The Arkansas Razorbacks (9-4, 0-0 SEC) can take a big step in the right direction if they can pull off a win over No. 25 Auburn (11-2, 0-0 SEC) in the conference home-opener on Saturday at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.
Led by 10th-year head coach Bruce Pearl, the Tigers are off to a strong start to the 2023-24 season. Auburn owns wins over teams such as Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Indiana, USC and others with a veteran-filled squad. Auburn has started 10-2 or better for six of the last seven seasons.
"Certainly in the four years, four-and-a-half years that I’ve been in the SEC, Coach Pearl’s done an incredible job," Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman said Wednesday. "They understand who they are."
Leading the Tigers, who rank 14th nationally in blocks per game and 21st in scoring offense, is junior center Johni Broome. The 6-foot-10, 240-pound big man is averaging 15.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game this year. Most recently, he scored 24 points and brought down 12 boards while hitting three 3-pointers.
"I thought Broome’s three-point attempts last night looked good coming out of his hand," Musselman said. "He’s obviously going to come into this game, regardless of what happened in the prior games, coming off his last game he made three threes. But he does most of his damage inside. I know that was nine of his points or whatever last night, but he’s still interior."
KenPom ranks Auburn 11th overall nationally and the Tigers are also top-20 in offensive and defensive efficiency through 13 games.
"I think they are really good offensively," Musselman said. "They were on fire the first half. The second half, the script flipped a little bit from three-point range. Look, KD Johnson can make threes. (Aden) Holloway can make threes. We know Broome with his feet set at times can make threes. We know Jaylin Williams can make threes at that power-forward spot.
"Denver Jones if you look at his Florida international numbers, phenomenal. His numbers now. He’s a great foul shooter. His three-point percentage is good. Off the bench, number 10 at the small forward spot, their lefty that played at San Diego ST. He can make threes. You’ve got to guard both. That’s what good players and good teams… They're a threat on the perimeter, and they’re a threat on the dribble drive and they are a threat at the rim. That’s what you’re going to face when you face Auburn."
Here's a closer comparison of Arkansas' and Auburn's stats, efficiency ratings, projected lineup for the Tigers and more ahead of Saturday's game, which is set to tipoff at 1:00 p.m. CT on ESPN2:
