Struggling Auburn and Ole Miss are hoping to build late-season momentum as they meet Saturday night, with both programs trying to salvage difficult campaigns in the SEC.
Each team finds itself in the lower half of the conference standings, and without a dramatic run in the SEC tournament, neither is likely to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Still, pride and positioning remain at stake as the Tigers welcome the Rebels to Neville Arena.
Auburn (15-13, 6-9 SEC) showed flashes of promise earlier in league play, highlighted by consecutive wins over then-No. 16 Florida and Texas in late January. However, the Tigers have since dropped six of their last seven contests and risk finishing with a losing SEC record for only the second time in nine years if they fail to close strong.
In their most recent outing, Auburn fell 91-79 at Oklahoma, surrendering a scorching 13-of-19 performance from beyond the arc. Head coach Steven Pearl criticized his team’s defensive focus and effort afterward, pointing to costly mistakes and a lack of intensity.
Keyshawn Hall continues to anchor Auburn’s frontcourt, averaging 20.8 points per game, including a 26-point effort against Oklahoma. Tahaad Pettiford contributes 14.4 points and 3.6 assists per game to lead the backcourt.
Ole Miss (11-17, 3-12 SEC) sits at the bottom of the conference standings and is mired in a 10-game losing streak — its longest since the 2002-03 season. The Rebels previously fell to Auburn 78-66 on Jan. 20, a defeat that marked the beginning of their current skid.
Their latest setback was especially painful, as they dropped a 106-99 double-overtime decision to LSU despite a combined 46 points from Ilias Kamardine and Malik Dia. Head coach Chris Beard pointed to ill-timed fouls and missed opportunities late as key factors in the loss.
Kamardine (11.3 ppg) and Dia (14.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg) will need to deliver again if Ole Miss hopes to snap both its overall losing streak and a 10-game slide against Auburn. The Rebels’ last victory over the Tigers came on Feb. 6, 2021, when they secured an 86-84 overtime win.
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