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Purdue Boilermakers @ Auburn Tigers

Current Records: Purdue 8-3, Auburn 10-1

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The Purdue Boilermakers and the Auburn Tigers will compete for holiday cheer at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Legacy Arena. The Boilermakers are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 77.2 points per game this season.

The experts predicted Purdue would be headed in after a victory, but Texas A&M made sure that didn't happen. Purdue fell to Texas A&M 70-66.

The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Braden Smith, who scored 15 points along with six assists and six rebounds.

Meanwhile, Auburn had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 41 points) and they went ahead and made it three on Tuesday. They claimed a resounding 100-59 win over the Panthers. The Tigers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six matchups by 23 points or more this season.

Chaney Johnson was the offensive standout of the game as he went 12 for 14 en route to 26 points plus eight rebounds and two steals. Another player making a difference was Chad Baker-Mazara, who had 19 points along with six assists.

Auburn was working as a unit and finished the game with 19 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Georgia State only posted seven.

Purdue's loss dropped their record down to 8-3. As for Auburn, their victory was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 10-1.

Saturday's match is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Purdue has been dynamite from deep this season, having made 40.1% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Auburn struggles in that department as they've nailed 38% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.

Everything went Purdue's way against Auburn in their previous meeting back in November of 2016, as Purdue made off with a 96-71 win. Will Purdue repeat their success, or does Auburn have a better game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.

Series History

Purdue won the only game these two teams have played in the last 8 years.

  • Nov 23, 2016 - Purdue 96 vs. Auburn 71