The No. 20 Auburn Tigers need a confidence boost after suffering their first SEC loss of the season on Wednesday to Georgia. They get the chance to put that game behind them on Saturday when they host the No. 13 Arkansas Razorbacks at Neville Arena.
Auburn shot just 34% from the field, and 21% from three-point range in their 76-64 loss to Georgia on Wednesday away from home, and will look to return to form against a tough opponent. Auburn fans are expected to pack Neville Arena and further prove why it is one of the nation’s best home courts, which is why ESPN is giving a slight edge to the Tigers.
According to the most recent data from ESPN’s Basketball Power Index, Auburn has a 57.0% chance to defeat Arkansas on Saturday night.
The last time that Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman visited Auburn was during the 2020-21 season, which limited crowds and weakened the traditional atmosphere that Neville Arena and the Jungle possesses. Despite not having experienced a full Neville Arena, Musselman understands just how tough the environment is.
“I think everybody in the country knows that playing a road game at Auburn is as hard as anywhere in the country,” Arkansas coach Eric Musselman said. “Coach (Bruce) Pearl has done a great job of creating an environment. I know the last home game they had, I watched it on TV, and it looked like they had a great student turnout even though we all know it’s still a school break time. That’s a really, really hard place to play, and the record tells you so.”
Oddsmakers are giving Auburn an advantage in the game with Arkansas as well. BetMGM lists Auburn as a 2.5-point favorite and has placed the over-under at 141.5. The Tigers and Razorbacks square off Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
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