Auburn basketball survived another week as the No. 1 team in the country after wins over Arkansas and Georgia at home, but both wins were hard-fought as the Tigers' continued to struggle through an offensive slump at the end of the regular season.
Tonight the Tigers will face Ole Miss in a rematch on the Plains. Auburn played a dominant game against the Rebels in Oxford earlier this season, winning 92-82. Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell both picked up double-doubles, and the Tigers hit 14-28 three-pointers.
However, in the last two games the Tigers have played at home, they have struggled mightily on offense, especially when it comes to three-point shooting. With the final games looming, Auburn will have to turn things around on offense to keep winning. Here is what head coach Bruce Pearl had to say about the matchup:
On his team's shooting struggles, per Auburn Undercover:
"I think that what I'd like to try and do is — let's take good, open three pointers early. And then you see one or two go in, then maybe we can take some tougher ones. I thought we've taken some tough, early three point shots where maybe shots we could turn down to get better shots which would maybe result in a better percentage."
On the Tigers' previous matchup with the Rebs, per Auburn Rivals:
“I thought one of our best efforts all year long was at Ole Miss. I thought we sustained some great runs. But we shot it exceptionally well and played exceptionally well. I thought both teams played well.”
On making adjustments from the first game against Ole Miss, per Auburn Undercover:
"We take a lot from the first game because you throw your best stuff at them. If we play as well as we did in Oxford, we'll win. But that was one of our best games. But you learn a great deal, what you did well, what you didn't do well, and then just try to anticipate what adjustments you need to make and then anticipate what adjustments you think that Ole Miss is gonna make."