Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd isn't unfamiliar with Auburn ahead of the two teams' matchup at Neville Arena on Friday night.
Lloyd's Wildcats destroyed first-year Steven Pearl's Tigers last December in a 97-68 blowout in Tucson. Lloyd's squad scored on 61.2% of its field goal attempts that game and 40% of its three-point attempts.
With that said, Lloyd is learning what the Plains, the Jungle, and Auburn's home-court advantage are all about.
As Lloyd revealed after Arizona's 90-59 win over Northern Arizona on Tuesday night, he's looked into the Loveliest Village on the Plains, and he's impressed with what he's seen. Among what he's seen: a 69-game home nonconference winning streak that dates back to the 2016-17 season.
"Obviously, incredibly talented men. I mean, they got to feel what it was like at McKale last year. So I have no doubt in my mind that they like to reciprocate and when we go to whatever they call that place, the jungle. I had their game on in the background last night, and I didn't realize they had the longest non-conference home winning streak in the country, 70 some games," Lloyd said.
"So, you know, it sounds like a lot of teams have gone there and come out with a loss. So I'm excited to see how we respond, and it's going to be a great challenge."
How is Auburn basketball different this year than last year?
Lloyd said the team's mindset heading into the Tigers game is focused on scouting. Thus far, he has two Auburn blowouts against Appalachian State and Southeastern Louisiana to base his assessment of his opponent's performance on.
In those blowouts, you've been able to see Tahaad Pettiford look like the clear alpha scoring option on the roster. Pettiford scored 30 points on 50-plus-percent shooting last year, so that's nothing new to Lloyd.
What's most different is the infusion of two NBA-level big man frames in Narcisse Ngoy and Bukky Oboye. They'll be the biggest challenges for Mo Krivas and Ivan Kharchenkov, who are averaging a combined 42.7 points per game for the Wildcats this season.
Lloyd cannot expect a breeze this season like last year. Pearl has a much more talented group that knew from the jump that he, not his father, Bruce, would be the head coach. The Tigers are a live threat this time around.
We'll see if Lloyd and Co. will be ready for that in the marquee Power 4 non-conference matchup this Friday.
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