AUBURN, Ala. – In the SEC men's basketball standings, No. 4 Auburn stands alone at the top with a 4-0 record while Ole Miss is tied for eighth with a 1-2 conference mark.
Next Game:
Ole Miss
Jan. 15, 2022
7:30 p.m. CT
TV: SEC Network
Radio: Auburn Sports Network
Auburn coach Bruce Pearl looks instead at Ole Miss' non-conference wins over Memphis and Dayton, as well as the Rebels' season sweeps of the Tigers last year and in 2019 before Auburn's Final Four run.
"We've always struggled at Ole Miss," Pearl said. "They've done a great job of guarding us. They know our stuff. Really good defensively. We've got our hands full."
Auburn heads to Oxford after dispatching No. 24 Alabama in Tuscaloosa Tuesday to extend the nation's longest active winning streak to 12.
"We always look to try to do a better job of executing our half-court offense, cut down on our turnovers, mix in the fast-break, tempo and freedom with good shots, and valuing possessions," Pearl said. "On the defensive end, keep our effort and energy up. We won the last game against Alabama because of our defense."
Against Alabama, freshman Jabari Smith scored a career-high 25 points. With his maturity, competitiveness and toughness, Smith has delivered everything Bruce Pearl hoped for, and then some.
"I knew he was a great jump shooter," Pearl said. "I just didn't know he was going to be the best jump shooter I've ever coached. He wants to get better. I don't think any level of success is going to change him. He takes coaching. He has absolutely exceeded my expectations."
Smith and four transfers – Zep Jasper, Wendell Green Jr., K.D. Johnson and Walker Kessler – have seamlessly blended with Auburn's veterans to produce a 15-1 start.
"All of our guys are on a team with more talent and more pieces than they've been on before," Pearl said. "That's why this team has the record it does right now, because It's a deep team.
"Therefore, there's a fine line between being aggressive and being a great teammate. That's what they're all trying to find, that balance."
As it did to Tuscaloosa, the Auburn Tip-Off Club is busing to Oxford to witness what club members hope will be the Tigers' 13th consecutive victory. With high regard for Ole Miss coach Kermit Davis and his teams, Pearl shared what it will take to make that happen.
"As the season progresses, if we continue to place winning first ahead of individual numbers, keep sharing it and keep trying to get better defensively, we've got a chance to continue to get better while we're winning," he said.
The Tigers and Rebels tip off Saturday at 7:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network. Andy Burcham and Paul Ellen will call the action on the Auburn Sports Network.
PLAYER TO WATCH: DYLAN CARDWELL
Sophomore center Dylan Cardwell saw extended minutes in Tuesday's 81-77 win over Alabama with Walker Kessler in foul trouble, and he made sure there was no drop-off. Cardwell finished with six points on 3 of 4 shooting from the field. He also pulled down six rebounds and matched Jabari Smith with a team-high four blocks in 18 minutes of action. He now has 26 blocks on the season, which ranks fourth-best in the SEC.
INSIDE THE SERIES: OLE MISS
Auburn leads 77-64 in the all-time series with Ole Miss. The Tigers have only won 25 times in Oxford since 1928 and have lost the last two to the Rebels. However, Auburn swept Ole Miss two years ago and rallied from a 19-point second-half deficit on the road to win 83-82 in double overtime. Anfernee McLemore scored a game-high 19 points.
Four of the last five meetings between the two schools have been decided by single digits.