Published Nov 25, 2019
A step up in competition for undefeated Tigers
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Bryan Matthews  •  AuburnSports
Senior Editor
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@BMattAU

AUBURN | No. 19 Auburn has played a pretty competitive schedule so far, but the competition will take a step up this week in the Legends Classic.

The Tigers will play New Mexico Monday night and either Wisconsin or Richmond Tuesday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

“The idea is to set up the schedule where you’re going to be challenged but going to be good enough to beat the people that you’ve got on your schedule when you’ve got them,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “If we had played this tournament to start the season, we would have lost both games for sure, for sure. We’re in a position now where we’re playing a little better and we have a chance to beat these teams.

“All are bigger, all are more athletic, all are more physical than the teams we’ve played up against to this point.”

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Auburn, off to a 5-0 start, has played just one team in the top 120 of the KenPom rankings so far, No. 70 Davidson, but will face two in the top 100 over the next two days. New Mexico is 90th, Wisconsin 37th and Richmond 91st. The Tigers are No. 20 in KenPom.

The Lobos are 5-1 on the season with their only loss 66-63 at UTEP. Senior guard JaQuan Lyle is averaging 19.8 points, 5.2 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game while senior forward Carlton Bragg Jr. is averaging 11.8 points and 9.8 rebounds. New Mexico starts two seniors and three juniors with eight players averaging more than 15 minutes per game.

Senior Samir Doughty leads Auburn averaging 18.8 points and is second on the team averaging 6.2 rebounds. Freshman Isaac Okoro is averaging 14.2 points and senior J'Von McCormick is second in the SEC averaging 7.0 assists per game.

Auburn’s trip to New York was also an important team building and learning experience for the players. The team visited the 9/11 Memorial Saturday and an NBA game between the N.Y Knicks and Brooklyn Nets Sunday night at Madison Square Garden.

Auburn and New Mexico will play game two Monday night at approximately 8:30 p.m. CT on ESPNews. Wisconsin and Richmond open the tournament at 6 p.m. on ESPN2. The consolation game will be Tuesday at 4 p.m. on ESPN2 or ESPNU and the championship 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2.

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