On Jan 12, Auburn went on the road and beat South Carolina to secure its third win in a row. Little did they know, however, that they victory would be their last in their next six tries.
This Wednesday, the Texas A&M men’s basketball team travels to Auburn, Ala., to face the Tigers in their second consecutive road game. The Aggies are currently on a trip where they play five of eight games on the road.
Before A&M kicked off their road trip, head coach Billy Kennedy said this was a concern they had.
“We have to try to put two together,” Kennedy said. “We haven’t done that in a while, it’ll be difficult.”
A&M hopes to secure a victory over Auburn after falling to Vanderbilt on Saturday. The Tigers remain vulnerable due to their six-game losing streak.
The Aggies and Tigers resemble each other more than meets the eye. Both teams have a below average record as a result of close losses.
Auburn head coach Tony Barbee said they need to improve on their chances to win close games after being blown out by SEC frontrunner Florida 83-52 this past Saturday.
“It’s not like we’ve been blown out of those [other] nine games,” Barbee said. “Obviously, it’s not horseshoes and hand grenades. We’re not here to get close. We’re here to win.”
Texas A&M has mustered an 11-4 record at home but is only 3-4 on the road as it goes into Wednesday’s matchup.
Home court advantage is talked about sporadically, but it is made evident in the SEC. Only two of the fourteen teams in the conference are at a .500 or above winning percentage on the road.
Senior guard Elston Turner hasn’t lost hope for himself and his teammates, but recognizes that time is running out for their chance to find themselves in the NCAA Tournament.
“The time is ticking and we’re starting to run out of time,” Turner said. “The bottom line is they hit shots and we didn’t. We have to go back to the drawing board and get ready for a quick turnaround game Wednesday.”
Texas A&M and Auburn each look to avoid another loss in a matchup Wednesday at 7 p.m.