No. 1 Auburn Keys to Victory Over No. 23 Ole Miss, Preview, How to Watch

The Auburn Tigers survived their road trip to LSU, but they'll face another stiff challenge on Saturday vs. the Ole Miss Rebels.

Auburn Tigers freshman guard Tahaad Pettiford is the team's third-leading scorer at 11.7 points per game. / Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The No. 1 Auburn Tigers (19-1,7-0) roll into Oxford, playing the No. 23 Ole Miss Rebels (16-5,5-3) on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. CT. Now, at full strength with Johni Broome back in the lineup, the trip from the Plains feels more manageable than without him. 

#1 Auburn Tigers (19-1, 7-0 SEC) vs. #23/23 Ole Miss Rebels (16-5, 5-3 SEC)
February 1, 2025 at 1 p.m. (CT)
SBJ Pavilion at Ole Miss (9,500) | Oxford, Miss.
Television: ESPN

In addition, the #1 team in the nation displays the ability to either blow teams or secure clutch victories. 

Of Auburn's 18 wins, six fell within five points or less. They can grind out wins, like last week’s 53-51 victory over Tennessee, or they can run the court and light up the scoreboard. 

Above all, the following keys should secure another victory for Auburn, as they head home.

Expect a Defensive Battle

If you expect an up-and-down score fest, think again, as that does not sync with what the Rebels want. Ole Miss wants to use every second on the shot clock, ranking 107th in possessions per game with 72 and 97th in shot attempts. Granted, the phrase that "every possession matters" feels tired and trite, it applies to this game for Auburn. 

Ole Miss fights through and over screens, clogs the lane and fans out to the perimeter with quickness and skill. The Rebels held opponents to 70 or fewer points in 15 games. They own a 14-1 record in those contests. 

Ball Security Battles

Piggybacking on the defensive bent that this game should resemble, avoiding turnovers cannot go understated. Ole Miss ranks ninth nationally in steals with 9.9 swipes per game. These are two teams that typically take care of the ball, with the Rebels ranking fourth nationally and Auburn ranking fifth in turnovers per game

Meaning, lazy passes result in steals and they really don't carelessly throw the ball around. Auburn will need to use its size and strength advantage to pressure Ole Miss into turning the ball over, leading to transition points. As a result, the game could come down to three or four key turnovers. 

Defense leads to a @malikkdia dunk #HottyToddy x #Culture pic.twitter.com/ig5R2VN8jB

— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) January 25, 2025

Play a Whole Forty Minutes

Ole Miss, despite not scoring a ton of points, not only keeps games in reach but they show a knack for the comeback. With four comeback wins, Auburn must know that they cannot take their foot off the accelerator. What keeps Ole Miss in the game, their defense will come to the forefront late in games, when they need a stop or two just to stay within striking distance. 

On paper, Auburn should not struggle with the Rebels. Yet, Ole Miss will attempt to constrict the Tigers on offense and drag them into a war of attrition.

Bottom Line

From a talent standpoint, Auburn could win going away. However, on the road, at a place where the home team only lost one game will matter. Don’t expect pretty basketball. In fact, anticipate  solid defense buttressed by choppy offense. 

Pack the Pavilion#HottyToddy x #Culture pic.twitter.com/a1Gx1GmcQk

— Ole Miss Men’s Basketball (@OleMissMBB) January 28, 2025

In boxing terms, Mississippi wants to clinch with Auburn, just hoping to do enough, score enough points to emerge victorious.

» Top-ranked Auburn (19-1, 7-0 SEC) closes out a two-game SEC road swing with its 148th all-time meeting with No. 23 Ole Miss (16-5, 5-3 SEC) on Saturday afternoon in Oxford, Miss. The Tigers are in the midst of a six-game stretch with four contests being played away from the friendly confines of Neville Arena.

» This is the second-ever matchup of ranked teams in the last three meetings between the two schools after they did not meet when both were ranked in the first 145 games in series history.

» The game also pits two of the Top 6 teams in the country in terms of turnovers per game as Ole Miss is fourth (9.3), while Auburn is sixth (9.4).

» The Tigers carry a SEC-leading 12-game win streak into Saturday’s contest - the fifth longest in the country (tied as the ninth-longest streak in program history). It marks the fifth time the Tigers have won at least 12-straigh games under head coach Bruce Pearl and the first time since winning 19-straight contests during the 2021-22 season.

» Auburn remains the only unbeaten team in SEC play at 7-0 including a 4-0 mark on the road. The Tigers have a chance to improve upon their best start in conference play since opening SEC play 10-0 in 2022. Auburn also won a program-best 11-straight games to open SEC play in 1959.

» Saturday’s game is another Quad 1 game for Auburn who enters 12-1 in Quad 1 games – four more Quad 1 wins than anyone else in the country. Oregon (8) and Kentucky (7) are the only other teams with more than 6.

» With an 87-74 road victory at LSU on Wednesday night, Auburn improved to 19-1 on the season to match the best 20-game start in program history. The Tigers also started 19-1 during the 2021-22, 1998-99, 1958-59 and 1927-28 seasons.

» Auburn forced LSU to commit an opponent season-high 20 turnovers by leading to 22 points off those turnovers. It was the ninth time the Tigers have scored at least 30 points off turnovers this season. They also pulled down a season-high 25 of its 47 boards on the offensive glass.

