Nebraska Basketball Game Day: Auburn

Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-5) vs Auburn Tigers (7-1)

Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021 – 10:30 a.m. CT

State Farm Arena

TV: ESPN2

Radio: Husker Sports Network

Internet: WatchESPN App

1. All hands on deck

Nebraska was already facing a daunting task vs. an Auburn squad that has been playing as well as just about any team in the country.

Now, the Huskers are going to have to battle against both the Tigers and a run of illness that swept through the roster over the past week.

Head coach Fred Hoiberg said several of his players were dealing with flu-like symptoms in Tuesday night’s blowout loss to Michigan, and it certainly showed with the lethargic effort NU put forth.

Before flying to Atlanta, Hoiberg said Nebraska even had to cut their Thursday practice short because it didn’t have enough players to finish the session when two were sent home due to illness.

It’s still unclear who all traveled to Atlanta and who will be available to play today. But regardless of the number, the Huskers are going to need all hands on deck to keep pace with the Tigers and avoid a repeat of Tuesday night.

2. Handle the pressure

Auburn’s size, athleticism, and offensive firepower are going to be big enough problems for Nebraska today, but one area that could decide the outcome more than anything is how well the Huskers’ handle AU’s aggressive pressure defense.

The Tigers will be as relentless on the ball as any team NU will face this season, as they come in ranked 14th nationally in defensive steal percentage (13.7) and 55th in overall defensive turnover percentage (22.2).

What makes AU so difficult isn’t just that it presses, but how aggressive its guards are against opposing ball handlers. Auburn’s backcourt is fast, stocky, and strong, and it will bully opponents up and down the court to force turnovers.

Hoiberg compared it somewhat to what Nebraska saw at North Carolina State, except the Tigers have more length across the board. The Huskers had 16 turnovers that resulted in 20 points for the Wolfpack in their quadruple-overtime loss.

“It’s going to be a tall order with where we are right now,” Hoiberg said, “but we are going to have to control the game better.”

3. Contain Jabari Smith

Auburn landed one of the most coveted recruits in the 2021 class with five-star forward Jabari Smith, who was the No. 6 overall player in the country.

So far, Smith has been everything the Tigers had hoped and then some.

The 6-foot-11 freshman leads AU in scoring (16.9 ppg) and rebounding (7.1 rpg) while swiping nearly two steals per game.

Smith has topped 20 points in four of his first eight college games while shooting an eye-popping 44 percent (18-of-41) from 3-point range.

Nebraska generally runs a 1-4 switching defense, but Smith’s inside-outside game will make that almost impossible for NU to use because of how much of a mismatch he is on the block.

Auburn has plenty for the Huskers to worry about on both ends, but they cannot let Smith take the game over if they’re going to have any chance at an upset.

Auburn (-14) 85, Nebraska 68

Robin’s season record: 8-2

vs. the spread: 7-3