything for them.”

Tuesday’s meeting will feature a pair of premier point guards as Auburn’s Tahaad Pettiford scored a Neville Arena career-high 25 points Saturday against Alabama while notching seven assists for the second straight game.

After starting the season with 16 consecutive wins, Vanderbilt has lost four of its past seven games. Among the Commodores’ six SEC wins are victories over Alabama and Kentucky.

“Great opportunity,” Pearl said. “Their analytics are off the charts, as far as their number in the NET (No. 14) but also their efficiencies on offense and defense. They’ve got some special players on their team. Really high-powered offense and they’re a very efficient defense as well.”

Duke Miles averages 16.6 points per game for Vanderbilt and Tyler Nickel chips in 14.6 while ranking No. 5 nationally with a sizzling 45-percent 3-point shooting percentage.

Auburn (14-9, 5-5) hosts No. 15 Vanderbilt (19-4, 6-4) Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network and the Auburn Sports Network, where Andy Burcham and Randall Dickey will call the action.

Auburn University students will receive free Tiger bucket hats, with Pearl hoping The Jungle and the rest of the Nevile Arena crowd will replicate the rowdy environment they created Saturday against Alabama.

“I know our guys appreciate it and so does our staff,” Pearl said. “Another great opportunity to bounce back and play a really good Vanderbilt team.”

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer

FIVE THINGS TO KNOW

• Keyshawn Hall is the SEC’s second leading scorer at 21.0 points per game. Hall looks for his fifth-consecutive 20+ point outing on Tuesday. He has scored 20+ points in 14 of his 22 games this year.
  
  
• KeShawn Murphy is coming off his third double-double of the season and is averaging 11.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game during SEC action. All three of Murphy’s double-doubles have come during league play.
  
  
• The Tigers are averaging 92.5 points per game at home this season. Vanderbilt allows 73.7 ppg overall.
  
  
• Auburn winning the battle in the paint will be crucial against Vanderbilt, who ranks 13th nationally in 3-point percentage defense. Auburn has out-scored 14 of its 23 opponents in the paint, including 8-of-10 in SEC play, and will need to once again be solid in this category to win the game.
  
  
• Vanderbilt is Auburn’s 13th game against a Quad 1 opponent, and third straight. Following the Commodores, three of Auburn’s next four games are also against Quad 1 opponents.