The No. 12 Arizona Wildcats hit the road for an SEC challenge with the Auburn Tigers on Friday night for a late tip-off (8 p.m. CT) at Neville Arena. It’s the fourth all-time meeting between the schools, with Auburn leading the series 2-1 dating back to 1986; Arizona won last year’s matchup 97-68 in Tucson.
Arizona (2-1) rebounded from a 9-point loss to UCLA in the season opener for consecutive wins, and the Tigers (2-0) are off to a strong start with wins over Southeastern Louisiana and Appalachian State.
Returning Arizona big men Ivan Kharchenkov (24.7 ppg) and Motiejus Krivas (18.0 ppg) are anchoring the Wildcat offense through three starts. Tahaad Pettiford, a three-year guard from New Jersey, leads Auburn in points (22.0) and assists (3.5) through two light games to begin the regular season.
It’ll be all hands on deck for the Tigers, even at home, to pitch in and give Auburn its share of looks in a matchup with two of the Big 12’s leading producers. The good news is Steven Pearl has a big-time rebounder in Narcisse Ngoy, a 7-foot-10 center, who’s pulling down 10.0 rebounds per game through just 16.5 minutes on the floor.
Make no mistake, Arizona wants a Power Four win ahead of its date with No. 4 UConn next Wednesday, Nov. 18. Auburn, too, is seeking what’d be a major lift entering the Players Era Festival next week in Las Vegas.
KANSAS VS. AUBURN ODDS
• Spread: Arizona -2.5
• Over/Under: 159.5 points
• Moneyline: Arizona -142/Auburn +120
THE BIGGEST QUESTION: WHO WINS THE RIM?
There’ll be some big fellas on the floor in this contest, and I’m anxious to see whether Ngoy can stand up to the likes of a Kharchenkov or Krivas for 40 minutes of action. The Tigers are up to 90 combined rebounds through their first two games of the year, albeit against far less caliber of talent than a mighty Arizona team.
It doesn’t end with simply grabbing the ball, but those second chances could add up in Auburn’s favor.
ARIZONA VS. AUBURN PREDICTION AND PICK
PREDICTION: ARIZONA 81, AUBURN 77
The Wildcats win the second half after a less-than-admirable start. Auburn remains largely untested from the field, and this matchup will tell us far more about where Tommy Lloyd’s defense stands than anything else. Look for Auburn to keep pace with a talented Arizona team but fall prey to a far more experienced roster with something to prove on the road after opening the season with a loss.
FOOTBALL: Big 12 Teams With the Most to Prove in Week 11 of the Season
