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The Texas Longhorns aim to bounce back in their second conference game, following a 80-60 loss to Texas A&M on Saturday. They’ll seek to capitalize on their offensive struggles and the home-court advantage. The Longhorns will face the Auburn Tigers from the Moody Center tomorrow at 7 p.m.
Texas’ first SEC matchup in College Station was unfortunately overshadowed by numerous misfires, resulting in an upset in their first SEC Basketball showdown against in-state and conference rival Texas A&M. This game marked Texas’ first SEC matchup and the first on-campus meeting between the two rivals since Texas’ 70-68 victory in College Station on February 6, 2012.
The upcoming matchup for the Longhorns in SEC play won’t be any easier, even though this one is at home in the inaugural SEC conference game at the Moody Center on January 7th against the No. 2 ranked Auburn Tigers (13-1, 1-0 SEC).
Texas starts SEC play with five consecutive matchups against top-15 ranked teams in both the AP Poll and Coaches Poll. To get a better view of Auburn, we asked our friends at Auburn Wire five questions to give us an inside look at OU. Special thanks to Taylor Jones for the answers.
Behind Enemy Lines: Longhorns Wire expert previews Texas-Auburn game, makes prediction
Boasting the Nation’s top offense.
Auburn boasts the nation’s top-ranked offense, averaging 88.3 points per game according to KenPom. Which players have been the driving force behind this offensive success?
It all starts with Johni Broome, who averages 18 points per game and connects on 57% of his shots. Chad Baker-Mazara is a great supporting cast member, and freshman Tahaad Pettiford has played as well as advertised. Although his production has dropped over several games, Miles Kelly has proven to be a solid three-point shooter this season, and Chaney Johnson has been very productive off the bench with 10 points per game and a 62% field goal success rate.
Team chemistry is a key factor in success.
Auburn’s chemistry appears to be a major factor in its success. How does the team’s balanced scoring and defensive commitment set them apart?
It is amazing to watch them play because they appear to be more in sync than in years past. It is almost a given that Johni Broome will lead the scoring each night, but several others will back him up by scoring double-digit points on a nightly basis. Even if Broome becomes a non-factor, someone always steps up. An example of this could be seen in Auburn’s win over Georgia State in December. Broome left the game early due to a shoulder injury, which left Chaney Johnson to step up. Johnson went on to score 26 points and haul in eight rebounds. Being unselfish has benefitted Auburn this season.
Auburn could be National title contenders.
With Auburn’s depth and talent, do you see this team as legitimate national title contenders this season?
The consistency Auburn has shown this season, plus their ability to win big games at neutral sites, makes it seem that they are built to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament or even win the whole thing. It will be interesting to see how well the SEC slate treats them and if they can continue to find ways to win convincingly. If Auburn’s momentum continues deep into SEC play, I think the “national title contender” conversation will heat up.
Texas three-pointers stand out.
When discussing Texas Basketball, what’s the first observation or standout characteristic that comes to mind?
Three-point shooting jumps out to me immediately. Although Texas has not attempted as many three-pointers as Auburn, their accuracy is definitely catching my eye. It will be interesting to see how well Auburn defends the Texas three-point shot.
Auburn takes the win.
What’s your prediction for the final score in this matchup?
I do not expect a blowout because the game is on the road against an opponent that Auburn does not know very well. However, depth will be key, and I expect Auburn to rely on several players to out-man Texas’ defense to earn the win. Auburn 81 Texas 73.
This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Behind Enemy Lines – Auburn Wire expert previews Longhorns vs. Tigers, makes prediction