Texas A&M Travels to Auburn for College Gameday Showdown

Saturday the Auburn Tigers (22-2, 10-2 SEC) will host the Texas A&M Aggies (15-9, 4-7 SEC) for a big-time SEC matchup.

College Gameday

Jay Bilas and the College Gameday crew will travel to Auburn for a SEC west matchup between Auburn and Texas A&M.

📍 A U B U R N

See you on The Plains next week for @AggieMBK vs @AuburnMBB! pic.twitter.com/obcWfq0llh

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) February 5, 2022

Head coach Bruce Pearl acknowledged gameday coming to Auburn and how it is a dream come true for the spotlight of college basketball to be centered on Auburn hoops. He then said his group has prepared and is very deserving of the stage.

Auburn Looks to Get Back on the Right Track

Auburn dropped its second game of the season in upset fashion on the road to Arkansas Tuesday. In fact, both of Auburn’s losses have come in overtime this year (lost 109-115 to UConn Nov. 24).

In a wire-to-wire game the Razorbacks were able to sneak away in overtime to steal a 80-76 win over the No. 1 team in the country. Fayetteville was rocking as the night made up for one of the most memorable scenes of the college basketball season to date.

🚨 DOWN GOES NO. 1 🚨

Arkansas upsets No. 1 Auburn 80-76 in OT! pic.twitter.com/2SRw8JwT8g

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 9, 2022

Auburn is led by potential No. 1 pick and Naismith award front-runner Jabari Smith. Smith, a 6’10” forward, is averaging nearly 16 a contest and has led the Tigers to the best record in the nation and atop the SEC.

To complement Smith’s game, Walker Kessler, a transfer from North Carolina, provides a post presence for Auburn. Kessler averages 12 points a game on 63% shooting. Kessler’s efficiency along with the elite guard play of Wendell Green Jr. and K.D. Johnson make Auburn a hard team to beat.

Aggies Attempt to Break Losing Skid

After starting the season 15-2, Texas A&M has dropped its last seven matchups. It has been a tough break for the Aggies, five of those seven games have been single-digit losses. The Aggies are still in position to make a run for the tournament, especially if they can pull off the upset Saturday.

The Aggies are led by senior guard Quenton Jackson who averages 13 a-game. Texas A&M is driven by its guards, Jackson being the leading scorer, and Marcus Williams who runs the offense and leads the team in assists.

The Aggies will look to switch the script and come out hot Saturday. Amidst their seven-game losing streak they have had a hard time starting games strong. A&M will be big underdogs and have nothing to lose when the ball tips.

The Tigers should also come out feeling they have something to prove after their 19-game win streak was snapped.

Tune into ESPN Saturday at noon for this matchup.