ATLANTA - The No. 2 Auburn Tigers (8-1) will travel to Atlanta to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes (6-3) Saturday afternoon in State Farm Arena for the fifth annual Holiday Hoopsgiving event.
The Tigers will compete in the event for the fifth consecutive year, totaling a 3-1 record in their previous appearances with wins over Nebraska, Indiana and Memphis, the latter also giving them their only loss in the event. The matchup with the Buckeyes will be the Tigers third Big Ten Holiday Hoopsgiving opponent, coming away victorious against the previous two. The Tigers will look to win their fifth Quad One game of the young season, by far the most in the country.
Auburn is led by senior All-American center and National Player of the Year frontrunner Johni Broome, who averages 19.6 points per game to go along with 11.9 rebounds a contest, good for second in the country. Broome is second among active players with 66 double-doubles, and is third in double-doubles this season with six. Broome also recorded five straight 20 point, 10 rebound games before his streak was broken against the Richmond Spiders on Sunday.
Ohio State comes into Saturday’s matchup 6-3 on the season, and is led by junior guard Bruce Thornton, a preseason All-Big Ten selection averaging 16.2 points per game. Thornton is also third in the nation with a 5.1 assist-turnover ratio, offering a dual threat attack that the Tigers defense will have to game plan for. Auburn will have to defend the three-ball as well, as the Buckeyes have four players shooting over 35 percent from deep, including two over 50 percent (John Mobley Jr and Thornton).
Tipoff for the Tigers and Buckeyes is at 1 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on ESPN2 and the Auburn Sports Network.
