AUBURN | No. 16 Auburn is currently tied for second in the SEC. Over the next three and a half weeks, the Tigers will play all seven of the other top eight teams in the league.

It’s the find out stage of Auburn’s schedule.

“It's a grind. It is a grind,” said AU coach Bruce Pearl. “We put ourselves in position.”

The gauntlet begins Saturday night at Ole Miss. Auburn beat the Rebels 82-59 at Neville Arena Jan. 20, but Ole Miss is 13-0 at home this season.

Auburn then hosts No. 24 Alabama, plays at Florida, which won at No. 10 Kentucky Wednesday, hosts South Carolina, which won at No. 5 Tennessee Tuesday, hosts Kentucky and plays at Georgia and Tennessee.

Five of the seven are Quad 1 games. The games against the Bulldogs and Gamecocks are Quad 2.

The Tigers, 17-4 overall and 6-2 in the conference, have overachieved so far according to Pearl. They’ll have to continue to improve to make it through February with a chance to win the SEC regular season championship.

“These guys are working and I know what we’re capable of,” said Pearl. “We’ve had some step up. But we have to continue to be able to step up if we’re going to be able to keep winning.”

Tip-off at The Pavilion is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT on SEC Network.