OLE MISS AT-A-GLANCE

» Ole Miss is 10-1 at home this season with a one-point loss to Texas A&M being the Rebels’ only loss in Oxford.

» The Rebels currently rank 14th nationally forcing 15.90 turnovers, third with a +6.6 turnover margin and ninth averaging 9.9 steals per game.

» Ole Miss is the only team to win at Alabama this season beating the Crimson Tide, 74-64, on Jan. 14 at Coleman Coliseum.

» Ole Miss’ three SEC losses have been by a combined 12 points including a 3-point overtime loss at Mississippi State and a one-point loss to Texas A&M.

» The Rebels boast four double-figure scorers led by senior guards Sean Pedulla (14.5 ppg) and Jaylen Murray (11.3 ppg), who have combined for 95 three-pointers on 40.8 percent shooting this season.

SERIES HISTORY

» Auburn leads 83-64 in the all-time series with Ole Miss. The Tigers have won the last five-straight meetings between the two schools including a 91-77 victory in Oxford on Feb. 3, 2024.

» A win on the road at Ole Miss this weekend would tie the longest Auburn streak in the series (7 in 1964-65, 1967-68, 1989-90 and 1992-93).

» No. 13 Auburn beat No. 22 Ole Miss, 82-59, last season at Neville Arena in the series’ only other ranked matchup aside from Saturday’s meeting.

»Ole Miss leads 43-28 in games played in Oxford, but the Tigers have won three-straight road games and are 5-2 in their last seven trips to Ole Miss.

AUBURN-OLE MISS SERIES (Last Six Games)

Jan. 15, 2022 A W, 80-71
Feb. 23, 2022 H W, 77-64
Jan. 10, 2023 A W, 82-73
Feb. 22, 2023 H W, 78-74
Jan. 20, 2024 H W, 82-59
Feb. 3, 2024 A W, 91-77

COACHING SIDEBARS

» Coach Pearl is 15-11 lifetime against Ole Miss including 10-9 during his time on The Plains, while Ole Miss Head Coach Chris Beard is 0-3 versus Auburn. With the Tigers, Pearl is 5-4 when Auburn plays in Oxford.

» This is the fourth meeting between Pearl and Beard during their head coaching careers. Pearl has won all three of the previous meetings between the two coaches as he led Auburn to a 67-65 victory over Texas Tech at the Cancun Challenge on Nov. 22, 2016 in Cancun, Mexico, before coaching the Tigers to a season sweep of the Rebels last season with an 82-59 victory in Auburn and a 91-77 victory in Oxford when they overcame a 13-point, first-half deficit.

A WIN WOULD …

» A win on Saturday, would give the Tigers its fourth-straight 20-win campaign – 28-6 in 2021-22, 21-13 in 2022-23 and 27-8 in 2023-24.

» It would also give Auburn its second SEC road win over a ranked opponent this season after the Tigers defeated No. 23 Georgia, 70-68, on Jan. 18.

» A win would mark the second time in program history Auburn has won multiple SEC road games over ranked opponents in a season. During the 1987-88 season, the Tigers won 53-52 at No. 1 Kentucky, 58-57 at No. 10 Florida and 81-68 at No. 17 Vanderbilt.

GOODBYE, JANUARY

» Auburn just completed an undefeated January with a 7-0 mark. During the month, the Tigers had a +9.0 scoring margin, while also holding opponents to 40.6 percent shooting overall and 27.0 percent from beyond the arc.

» Broome led the Tigers averaging a double-double of 18.4 points and 10.4 rebounds to go along with 3.2 blocks, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals.

» It was the second time in the last four seasons, the Tigers went undefeated in the month of January after going 8-0 during the month in 2022. Prior to 2022, the last time Auburn went undefeated in the month of January was 1959 when the Tigers went 7-0.

QUAD 1 LEADERS

» Auburn, which is No. 1 in the NET Rankings, leads the country with 12 Quad 1 wins, which is four more than any other team in the country. Oregon is second with eight Quad 1 wins, while Kentucky is third with seven.

» Alabama is the only team in the country that has as many Quad 1 + Quad 2 wins as Auburn has Quad 1 wins. The Crimson Tide has six Quad 1 wins and seven Quad 2 wins.

» In its Quad 1 games, Auburn has a +11.1 scoring margin. The Tigers are 1-0 in Quad 2, 2-0 in Quad 3 and 4-0 in Quad 4. They are currently tied for the ninth most Quad 1 all-time wins by a program since 2019-20.

» Based on opponents’ current NET Rankings, eight of Auburn’s remaining 11 games are Quad 1 games and three are Quad 2 games.

PLAYER TO WATCH: JOHNI BROOME

» National Player of the Year candidate and reigning SEC Player of the Week Johni Broome turned in his 72nd career double-double with 26 points, including 20 points in the second half, and 16 rebounds to go with three blocks and one steal at LSU. It marked his 11th 20-point outing of the season including his fifth with at least 20 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks.

» He returned to the starting lineup in Baton Rouge and has started in 145 of his 150 games played during his Morehead State and Auburn career combined. The senior All-American big man has also tabulated 2,355 career points (1,371 at Auburn), 1,405 rebounds and 393 blocks to date.

» Broome has recorded consecutive double-doubles since returning to the lineup after missing two games with a sprained left ankle giving him 72 career double-doubles, which is second among active NCAA Division I players.