Wednesday, January 24
Columbia, Mo.
8 PM CT
University of Missouri
vs
#19 Auburn
@MizzouHoops Aims for Two-In-A-Row vs. Ranked Foes with No. 19 Auburn on Wednesday
1/23/2018 5:51:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Tigers tip off against Auburn at 8 p.m. CT on SEC Network from Mizzou Arena
Mizzou Men's Basketball (13-6, 3-3) returns home for another exciting Southeastern Conference matchup as No. 19 Auburn (17-2, 5-1) visits, bringing a ranked opponent to Mizzou Arena for the second-straight game. The Tigers dispatched No. 21 Tennessee (Jan. 17), 59-55, in Mizzou's latest game against a ranked foe.
Story Lines
- Mizzou is 67-63 all-time at home against ranked opponents, with a 14-12 mark at Mizzou Arena.
- Head coach Cuonzo Martin's squad aims to rise back above .500 in conference play, having compiled a 3-3 mark in the league, thus far. Through six conference contests last season, Mizzou was 0-6.
- Martin's Mizzou squad has added 13 wins to his career total thus far, bringing that mark up to 199 victories as a head coach across his 10 seasons.
- Martin has installed his patented defensive approach, while also shaping a sharp-shooting squad. Mizzou ranks in the nation's Top 20 in both offensive (55.4, 37th) and defensive (45.2, 14th) effective field goal percentage.
- In four career meetings with Auburn, junior forward Kevin Puryear has averaged 16.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. In three prior meetings with Auburn, senior forward Jordan Barnett has averaged 14.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
- Last season's final Mizzou-Auburn matchup (three total) ended with Puryear hitting a buzzer-beating, game-winning three-pointer for an 86-83 overtime win at the 2017 SEC Tournament (March 8, 2017).
- The Tigers' 172 three-pointers rank as the second-most in school history through 19 games, three triples behind the 1999-2000 season (175). Mizzou hit 168 treys in 2001-02, for the third-highest mark. Over the entire 2016-17 season, Mizzou made
- Graduate senior guard Kassius Robertson has averaged 15.2 points per game overall, a total that sets him apart as the nation's highest-scoring graduate transfer at the high major level (as of Jan. 21).
Scouting Auburn
- No. 19 Auburn (17-2, 5-1) has gotten out to a hot start to the 2017-18 season, only just recently dropping its second game of the season at Alabama (Jan. 17) by a score of 76-71. Auburn quickly rebounded with a 79-65 victory over Georgia (Jan. 20).
- Head coach Bruce Pearl's squad has four players averaging double-figures in scoring in SEC play, led by junior guard Bryce Brown's 17.8 points per game. On the boards, Auburn is led by junior forward Desean Murray, who averages 7.0 rebounds per game.
- Auburn has averaged 82.2 points per game in SEC play, which is the top mark in the conference, while allowing 73.3 points per game to its opponents.
- Mizzou leads the all-time series vs. Auburn, 4-3, with all matchups occurring since the Black & Gold joined the conference.
Last Time Out vs. Auburn
- Mizzou picked up its last win of the 2016-17 season in impressive fashion, knocking Auburn out of the 2017 SEC Tournament in Nashville in an overtime thriller (March 8, 2017).
- Then-sophomore forward Kevin Puryear scored a career-high 30 points and silenced Auburn with a buzzer-beating trey to win, 86-83, in overtime.
- Puryear's 30-point outburst still stands as Mizzou's most recent 30-point game. Two 28-point outings have occurred for the Tigers so far this season; Jordan Geist vs. Green Bay (Dec. 9); Jordan Barnett vs. Florida (Jan. 6).
- Then-sophomore guard Cullen VanLeer scored a career-high 16 points in the victory, sinking five three-pointers.
- Mizzou sank 16 three-pointers against Auburn in that meeting, which was the most recent instance of the Tigers' draining 15-or-more triples in a game. The Black & Gold, on a historic shooting pace from deep range this season, have had three games with 14 three-pointers during the 2017-18 campaign.
Defense! Defense!
- Mizzou has held nine-straight opponents under their season scoring averages entering their respective matchups against the Tigers.
- In SEC action, head coach Cuonzo Martin's squad has held its six opponents an average of 14.8 points below their season scoring averages. Tennessee's 55 points (Jan. 16) were a season-low.
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballInside Mizzou Athletics - Getting to Know New Men's Hoops Assistant Steve Wright
Friday, June 13
Mizzou Storytellers - Laurence Bowers
Tuesday, June 10
Tigers Sign Jayden Stone
Thursday, May 22
Tigers Sign Shawn Phillips Jr.
Wednesday, May 14
