The Auburn Tigers will face the Alabama Crimson Tide this Sunday in their second game of the season as the Tigers attempt to maintain their hot streak.
Auburn will travel after a strong 78-50 victory against the Kentucky Wildcats and a 70-59 victory over Missouri, both of which helped Auburn improve its SEC record to 5-6. While the Tigers have struggled with consistency in the SEC, they have a strong overall record of 16-8, with 12 of those victories coming at home, a statistic that will work against them when they travel to Tuscaloosa.
Alabama will host Auburn as the Crimson Tide try to improve their record after losing 85-66 away to LSU. Prior to that setback, the Crimson Tide were on a four-game winning streak, which began with a loss to Auburn in their season opener. Alabama is 19-7 overall and 6-5 in the Southeastern Conference heading into this matchup.
This historical meeting currently favours Auburn, which has a 35-32 record versus the Crimson Tide. Although Auburn has historically led, its away record is a dismal 12-18, something it will want to put behind it as it heads into Sunday’s matchup.
The last time these teams met was less than a month ago, and Auburn won 78-65. Prior to then, the Tigers had not defeated the Crimson Tide since March 2019, a record losing streak of nine games.
The Tigers will want to maintain their momentum as they attempt to sweep Alabama for the first time since the 2018–19 season.
Auburn averages 67.2 points per game this season, but in its last three games, it has averaged nearly 73 points per game. On the other hand, it limits its opponents to 57.3 points per game, ranking in the top 40 for the lowest opposition points per game.
Honesty Scott-Grayson, a graduate student guard, has been the Tigers’ main offensive outlet this season, averaging 17.9 points per game. With this scoring average, she ranks among the top five in the SEC in terms of points per game.
JaMya Mingo-Young, a graduate student guard and former Alabama player, is the second-leading scorer with 8.8 points per game.
Alabama boasts a top 50 offence in the NCAA, scoring 74.5 points per game, and its scoring margin is 15.3, ranking it in the top 30. Defensively, it still keeps opponents to a low average of 59.3 points per game.
The Crimson Tide’s offence is so high-scoring because of a few key players. Senior guard Sarah Ashlee Barker leads the offence with an average of 16.7 points per game, ranking her among the top ten scorers in the SEC. Senior guard/forward Aaliyah Nye is the second-highest contributor, averaging 14.1 points per game. Jessica Timmons, a junior guard, continues to score in double digits, averaging 11.2 points per game.
An Auburn win would place both teams at 6-6 in the SEC as Auburn looks for consistency near the end of the season, whereas an Alabama win would put the Tide at 7-5, a record that might push them ahead of Mississippi State and Ole Miss.
Alabama and Auburn will meet in battle, with Alabama hoping to avoid a season sweep against their rival. The Iron Bowl of basketball will begin on Sunday, February 18 at 2 p.m. CST on SECN+.
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