Auburn @ Arkansas preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 20, 2019 ) Arkansas 56, Auburn 79

Tenth-ranked Auburn hopes to avoid a letdown after an emotional victory against Kentucky over the weekend when it goes after a fifth consecutive win Tuesday night at Arkansas in an SEC matchup. The Tigers moved into a tie for second in the conference after shooting just 35.3 percent from the field but pounding Kentucky 17-6 on the offensive glass for a satisfying 75-66 triumph Saturday.

“It has to take us from good to very good now,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl told reporters. “It does. … The point that I’ve been making - and maybe it’s because the schedule hasn’t presented it - Kentucky is the best team we’ve played. So, I thought we stepped up and responded. I thought we took a step from good to very good. Now the question is can we build on it.” The Tigers would welcome an effort close to last season when they rolled to a 76-53 victory at home while holding the Razorbacks to 32.8 percent from the field, but Arkansas is a better team in 2019-20 and is 11-2 on its home court. The Razorbacks rebounded from a 1-3 stretch with a vital 82-78 victory on the road at Alabama on Saturday after falling behind 12-0 as junior guard Mason Jones recorded 30 points to continue his scoring surge. “To play on the road in the SEC is never easy and kind of felt like it was a must-win for us based on our last home game,” Arkansas coach Eric Musselman told reporters. “Just proud of how we battled.”

TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: SEC Network

ABOUT AUBURN (19-2, 6-2 SEC): Senior guard Samir Doughty has broken out of his five-game scoring slump (9.6 points per outing) by averaging 19.3 over the last three after pouring in 23 of Kentucky. Doughty leads the team overall in scoring (15.1) while freshman forward Isaac Okoro continues to be a major factor (13.0 per game on 51.9 percent shooting) after averaging 15.7 over the past three contests. Senior point guard J’Von McCormick (10.7 points, team-high 4.6 assists) was held to four points against Kentucky and senior center Austin Wiley (10.1 points, team-best 9.2 rebounds) notched his eighth double-double.

ABOUT ARKANSAS (16-5, 4-4): Jones tops the SEC in scoring (19.8) after recording 34 points to go along with 12 rebounds in a 79-77 home loss to South Carolina on Wednesday and going 10-for-30 from the field in the win at Alabama. Senior guard Jimmy Whitt Jr. rebounded from a seven-point performance against the Gamecocks by scoring 26 last time out and averages 15.4 overall on 52.7 percent from the field - third behind Jones and sophomore guard Isaiah Joe (16.0). Junior guard Jalen Harris stepped up Saturday with 11 points - his highest output since scoring 10 in the season opener against Rice.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Arkansas sophomore G Desi Sills was 7-for-8 from the floor in a win over TCU on Jan. 25, but is 6-for-22 in the other four games in his last five.

2. Auburn senior F Anfernee McLemore is 11-for-22 from the field (8-of-17 from 3-point range) while averaging 11.7 points the last three games.

3. The Razorbacks lead the nation in 3-point field goal percentage defense (24.7) and top the SEC in steals per game (8.5).

PREDICTION: Arkansas 72, Auburn 68