AUBURN — Auburn basketball is at a crossroads, and its not for the first time this season.
The Tigers fell in an upset at Appalachian State on Dec. 3, a showing that resulted in the home crowd storming the floor in celebration of its first high-major win in the Holmes Convocation Center. It was an ugly game for an Auburn team that looked overwhelmed by the hostile environment.
But then the Tigers rattled off 11 straight double-digit victories to establish themselves as one of the nation’s top teams. They looked almost untouchable, beating opponents by an average of 17 points in the first half alone over their streak.
It all came crashing down with a couple of road losses at Alabama on Jan. 24 and at Mississippi State on Saturday. Auburn (16-4, 5-2 SEC) will either fold going forward or begin a new winning streak. The latter can start Wednesday (8 p.m. CT, ESPN2), as the Tigers host Vanderbilt (5-14, 0-6) in Neville Arena.
Here’s a scouting report on the Commodores, as well as how we see the game playing out:
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What’s happened since last time?
Auburn and Vanderbilt have already played once this season, with the Tigers going into Memorial Gymnasium on Jan. 17 and trouncing the Commodores by 15 points. Senior forward Jaylin Williams led the way with an efficient 21 points, making all seven of his shots and all five of his free throws. All-SEC center Johni Broome added a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Vanderbilt has played two games since, losing to Mississippi State on Jan. 20 and Tennessee on Saturday. The margin versus the Vols was 75-62, but the contest was much closer than the final score indicates; the Commodores led by five points at halftime and it was a one-possession game with 12 minutes remaining.
Coach Jerry Stackhouse’s best win this season came in a 74-70 triumph over UNC Greensboro on Nov. 14.
Not many positives for the Commodores
Vanderbilt ranks last in the SEC in about a dozen notable categories, including offensive rating (101), points in the paint per game (25.1), second-chance points per game (8.1) and assist percentage (42.2%). The Commodores are also 13th in defensive rating (108.7) and fast-break points per game (6.7), per College Basketball Analytics.
One of the only positives for Vanderbilt is that it averages 10.8 turnovers, which is No. 6 in the conference. That, however, likely has more to do with the fact that the Commodores play at a slow pace.
Getting Johni Broome more touches
Something to look our for in the matchup is for Auburn to feed Broome, who had a team-high 14 points in the loss at Mississippi State but only got seven shots up: “I’ve got some guys that just are struggling to shoot the ball, and they need to stop,” coach Bruce Pearl said postgame. “… As a result (of them stopping), the ball will move and maybe you’ll have a chance to get (Broome) more than seven shots.”
Broome is averaging 10.6 attempts through the first seven games of SEC play this season. He averaged 11.5 shots versus conference foes in the 2022-23 campaign.
Auburn basketball vs. Vanderbilt: Score prediction
Auburn 92, Vanderbilt 70: Look for an angry bunch of Tigers to take their frustrations out on the Commodores. Broome should be featured heavily and the crowd in Neville Arena should be rocking, helping Auburn get back in the win column for the first time since beating Ole Miss on Jan. 20.
Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on X, formerly on Twitter, @rich_silva18.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn basketball vs. Vanderbilt: Score prediction and scouting report
