No. 13 Auburn (15-2, 4-0) will host No. 22 Ole Miss (15-2, 2-2) on Saturday night inside Neville Arena. The Tigers currently have a 10-game winning streak, including starting SEC play undefeated. That streak will be tested, though, by an Ole Miss team with familiar faces on Saturday.
One year ago, Allen Flanigan was a key contributor for Auburn, and his dad, Wes, was Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl's top assistant. A year later, both are now with the Rebels. Allen Flanigan played four years at Auburn and graduated, but decided to spend his final year of eligibility elsewhere.
When his dad left Pearl's staff to re-unite with new Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard, it made sense for Allen to follow him there. So, fast-forward to the present: Allen and Wes Flanigan will experience The Jungle for the first time as visitors on Saturday night.
"I hope that our students remember that those guys both graduated from Auburn," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "They're both Auburn men."
While the storylines are plenty regarding the Flanigan's, they are far from the main focus of this Auburn basketball team. They are seeking to remain unbeaten in conference play and will face a stiff challenge from a much improved Ole Miss team compared to years past.
The Rebels parted ways with their former head coach last season and brought in one of the best in the game, Chris Beard. Beard immediately went to work, retaining top talent and bringing in talent from the portal, including players like Allen Flanigan.
The result of these moves was an undefeated team heading into conference play. Since then, the Rebels have dropped two games. On the road against Tennessee and at LSU. Despite these losses, the Rebels are still a good team that could pose challenges for Auburn.
Ole Miss shoots the ball really well from three-point range—39 percent so far this season. Leading the charge offensively for the Rebels is a group of talented guards. It starts with Matthew Murrell, who is now in his fourth season with the Rebels. The veteran guard averages over 17 points per game and shoots over 39 percent from three.
After him, Allen Flanigan is having arguably his best collegiate season, averaging over 16 points per game while shooting 42 percent from the field. He also leads the team with over seven rebounds per game.
To round out the guard trio for the Rebels, Saint Peter's transfer Jaylen Murray averages over 14 points per game and nearly four assists per game. These three guards make up most of Ole Miss's offensive production.
"He's made 40 threes at 45 percent from three," Pearl said. "By comparison, Aden made 38 and 35 percent."
Despite being led by their guards, Ole Miss's front-court has talent as well. Jaemyn Brakefield is a talented player who can score from anywhere and is shooting 38 percent from three so far this season.
"They've got four guys in Murray and Murrell and Flanigan and Brakefield that are all four, you know, kind of on top of their games," Pearl said.
The Rebels also have great size in the five position, with two players over seven feet tall. First is Jamarion Sharp, who averages nearly three blocks per game. Second is Moussa Cisse, who averages over a block a game. Ole Miss overall is second in the country in blocks per game, averaging 6.6.
"They've got two seven footers... and they're one of the leading shot blocking teams in the country," Pearl said. "So their rim protection is obviously elite."
Auburn has won four straight against Ole Miss and leads the all-time series 80-62. Saturday night, however, will present a new challenge. The Tigers three-point defense has been one of the best in the country so far this season, holding their opponents to just 29 percent from three, but that will be challenged by Ole Miss.
"Ole Miss is one of the best teams in our league," Pearl said.
Auburn also shoots 55 percent from two, but will they have success inside the paint against Ole Miss's big front-court? Finally, while it has not made a difference so far, the Tigers have not been a strong second-half team. In fact, they lost the second half to Vanderbilt on Wednesday night. They have been able to ride big first-half leads, but if the game is close at halftime, how will the Tigers fare in the second half?
There will be plenty of eyes on Neville Arena Saturday night. Between the return of Allen and Wes Flanigan and the matchup of two of the SEC's best teams, there is plenty to look forward to seeing. The game will tip at 7:30 on the SEC Network and the Auburn Sports Network.
