The No. 19 Auburn Tigers are refreshed after a five-day break and are set to host the Colgate Raiders at Neville Arena on Friday night.
Auburn posted three wins last week, two of which took place at the Cancun Challenge, which the Tigers ultimately won. While in Mexico, Auburn had its’ best, as well as its’ worst, offensive outputs of the season. In the 85-64 win over Bradley, the Tigers converted 56.4% of its shots from the field to points and shot 47% from three-point territory.
The following night, Auburn was only able to shoot 26% in a last-minute win over Northwestern. [autotag]Wendell Green[/autotag], the Tigers’ leading scorer, scored just two points while going 1-for-9 from the field.
Friday’s opponent, Colgate, is a trigger-happy offensive team. The Raiders shoot 50% from the field while converting 40% of its three-point shots. Their efforts lead them to score 81 points per game, which is second in the Patriot League.
Despite Colgate’s strength being a weakness for Auburn, ESPN’s Basketball Power Index gives Auburn a 92% chance to win on Friday night.
The BPI gives Auburn’s defense plenty of credit. The Tigers lead the SEC with 8.3 blocks per game, and are third in the SEC in rebounds with 42.4 per game, with defensive rebounds outweighing offensive boards by 13.
Auburn’s defense should be enough to decelerate Colgate’s offense and allow for playmakers such as Wendell Green, [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag], and [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag] to lead the offense to a 14-point win says the BPI.
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