Auburn basketball has proved its No.1 ranking through its first four conference games.
Now the Tigers will be battle tested this weekend on the road at No. 23 Georgia.
Sitting at 16-1 overall and 4-0 in SEC play, Auburn will still be without leading scorer Johni Broome, who missed last game with an ankle injury suffered against South Carolina.
Here’s a closer look at Georgia:
The season so far
Georgia enters this game with a 14-3 record, dropping two conference games to Ole Miss and Tennesse.
Their best victories this season comes in back-to-back conference victories over the then No. 6 Kentucky and No. 17 Oklahoma.
The Bulldogs also sit 37th in KenPom’s efficiency rankings.
Players to watch
Freshman Asa Newell leads Georgia in points and rebounds averaging 15.3 points and 6.6 rebounds. The freshman wing is shooting 57.8% from the floor.
The Bulldogs backcourt is led by Silas Demary Jr. averaging 11.9 points, 2.9 assists and 1.7 steals. Four of Georgia starters are averaging double digit point totals.
Key to the game
Staying aggressive on defense
Georgia is averaging 78.5 points and 38.7 rebounds per game.
Bruce Pearl raved about the Tigers defense in the last contest against Mississippi State. The battle of the backcourts will be a key factor in who gets the edge over the opponent.
“Once again look at the matchup Denver Jones has. [Josh Hubbard] is as good as there is in this league. And this is the second time now — SEC Tournament,” Pearl said. “Now here — and Denver was locked on him pretty good, and once again did an outstanding job.”
Auburn and Georgia will meet on Saturday, Jan. 18. Tipoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. on the SEC Network.