After spending much of the season on the road for its non-conference slate, No. 2 Auburn returns to the Plains on Tuesday night for a three-game homestand, starting with Georgia State.
Coming off a 38-point blowout win over Ohio State on Saturday, the Tigers are holding steady at the No. 2 spot in this week's AP Poll, with in-conference foe Tennessee holding the No.1 spot. Auburn holds a +35.01 NET rating compared to the Volunteers' +31.02 in the KenPom rankings and currently leads the country in Quad 1 wins with five.
Auburn picked up its ninth win of the season over the Buckeyes on Saturday. With that, the Tigers have won at least nine of their first 10 games in a season for the 16th time in program history, including the sixth time in the last eight years.
"You know, honestly we take it one game at a time," said Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl. "We're not reflecting on where we are right now. We are working on areas that we think we have to get better. To play the caliber, the schedule that we've played, and to be in a position we're in right now is everything I could have hoped for."
The one-game-at-a-time mentality is exactly what Pearl and his squad will need as the Panthers make their way to Neville Arena as the Tigers' first Sun Belt conference opponent this season. The last time the Tigers played a team from that conference was a year ago when they fell 69-65 to Appalachian State on the road.
The Panthers come into the game with a 4-6 record and have already lost to two SEC opponents in Kentucky and Mississippi State. Four Panthers are averaging double-digit figures. Forward Zarique Nutter leads the way with 17.9 ppg, and forward Nick Mullin fights down low with him, averaging 10 ppg and 9.9 rpg – good for 14th in the country.
"They've got an SEC athlete-caliber group of starters. They've got great size and a really good inside game. Two posts – their power forward that's (almost) averaging a double-double, and their center is probably an even better scorer. So, our frontline will be challenged along the lines of say a Memphis or an Iowa State."
Auburn counters with arguably the best frontcourt in the country at the moment in Johni Broome, Dylan Cardwell and Chaney Johnson. Coming off his first 20-point, 20-rebound performance of his career, Broome won co-SEC Player of the Week honors on Monday. There have now been three individual performances of at least 20 points, at least 15 rebounds and at least five assists in D-I games so far this season, and all have been by Broome.
While he receives most of the accolades and nationwide attention — and rightfully so — Cardwell has been impressive in his final season on the Plains playing alongside Broome. He's coming off a 10-point, eight rebounds and four block performance against the Buckeyes.
"The fact that Dylan is one of the best defenders in college basketball. And Johni is playing really well defensively as well. But, you know, Dylan could be the Defensive Player of the Year if this team keeps winning because he blocks shots, he plays one-on-one in the post and can guard one through five, again, just like Johni. He gives us great flexibility and physicality at his position. And of course, we recognize that Dylan Cardwell, you know, there's a picture in some dictionary of an Auburn Man, and you open it up, and that picture is of Dylan Cardwell."
Tipoff for Tuesday night's game is set for 7 p.m. CT and will be streamed on SECN+.
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