AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 16 Auburn Tigers (16-4, 5-2) play host to the Vanderbilt Commodores (5-14, 0-6) in Neville Arena on Wednesday night.
The Tigers are looking to get back on track after two straight road defeats at the hands of No. 24 Alabama and Mississippi State. Auburn shot poorly in both performances at 41.8% and 33.9% respectively, both below it's season average. The Tigers were also outrebounded in both games, particularly on the offensive glass.
The Commodores come in looking for their first win in conference play in the midst of their worst season under fifth-year head coach Jerry Stackhouse. They sit second from the bottom in the SEC, ahead of only 0-7 Missouri.
Auburn will look to their Wooden Award Top 20 Watchlist big man Johni Broome to continue his stellar season. Broome has averages 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds over the Tigers two-game skid. Denver Jones will take the defensive assignment of guarding Vanderbilt’s leading scorer, dynamic guard Ezra Manjon, who is averaging 15.1 points and 3.3 assists this season. Stopping Jason Rivera-Torres will also be a point of emphasis for Bruce Pearl’s team. The freshman guard scored 14 off the bench in matchup earlier this month at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville.
Eleven conference games remain for the Tigers as the race for a top four seed in the SEC Tournament tightens. With South Carolina’s win over Tennessee on Tuesday night, four teams sit even with two losses behind top seeded Alabama. Auburn, the only team in the SEC who is undefeated at home will look to take it’s home winning streak to 11 games on the season.
The Tigers and Commodores tip off at 8 p.m. Wednesday, January 31, on ESPN2 and the Auburn Sports Network.
