NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The top-seeded Auburn Tigers are set to take on the eighth-seeded Ole Miss Rebels in the quarterfinal round of the SEC Tournament Friday. It will be the third meeting between them this year, with Auburn having taken the previous two.
Ole Miss punched their ticket to the third round with a last-second win over Arkansas. Senior guard Sean Pedulla drilled a three-pointer to take the lead with just over a second remaining, and the Razorbacks’ full court attempt failed to find the basket.
Auburn secured the top seed almost two weeks ago when they beat Kentucky in Lexington. As a top-four team in the conference, they earned a double bye in the tournament and have yet to play post-season basketball.
Pedulla, the hero in Thursday’s game, leads the Rebels in scoring and assists with 15.1 points per game and 3.7 assists per game respectively. In the two regular-season matchups with Auburn, Pedulla has averaged 21.5 points and 3 assists, shooting 59 percent from the field. He will be the player Bruce Pearl’s defense will have to focus on the most.
Aside from Pedulla, Chris Beard’s team relies on its depth. Five other Rebels average double-digit scoring and 10 players play 10 or more minutes per game. Beard’s game plan is all about maximizing possessions. The Rebels are the best team in the SEC when it comes to holding onto the ball, turning it over less than nine times per contest. On the other side, they are fourth in the conference in steals with 8.6 per game. Those two combine to make them a dangerous force and help them to wins over Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama.
The Tigers will be looking to find their footing. After winning the regular season conference title, they dropped two n a row, their only back-to-back losses this season. For the first time since Jan. 13, Auburn finds itself somewhere other than AP No. 1, coming in at No. 3 in the most recent poll.
Player of the Year candidate Johni Broome has been the Tigers’ go-to guy all year, leading them in four of the five major statistical categories with 18.6 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.4 blocks per game.
Aside from Broome, the story for Auburn all season has been Chad Baker-Mazara. He has been one of the nation’s best two-way players all year, but a series of poor decisions has kept him out of some of the Tigers’ biggest contests going back to last season’s first round exit against Yale when he was ejected for an elbow. Most recently, his elbows earned him another Flagrant 2 ejection against Alabama. His importance to Auburn cannot be denied, but he must be available to have an impact.
Auburn post-season basketball is here. The Tigers and Rebels tip off at noon Friday inside Bridgestone Arena. A trip to the SEC Tournament semifinal is on the line. Watch on ESPN or listen on the Auburn Sports Network.
