ESPN predicts the winner between Auburn and Georgia
After losing to the Kentucky Wildcats, the Auburn Tigers got a much-needed bye week.
In the game against the Kentucky Wildcats, the Auburn Tigers saw their veteran leader, Jaylin Williams, go down with a knee injury, and everyone feared for the worst. The good news for Auburn is the injury didn't require surgery, and Williams is expected back at some point before the season ends. The problem is that the Tigers will need to find a way to play without Williams as long as he isn't on the floor.
Auburn's next matchup will come when the Tigers face off with the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens. The good news for Auburn is Georgia doesn't have much tape on how the Tigers will play without Williams. This will let Coach Pearl surprise the Bulldogs with his game plan. ESPN's matchup predictor gives Auburn an 81.4% chance to beat Georgia even with Williams injured.
Coach Pearl had this to say about his bench after they dropped 40 points against Ole Miss a few weeks ago, "We've been saying all along that when we go to the bench, we don't drop off," Pearl said. "My question was, is it because our bench is that good, or our starters aren't good enough? All summer and fall, it was even."
Aside from Tennessee, this is Auburn's most challenging game left on the schedule, so if the Tigers can win on Saturday, they have a really good shot at finishing 4-1 in these last five games.
The hope for Auburn to make a run in March is that Williams will be back on the floor soon, healthy.