The #11 Auburn Tigers are a tournament team coming off of a very impressive 26 and 8 season. Led by head coach Bruce Pearl, a coach who brought Tennessee to 6 straight NCAA Tournaments between 2005 and 2011, the Tigers are a very experienced team that shoots a lot of threes and can rip down offensive boards. Yes, their last game was against South Alabama, but Auburn was able to shoot 47.4% from three making 18 of 38 attempts, had 8 blocks, 9 steals, 24 assists, and 42 rebounds; 19 of them being offensive. Compare that to UW's 20% from three, 11 assists, and 12 offensive rebounds against Western Kentucky.



Some players to lookout for in this one are senior: Bryce Brown, junior: Jared Harper, and sophomore: Chuma Okeke.



#2 Bryce Brown is a 6'3, 198lb senior guard that averaged 16 points per game last season while shooting 40% from the field and 38.2% from three. Brown is a high volume shooter who, in 2017, had 7 games with 10 or more threes. He had a somewhat off night against South Alabama, shooting only 33% percent from the field (4 of 9 from 3pt), but Bryce Brown showed last season that he can put up a lot of points. He had 8 games with 20 or more points, and hit 31 points in their 2017 season opener. The Dawgs should be able to shut Bryce down if they can limit his three point shot.



#1 Jared Harper, a former top 100, 4* recruit, is a 5'11, 175lb junior guard that casts from long range. He has averaged over 10 points per game in each of his first 2 seasons. After sinking 6 of 10 three pointers in his home opener, Harper finished the game with 20 points (53.8% FG), 13 assists, and 5 rebounds in 30 minutes. At 5'11, Jared is undersized, however he makes up for it with great slashing, ability to change tempo, smooth passes, and an impressive ability to shoot from well beyond the three point line. Harper is Auburn's primary ball handler, and we'll see how our zone matches up against his shooting and quickness.



#5 Chuma Okeke, a former top 50, 4* recruit, is a 6'8, 230lb sophomore forward out of Westlake High School in Georgia. Okeke is a a very impressive scorer and rebounder, posting 20 points (7/11 FG, 3/5 3PT) and 9 rebounds in 30 minutes against South Alabama. Chuma had an incredible high school career, posting games with over 30 points and 20 rebounds multiple times. In 2017-2018, Okeke led his team in bench minutes, and after a 30 minute game in their home opener this season, it is clear that he will be a huge player for the Auburn Tigers in 2018. The Huskies should be able to handle Chuma if they keep him in foul trouble (he fouled out against south alabama), and off of the offensive glass (6 ORB against South Alabama).





Some other players to lookout for are #4 Malik Dunbar, a 6'6, 230lb senior forward who scored 16 points on 63.6% shooting in 23 minutes (mostly garbage time) and #24 Anfernee McLemore, a 6'7, 220lb junior forward who had 11 points and 8 rebounds in 21 minutes.



The Auburn Tigers will be an extremely tough game for the Huskies tonight on the road. Auburn put up 101 points on 51% shooting and held South Alabama to 58 points on 41.7% shooting. However, Auburn shoots a ton of threes, and shot only 50% from the free throw line in their home opener. If the Huskies can pressure the 3 point shot (like their zone is meant to do), slow Auburn down, and limit their offensive rebounds; all while improving on the offensive end themselves, then they should be able to withstand the test at Auburn Arena.