Auburn Basketball: Iron Bowl Preview

Here we take a look at the Jan. 21 matchup for Auburn basketball (12-6) as they take on the Alabama Crimson Tide (11-6) for the first meeting of the basketball Iron Bowl.

Auburn basketball took the win against LSU 78-74 to give Bruce Pearl win No. 500 in what should have been a breather. T.J. Dunans once again led the team in scoring, shooting 6-13 for 12 points despite going 0-3 on threes.

In what could have — and should have — been a barrage from beyond the arc, Auburn shot a horrific 23.8 percent from three. Bryce Brown went 2-7, tying the most for the Tigers from downtown with Jared Harper going 2-6.

It was a deserved win by all accounts, Pearl hit 500 and Auburn eclipsed the 11-win mark set by last season’s gaff. In fact, the two big men, Horace Spencer and Austin Wiley — who got the start — performed well in comparison to the collapsing guard play. This, though needed consistently, was enough to keep the team held up over a routinely terrible defense.

Whatever it is that keeps both sides silent while they other roars must happen the rest of the season. The youth, the size and all the talent that is hidden within the roster is there. It flirts with us each week, showing us more instances that Auburn has the capacity to explode and burn out opponents. Although squeaking by with a margin of four may not have been enough, it impressed many — including Charles Barkley.

Enter the Alabama Crimson Tide, who look to roll into the Plains with some firepower.

The Crimson Tide is averaging 69 points a game in comparison to the Tigers’ 79. Don’t let that deficit fool you, Alabama comes to play defense better than most teams in the SEC. Alabama was capable of taking down LSU by a 15-point deficit in comparison to Auburn’s four. It’s these small numbers that are capable of showing just how Alabama is able to get it done. They held an impressive Oregon team to 65 — don’t worry, the Ducks won –a Mississippi State team to just 58 and Missouri to 56.

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What Auburn has, is the size of their paint.

Austin Wiley took some hits against LSU, going up against one of the top rebounding bigs in the SEC was a bit of a hassle for the 5-star freshman. Auburn should look to keeping this young talent rolling, relying once again on their big men to keep the offense rolling in order for the outside weaponry to find their shot. Alabama’s length and discipline on the floor won’t be easy for Auburn to get around, with quickness and running a smooth offense being essential to getting the points rolling.

Otherwise, Auburn will be sitting ducks.

Next: National Signing Day Preview Part Two: Defense

Prediction: Alabama 82 – Auburn 71