Georgia Faces No. 1 Auburn Tigers

The No. 1 Auburn Tigers take on the unranked Georgia Bulldogs Saturday at the Stegeman Coliseum. The Tigers have a 21-1 record while the Bulldogs are 6-16.

Prior Matchups

It’s not the first time they are facing one another this season, however; the two matched up Jan. 19 at Auburn Arena where the Tigers swept Georgia 83-60. Prior to that game, Georgia took the cake 91-86 against Auburn Feb. 2, 2021. The teams have alternated wins since Jan. 11, 2020.

Auburn and Georgia have faced off 193 times dating back to 1908. The Tigers currently have the advantage with a 98-95 record.

Auburn

The Tigers are seeking to build upon their 18-game winning streak in the battle against Georgia Saturday. They boast the nation’s largest active win streak.

During the Big 12/SEC Challenge, Auburn took out Oklahoma 86-68 Saturday and went on to wipe Alabama 100-81 Tuesday. It was the Tigers’ 40th consecutive non-conference home win.

Auburn’s athletes

Auburn scares the competition with their robust offense and powerful defensive wall.

Jabari Smith, freshman forward, is up and coming and is making his name known.

In the last matchup against Missouri Jan. 25, Smith had five points and 11 defensive rebounds with his 33 minutes on court.

“We were really excited for this game knowing how we played at Missouri and wanting to bounce back,” Smith said.

He rebounded and brought his game to the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

The six-foot-10 athlete pulled in 23 and 17 points against Oklahoma and Alabama this week, respectively. He’s started all 22 games this season.

Walker Kessler, sophomore forward, also dominated the court over the week.

The North Carolina transfer made four season highs in the game against Oklahoma Saturday: points (21), field goals made (9), 3-point field goals made (2) and 3-point field goal attempts (4). He put up 14 points against Alabama Tuesday.

In the last Missouri game, he put up 13 points in his 30 minutes on court.

“Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler were dominant,” Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. “That was a key.”

Georgia

Auburn is dominating the basketball charts, and Georgia is trailing behind looking to break its two-loss streak.

The Bulldogs are coming off a 99-73 loss against the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Georgia players

Sophomore Kario Oquendo kept his head up high against Arkansas Wednesday as he put up 17 points in his 29 minutes on court. He led the team in points that game and gave two rebounds both on the offense and defense.

Graduate student Aaron Cook had 12 points against Arkansas with six assists, and he rebounded on the defense three times.

“The game was going a little too fast for us in the first half,” Georgia head coach Tom Crean said about the Arkansas game Wednesday. “We were giving up too many baskets, but at least we were coming down and scoring.”

Upcoming

Auburn will travel to Fayetteville to take on Arkansas Tuesday, and Georgia goes to Gainesville to take on Florida.