The Auburn basketball team is ranked No. 1 for the fourth week in a row, and tonight they will have to prove themselves against another SEC opponent. The Tigers will welcome unranked Oklahoma to the Plains for a midweek matchup in Neville Arena.
The Tigers are coming off a dominant 92-82 win over the Ole Miss Rebels in Oxford, and still have yet to lose a conference game. They are heading into the game with a 20-1 record, their only loss to Duke.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma is coming off a big 97-67 home win over Vanderbilt. The Sooners sit in the bottom half of the conference rankings but have a 16-5 overall record and a 3-5 record in conference play. Here is what head coach Bruce Pearl had to say.
Pearl on facing Oklahoma, per 247Sports:
"The one thing that reminds me a little of Porter's teams — a little bit like Rick Barnes' teams — it doesn't matter what the score is, it doesn't matter what their record is. They're going to play hard. And they're going to play hard every possession. And that's a tribute to as a coach. They just don't take possessions off; they're not going to beat themselves. They just happen to have some really gifted offensive players.
"He's got a gifted offensive mind. And then defensively, they're just going to play hard. Schematically, they'll try to mix some things up with how they defend ball screens and what they do. And then they mix in some pressure, so they can use some full-court pressure. But this Oklahoma team is defined by their offense."
Pearl on Chad Baker-Mazara getting the ball, per Auburn Rivals:
“I really want the ball in Chad's hands. But I've got to call something to get it in his hands because he's not the point guard. Chad Baker-Mazara could very, very easily be our point guard -- but I have to get it to him first for him to make plays for himself and others. So it's hard to do that.”
Pearl on Dylan Cardwell's free throw shooting, per Auburn Undercover:
"I think that Dylan is incredibly coachable. But one of the things we try not to coach him up too much on is his free throw stroke. He's had a couple of great free throw instructors that's worked with him, and Dylan works really hard at it himself. So, he knows the mechanics and what he needs to do to shoot a good ball. And then, it's just the combination with Dylan, is he's worked so hard at it that you feel more confident. Like, 'I'm prepared. I've worked at this. These balls should go in, because I've been paying the price.'"
The Tigers and the Sooners tipoff from Neville Arena at 8:00 p.m. central.