Men's Basketball Midweek Game of the Week: #16 Alabama at #12 Auburn
In Alabama and Auburn's first meeting of the season in late January, it was the Crimson Tide that emerged victorious. Alabama played host to its bitter cross-state rival and won the game 79-75 behind a 22-point effort from senior guard Mark Sears.
Sears is in the midst of his best season of his collegiate career. He started his career at Ohio, where he averaged 19.6 points on 44/41/88 shooting splits. He also contributed six rebounds per game, four assists per game, and 1.7 steals per game. This year, in his second season in Tuscaloosa, Sears is putting up 20 points per game on 52/44/85 shooting splits while also accounting for 3.9 rebounds per game, 3.9 assists per game, and 1.7 steals per game. Sears has scored in single-digits once all year and has scored at least 20 points in eight of his last nine outings.
Another factor in Alabama's win over Auburn was sophomore guard Rylan Griffin, who came off the bench and added 17 points and seven rebounds. Lately, Griffin has featured more in the starting lineup than off the bench. The Crimson Tide is riding a four-game win streak, and in that stretch, Griffin has averaged just over 12 points per game. As he displayed in the team's first game against Auburn, he is very capable of exploding.
Auburn is looking to get even with Alabama. If it does get even, it will be behind the efforts of Johni Broome. Broome scored 25 in the Tigers' loss to Alabama in January, and he is a pretty consistent scoring presence for Bruce Pearl's squad. He is averaging 15.7 points per game, 8.8 rebounds per game, and 2.3 blocks per game, but his effort alone was not enough to beat the Crimson Tide the first time. So, who else needs to step up?
Johni Broome and the Auburn Tigers.
Jaylin Williams is Auburn's second most reliable bucket-getter. He averages 12.7 points per game. Williams only scored seven points in the previous matchup between these two teams but has responded to that down game nicely and has averaged 15.6 points per game in the three-game stretch since. He is going to have to assist fellow big man Broome if Auburn wants to protect its home court.
The fun matchup to watch here is Auburn's defense versus Alabama's offense. According to KenPom.com, Alabama has the second most efficient offense in the country, and Auburn has the fifth most efficient defense in the country. The Crimson Tide has the third shortest average possession length in the country. They like to push the court and play fast. The Tigers, on the other hand, like to make their opponents play a slower pace.
The star power is there in this game. Both Sears and Broome are ranked in the top 10 of KenPom's Player of the Year standings. Whoever's star can shine brighter, and whichever team can impose its style of play will have a better chance to win this top-25 Wednesday night matchup.
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