Published Dec 2, 2022
Tigers face veteran-filled Colgate
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Brian Stultz  •  AuburnSports
Staff Writer
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AUBURN | Auburn has been efficient in keeping opponents from getting hot from behind the three-point line. Entering Friday's night game against Colgate, the Tigers are holding opposing teams to a 23.7 shooting percentage from behind the arc, good for fourth in the nation.

That will need to be a major focus again when facing the Raiders.

"They're the best three-point shooting team we've played so far this year, by far," Bruce Pearl said. "They make 10 a game. They shoot over 40 percent from three."

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Colgate also comes in with a veteran starting lineup consisting of four seniors and a point guard that Pearl acknowledges is very good. The Raiders are also a high-scoring team, much like Saint Louis, that the Tigers kept to 60 points. Colgate averages 81.2 points per game and takes advantage of transition opportunities to score.

"They like to play fast," Pearl said.

If any team that the Tigers have already played this season resembles the challenges Colgate brings, it is Bradley. Pearl said the outside shooting of the Raiders brings is a lot like the Braves, who the Tigers defeated in Cancun, but that the inside game for Friday's opponent is much better.

"They've got some onside players that can score with their back to the basket and big, strong, physical guys," the coach said.

And, with such a veteran team, Dylan Cardwell doesn't expect the crowd noise in Neville Arena to impact them as much.

"They're going to come in here and be really good at running their stuff and running their plays," Cardwell said. "They're not going to be shocked by The Jungle like other teams -- like Saint Louis was -- they're not going to be taken aback by that. They're pretty mature; they don't turn the ball over much."

As Pearl points out, it is another matchup against a team that is favored to win their conference, and, after seeing what the Tigers like to do when they battled in 2019, there will be no surprises.

"Having played them before, they know how we guard, and they know the things that we do," the coach said. "We're not going to be changed—we haven't changed that much since the last time we played them, so it'll be interesting to see what adjustments they make."

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