By Chris DePew
TideFans.com staff
Jan. 21, 2017
Where to watch: Alabama (11-6, 4-1 SEC) at Auburn (12-6, 2-4) – Today 3 p.m., Auburn Arena, ESPN2
Who to watch: Dazon Ingram. The redshirt freshman point guard broke out of a slump against Missouri with 12 points, four rebounds and three assists, but he hasn’t experienced anything like the frenzied atmosphere that awaits today in Lee County. Bama needs him to keep his poise, because he’s already prone to turnovers (four against Mizzou) and lapses of concentration at the foul line (shooting below his already anemic 60.2 percent average in all but one league game). As a native of the state, Ingram doesn’t need any introduction to this rivalry, but he has to find a way not to let his emotions overwhelm him.
What to watch for: Better perimeter defense. Missouri was the worst team in all of college basketball in shooting 3-pointers but sank seven out of 14 at Coleman Coliseum on Wednesday. Auburn doesn’t need any encouragement to let it fly from the arc, connecting on 8.6 treys per game. Last year at home, Auburn hit 11 3-pointers to keep the Crimson Tide playing catch-up all night in an 83-77 Tigers win. Avery Johnson has almost certainly hammered that point home during practice and film study.
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