Auburn’s success hinges on ‘maintaining a level head’
No. 1 Auburn has been performing at a high level this season. The Tigers boast a 19-1 record that includes 12 wins over Quad 1 opponents.
Already having accomplished a lot this season, what does Auburn need to do for its winning ways to continue? According to Miles Kelly, it has more to do with mindset as opposed to getting better.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say improve, I would say us staying the course and staying focused, and us just keep working how we’ve been working before,” Kelly said. “Not getting too, too high off success and just staying level-headed. I think as long as we do that, we can go very far this season.”
Auburn’s winning streak has reached 11 games following its 87-74 road win over LSU on Wednesday night. The Tigers earned two of those wins over ranked opponents – No. 15 (now ranked No. 14) Mississippi State and No. 23 (now unranked) Georgia – without All-American big man Johni Broome.
Broome since has returned and after a slow start in Auburn’s win over Tennessee, returned to dominant form against LSU. The 6-foot-10 forward led all scorers with 26 points and grabbed 16 rebounds.
Kelly believes that Broome continuing to dominate will play a role in Auburn’s continued success.
“The game plan is just kinda play off of him (Broome),” Kelly said. “If nobody can stop him, why would you stop going to him? I think that’s just what will happen. Nobody can really stop him. He missed a couple of bunnies around the basket but ended up getting the offensive rebound and putting it back.”
Kelly, Broome and the rest of the Tigers return to action on Saturday afternoon when they take on No. 23 Ole Miss on the road. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. CT and ESPN will carry the broadcast.
“We’re going to get everybody’s best shot,” Chaney Johnson said.
The Rebels are led by a trio of guards: Sean Pedulla, Jaylen Murray and Matthew Murrell, who combine for 36.6 points and close to 10 assists per game. Those three, combined with forward Jaemyn Brakefield, all average double digits in points.
“When Jaemyn Brakefield is coming off the bench, that tells you how deep and how talented a roster this Ole Miss team has,” Pearl said.
And there’s the problem of Malik Dia, who turned in a 23-point, 19-rebound performance on January 14 in the Rebels’ 74-64 victory over No. 4 Alabama.
“They’re another ranked team, another Quad 1 opportunity,” Johnson said. “We’re just trying to approach this how we approach every game, just trying to improve, get better where we need to get better at and get the win.”
Fatigue could also be an issue for Pearl’s squad after a short turnaround following the victory at LSU on Wednesday night. The Auburn coach put his players through a work day on Thursday, less than 24 hours after the game, while Friday will be spent traveling to Oxford.
“A combination of doing enough to get them prepared but not too much — it’s an early Saturday game,” Pearl said. “We’ll be fine; it’s just a lot in a short period of time.”
Auburn and Ole Miss tip off at 1 p.m. CT, with the game airing on ESPN.
