After snapping its five-game skid with a dramatic 75-74 win over Kentucky, Auburn basketball has a quick turnaround as it travels to Oklahoma for another critical test on Tuesday night.
The Sooners represent Auburn’s 16th Quad I contest – the most in the nation. Auburn, which boosted its NCAA Tournament resume with the win over Kentucky, remains in “must-win” territory as Selection Sunday approaches.
“Getting that win lightened our shoulders a little bit, but we’re still hungry, we’re still desperate,” freshman Sebastian Williams-Adams said. “We still know we have to play our way into the tournament. That’s our only goal right now. We know we’re at our best when we’re playing desperately.”
The Sooners have struggled in conference play this season, posting a 3-11 record in league play. After a nine-game losing streak, Oklahoma has gone 2-2 this month, but is coming off back-to-back losses.
Auburn, however, is not overlooking it.
“This is an incredibly dangerous team,” said Auburn head coach Steven Pearl. “They’ve had double-digit leads against a lot of teams in our league and have leads late in games. They are more than capable. They’re one of the top offenses in our league and in the country. They play hard as heck defensively.
Oklahoma is one of just two power conference teams in the country that have started the same five players every game this season. Nijel Pack leads the way, topping the SEC and ranking No. 10 nationally with a 44.1% clip from deep while pacing the Sooners with 15.7 points per game.
Oklahoma ranks fourth in the league with a 35.8% mark from 3-point land.
“They have a ton of games with double-digit makes,” Pearl said. “They’ve got multiple guys who can really shoot it. We’ve got to do a great job understanding who we’re guarding. We have to have great closeouts in this game and do a great job of contesting shots.”
Tipoff for Auburn’s first-ever trip to Lloyd Noble Center is set for 8 p.m. on ESPNU.
“They’re still playing with a ton of effort and energy,” Pearl said. “It’s a team that plays well at home. Incredibly dangerous opponent, and they have our full attention.”
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