ORLANDO, Fla. – Auburn's three-game road trip in Florida to begin the 2020-21 season will conclude Monday night with the team's first true road game at UCF.
The Tigers (1-1) split their first two against Saint Joseph's and Gonzaga in the Fort Myers Tip-Off last week, and now they face a UCF team who has yet to play their first game. The Knights were supposed to play Oklahoma on Saturday, but the game was postponed because of positive COVID-19 tests within the OU program.
"We played two games, so they've got a pretty good scouting report on us," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "And we don't have any on them, so it's going to be a little bit of a disadvantage heading into the contest. It's a good team and a good opportunity to try to pick up a road win. Road wins are difficult. Not many SEC teams play many non-conference road games, but I think it's important that we get our team prepared."
Through the first two games, 10 different Auburn players are averaging 12 or more minutes per game. Sophomore Allen Flanigan has played the most minutes and is averaging a team-high 16 points per game. Flanigan scored a career-high 20 points against Gonzaga.
Freshman Justin Powell is second on the team with 12 points per game, and he also has 13 rebounds and three assists in Auburn's first two games.
"It's gone pretty well," Powell said. "There are definitely some things I can work on. There are some things I did well. But overall, I think it was a good two games to start off with, get under my belt and get me some experience. I'm happy with it."
Pearl believes Flanigan and Powell as well as sophomores Jaylin Williams and Babatunde Akingbola have elevated their play thus far, but the 10-man rotation will likely continue Monday night.
"We're a team that has a lot of balance," Pearl said. "If we continue to get elevated play from certain players, they'll begin to play some more minutes and play more dominating roles. But if there continues to be balance, then we'll continue to play 10 guys in the rotation."
Monday's game will tip off at 7 p.m. ET from Addition Financial Arena. Andy Burcham and Sonny Smith will have the radio call on 93.9 Tiger FM, online at AuburnTigers.com and on the TuneIn app. The game will not be televised, but it can be streamed on ESPN+ where Austin Lyon and Mike O'Donnell will have the call.
Player to Watch: Allen FlaniganIn his second season as a Tiger, Allen Flanigan has led by example on the court as he currently paces Auburn in points per game (16.0) and field-goal percentage (52.6). The Arkansas native is also one of five Tigers to average five or more rebounds per contest and one of six to have at least three assists through two games.
Inside the Series: UCFAuburn and UCF are set to meet for the sixth time in program history Monday night. The Tigers hold a 4-1 lead in the series, including a perfect 3-0 mark in Orlando.
Auburn is 61-41 against teams from the currently-constructed American Athletic Conference, including 9-2 against the two teams from Florida (4-1 vs. UCF, 5-1 vs. USF). For head coach Bruce Pearl, this will be the first time he's faced UCF in his coaching career.
Block PartyAuburn leads the SEC and is ranked No. 23 in the country with six blocks per game. Babatunde Akingbola is second in the league at two blocks per contest, while Dylan Cardwell and Jaylin Williams are tied for ninth at 1.5 swats per contest.
Cashing in the freebiesAuburn is second in the SEC in both free throws made (41) and attempted (58) to begin the season. The Tigers have three of the conference's top 10 in made free throws with JT Thor (fifth, 9), Allen Flanigan (sixth, 8) and Justin Powell (eighth, 6).
Tigers travel to UCF to play first true road game
