Auburn (14-8, 3-6) will travel to Columbia on Sunday to take on the Missouri Tigers (11-12, 2-8). While the records may not be impressive, this game is of the utmost importance for the visiting Tigers. According to ESPN’s Charlie Creme, Auburn is the last team projected in the NCAA Tournament. With a loss on Sunday, however, that could change.
Auburn currently rides a two-game losing streak, losing a heartbreaker in Fayetteville last Sunday. The team is still searching for their first road SEC win, and Sunday could not present a better opportunity to do it.
Missouri is coming off a loss to the goliath that is South Carolina, which is nothing to be upset about. However, the home Tigers are tied for last place in the SEC. If Missouri does defeat Auburn, though, the visiting Tigers will find themselves teetering on last place too.
In the eyes of “bracketologists,” Auburn has more to lose than gain in this game. A win would do little to boost Auburn’s NCAA Tournament resume. The strength of its resume centers on its non-conference and defeating LSU. A loss against what is seen as a poor Missouri team could hurt Auburn’s chances, though.
Despite what “bracketologists” might think, Auburn will not look at this game through that lens. They will see this game as another opportunity. It is an opportunity to get an SEC road win and continue to improve their play.
In Auburn’s previous game, they had success out of the gate but struggled in the middle periods. To win on the road they must carry the same intensity throughout the game. Auburn’s defense continues to be the strength of the team and it should give them the advantage on Sunday against Missouri.
Auburn’s defense oftentimes leads to their best offense. Early against Arkansas, they were able to force turnovers and score in transition. The issue was they turned the ball over themselves. Against Missouri they will need to play cleaner basketball. It is challenging enough to win on the road as is, it is even tougher if you give your opponent easy baskets.
Missouri has won three straight games in the series between the two teams. They also lead the all-time series 10-4. Those stats, however, are of the past. Auburn cares about making history for this season. If they hope to make history by making the NCAA Tournament this season they need to win this game.
The game will tip at 1:00 on the SEC Network and the Auburn Sports Network.
