Preview and Thread: Hogs Look to Bounce Back in Auburn

Time: 5:00 p.m. CT

TV: ESPNU/WatchESPN

Line: Auburn -4.5, O/U: 166.5

More on the Tigers

Auburn comes in off a road win at Tennessee and a good 13-1 record. Their non-conference schedule is nothing to write home about, but they have played their fair share of solid teams and games away from home. Despite not having a ton of size, they love to rebound. They’re second in the SEC in rebounding and first in offensive boards.

Projected Starters

Auburn may only start one player over 6’5”, but they’ll get after it on the boards. Their leading rebounder is Desean Murray, who is 6’3” and 225 lbs. The Hogs’ guards like to try and get out in transition on missed baskets so it will be added pressure on Dustin Thomas, Daniel Gafford, Trey Thompson, and Adrio Bailey to secure the ball. Offensively, they’re led by Bryce Brown who will not be shy about shooting the ball. He’s second in the SEC in field goal attempts behind Jaylen Barford.

3 Key Stats

In addition to being an elite rebounding team, the Tigers are also very good at blocking shots. That’s mostly thanks to Anfernee McLemore who leads the SEC with 3.4 blocks per game. Arkansas’ guards love to get in the post and shoot inside, it will be key to see how successful they are at that with McLemore in the game.

The Hogs do have a big advantage in experience though, Auburn is one of the youngest teams in the nation and now have to deal with maintaining success in conference play. Arkansas knows what it’s like to come into Auburn Arena and win, they’re 4-0 in this building all-time.

This game’s most important factor is who can create more possessions for themselves. Arkansas tries to do that through forcing turnovers, and Auburn does with offensive rebounding. If either can create a huge advantage in field goal attempts with their style of play, they’ll have their front foot forward in this one.