AUBURN – The top-ranked Auburn Tigers are nearing the end of a two-game road stretch as they travel to Oxford, Miss., to take on the No. 23 Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday.
“One of the shorter preps we’ve had. One of the shorter turnarounds, you know, getting in last night from Baton Rouge. And then leaving tomorrow for Oxford,” said Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl.
The Tigers handed LSU its second home loss of the season on Wednesday night and improved to 19-1 on the year, matching the best start since the 2021-2022 season. However, in recent outings, there has been a string of sloppy play, something Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl wants to see cleaned up soon.
“While I was really pleased with a real workmanlike effort, and clearly did not take LSU lightly and respected our opponent once again, we have to play better in certain areas or we’re going to lose and it will be of our own doing,” Pearl said. While I saw improvements… again, for me, that’s the upside of this team is that there is plenty of upside.”
The Rebels (16-5) present Auburn with an opportunity at a 13th Quad I victory this season as they defend The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss well. They have only fallen short on their home court twice this season by a combined three points. They are the only team that has taken down No. 4 Alabama in Coleman Coliseum this season.
“It’s a big game for both clubs. Obviously, Oxford on a Saturday is going to be lit up,” Pearl said.
The Rebels are led by Sean Pedulla who averages 14.5 points per game and shoots 39.8% from 3-point range. Backcourt allies Jaylen Murray and Matthew Murrell also contribute double-digit scoring with 11.3 and 10.8 points per game, respectively.
Jaemyn Brakefield, Dre Davis and Malik Dia round out the frontcourt. Brakefield averages 10.8 points per game, while Davis adds 9.9 points per game and Dia contributes 9.7 points per game along with a team-high 6 rebounds per game.
"This is a matchup of two teams that take care of the ball. Both turn the ball over under 10 times. The three ball is important to both teams. Ole Miss is shooting it really well this year. You know, when Jaemyn Brakefield is coming off the bench that tells you how deep and how talented a roster this Ole Miss team has,” Pearl said.
Tipoff for Saturday is set for 1 p.m. on ESPN.
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