Auburn, AL (EETV)- The Auburn Men's Basketball team hosts the Ole Miss Rebels Wednesday night in Auburn. This is the second meeting between the two squads, as Ole Miss held Auburn to a season-low 67 points on the Rebels' home floor in Oxford. Auburn hopes to avenge that loss and bounce back from the 83-78 loss it took at the hands of LSU in Baton Rouge on Saturday.
Auburn has struggled on the road this season, as all but one loss has come on the road or in neutral site games. This trend has come in large thanks to the team's lack of ability to rebound on the defensive glass. On Saturday, LSU grabbed 12 more boards than Auburn, and in January against Ole Miss, the Rebels out-rebounded the Tigers 45-37.
Despite its lack of success on the road this season, Auburn has been on a tear at home as of late, winning its previous three games by an average of 23 points per game. The team also out-rebounded its opponents in every one of those games.
Auburn Head Coach Bruce Pearl said Tuesday that one of his biggest concerns is the team's turnover struggles surfacing against a team like Ole Miss. "These guys turn you over on the road or at home," Pearl said, citing the Rebels forcing Auburn to commit 17 turnovers in their first matchup. Ole Miss is a quick team offensively, so Auburn will need to protect the ball better Wednesday night in order to retain the Rebels from having as many extra opportunities to push the ball in the fast break.
Pearl also commented on Austin Wiley's status for the game, saying, "he went as long and as hard yesterday as he has in about a week and a half." Pearl anticipates that Wiley will continue to play more minutes each game as he regains comfort in his right leg. Having a more productive Wiley will help the team produce better on the boards and give Auburn's one-two punch in Bryce Brown and Jared Harper more chances to operate the team's explosive offense.
The Tigers face off against the Rebels at 7:30 P.M. in the Auburn Arena. The game will also be broadcasted live on the SEC Network.
