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BASKETBALL Middle Tennessee(7-1) vs Auburn(8-1) (@Bham), 5PM, Saturday, December 16, 2017

SpaceRaider

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AUBURN
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Series:
AU leads 3-1
Location: Auburn, Ala.
Founded: 1856 Enrollment: 28,290
Colors: Burnt Orange & Navy Blue Nickname: Tigers Conference: Southeastern Conference
Facility: Auburn Arena (9,121)
Head Coach: Bruce Pearl Boston College, 1982
AU Record: 44-54 (3 seasons) Overall Record: 506-199 (22 seasons)
2016-17 Record: 18-14, 7-11 (11th SEC) 2017 Postseason: None
Starters R/L: 6/0 Lettermen R/L: 11/6 Newcomers: 4


Date: Saturday, December 16, 2017 Time: 5:01 PM CT
Location: Birmingham, Ala.
Arena: Legacy Arena (19,000)


TV: SEC Network Mike Morgan (PxP), Daymeon Fishback (Analyst)
Radio: Blue Raider Network (Game/WGNS/TuneIn) Talent: Jeff Hem (PxP), Kyle Turnham (Analyst)


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excerpt:


...On Nov. 2, Auburn’s men’s basketball program was reeling.

In their first and only exhibition game, the Tigers were all but helpless on defense and lost 100-95 to Division II Barry College in overtime. A week or so earlier, associate head coach Chuck Person had been arrested by the FBI and charged with fraud and bribery. Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy, the top NBA prospects on the roster, were caught up in the FBI probe and suspended.

As the days passed, support staffers Frankie Sullivan and Jordan VerHulst were suspended. Head coach Bruce Pearl, on the cusp of what was widely expected to be a big season, and president Steven Leath were openly at odds. There was rampant speculation that Pearl could lose his job at any time. Refunds were offered for season tickets.

Against that backdrop, on Nov. 10 Auburn began Pearl’s fourth season. Four weeks later, things look quite different.

Wiley and Purifoy remain suspended and the cloud of Person’s arrest and eventual firing will hang over the program until the investigation is over, but Pearl and Leath seem to have reached a truce. And Auburn, at 8-1, is off to its best start since 2011. In perhaps its toughest test of the season, with sophomore star Mustapha Heron on the bench with back spasms, the Tigers took down UAB 85-80 on Saturday at Auburn Arena.

The excitement that was sucked out of the program after Person’s arrest seems to have returned. Nobody knows what the future holds, but that Pearl has held things together and helped his team steadily improve is as impressive as anything he’s done as Auburn’s coach.....







 
This is going to be a war. Auburn has surprisingly turned in a great season despite losing their two best players before the season started.

Game should be close to a pick and I really think it'll go down to the wire. I'm expecting a high scoring affair here. Whoever shoots the 3 ball better will win IMO. Our guards have got to have their best game of the season here.
 
auburn blog, trackemtigers.com excerpt:

...Up next is a Middle Tennessee State squad that has already knocked off Ole Miss and Vanderbilt. It sits at 6–1 with its lone loss being to Belmont. The Blue Raiders are led by senior forward Nick King, who averages 24 points per game, nearly double the next scorer. Only Giddy Potts, the senior guard, plays more minutes than King.

If Auburn can get King into foul trouble early, it can take MTSU down pretty easily. Auburn needs to be careful about fouling King because he’s an 85% free throw shooter, and he is a multi-dimensional player who can and will take three-point attempts. He has the highest scoring average on the team.

Look for MTSU to turn the ball over significantly while trying to force the ball to King. Auburn should have the advantage when Anfernee McLemore takes on the 6′ 7″ King. According to ESPN’s Matchup Predictor, which uses the Basketball Power Index, Auburn has a 58% chance to knock off MTSU.....
 
al.com:
Auburn's surprising rebounding prowess; putting Collin Sexton's star in perspective


excerpt:

...Keying Auburn's effort on the glass is an unlikely star rebounder: 6-3 power forward Desean Murray, whose averages of 8.0 rebounds and 3.2 offensive rebounds per game both rank among the SEC's best.

"He's a matchup problem at the four [power forward] for other people. He can drive past any four, but he can rebound over any four," Auburn guard Bryce Brown said after posting a game-high 27 points against UAB. "You just have an advantage all around at the four position with Desean there. He might be undersized, but he doesn't play like it."

Murray, a Presbyterian College transfer, is a big reason why an Auburn team that outrebounded just 10 opponents all last season ranked ninth nationally in rebounding margin (+10.9) entering Tuesday's games. The big question now is whether an Auburn lineup that features a 6-3 power forward, 6-8 Horace Spencer and Chuma Okeke and 6-7 Anfernee McLemore can keep it going once SEC play arrives.

Ehsan, whose Blazers are the only Auburn opponent thus far to rank among the nation's top 100 teams in rebounding margin, believes they can.

"I've watched a lot of basketball. We've haven't played any other SEC teams, but a lot teams in our league have. I don't think their size is going to be an issue," Ehsan said. "... To me, Murray adds a dimension that they haven't had the last two years of toughness, of grit, of defense. That, to me, is the biggest difference than in years past." .....
 
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excerpt:

...The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders come into this one on a 5 game winning streak following their 77-58 beatdown of Ole Miss last time out. Nick King led the team with 25 points on 11 of 22 shooting with a team-high 6 rebounds. Brandon Walters came 2nd with 20 points on 8 of 11 shooting with 4 steals and 4 blocks, while Giddy Potts chipped in 14 points to round out the scoring in double figures for Middle Tennessee in the win. Tyrik Dixon also added 5 points and a team-high 9 assists in the winning effort for the Blue Raiders. King leads the team with an average of 24.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, while Dixon is the team’s top assist man with 3.8 assists per game this season. As a team, Middle Tennessee is scoring 77.9 points per game on 47.1% shooting from the field, 30.3% from behind the arc and 74.9% from the foul line this season.

The Auburn Tigers also come into this one in solid form, winners of 6 straight including an 85-80 win over UAB in their last outing. Bryce Brown led the team with 27 points on 8 of 14 shooting with 6 threes, while Jared Harper added 21 points on 5 of 14 shooting with 3 triples and an 8 of 11 mark from the foul line with a team-high 5 assists. DeSean Murray added 18 points and 7 rebounds to finish off the scoring in double figures for the Tigers. Anfernee McLemore added 5 points with team-highs of 9 rebounds, 3 steals and a pair of blocks in the winning effort for Auburn. Brown leads Auburn in scoring with an average of 17.1 points per game, while Murray leads the way in rebounding with 8 boards per game and Harper is the team’s top assist man with 5.2 assists per game this season. As a team, Auburn is scoring 87.1 points per game on 46.3% shooting from the field, 38.5% from behind the arc and 75.7% from the foul line this season.

Middle Tennessee is 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games against the SEC and 35-16 ATS in their last 51 games overall while the under is 5-0 in their last 5 games following a win. Auburn is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games against a team with a winning record and 8-2 ATS in their last 10 non-conference games while the over is 16-5 in their last 21 games overall.

Auburn’s done very well at home this season, going 5-0 straight up. But being on the road hasn’t scared Middle Tennessee, as the Blue Raiders are 4-0 straight up on the road and 3-0 ATS, including a 3 point win at Vanderbilt, which is a hard place to go on the road and win based on how their court is set up. This should be a highly entertaining game that goes back and forth, but all in all, this is a game that’ll come down to the last possession, so take Middle Tennessee and the points here.....
 
Guy who I follow in sports betting has Auburn as his highest rated play tomorrow......Hope he's wrong but I got a bad feeling
 
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