Auburn Tigers take on Jacksonville State Gamecocks in first round of NCAA Tournament

Published Mar. 18, 2022 2:42 a.m. ET

Associated Press

Jacksonville State Gamecocks (21-10, 13-3 ASUN) vs. Auburn Tigers (27-5, 15-3 SEC)

Greenville, South Carolina; Friday, 12:40 p.m. EDT

LINE: Auburn -15.5; over/under is 138

BOTTOM LINE: The No. 8 Auburn Tigers play in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks.

The Tigers are 15-3 against SEC opponents. Auburn leads the SEC with 25.7 defensive rebounds per game led by Jabari Smith averaging 6.2.

The Gamecocks are 13-3 in ASUN play. Jacksonville State is 0-2 in games decided by less than 4 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Smith averages 2.3 made 3-pointers per game for the Tigers, scoring 17.1 points while shooting 43.0% from beyond the arc. Walker Kessler is shooting 61.7% and averaging 7.6 points over the last 10 games for Auburn.

Darian Adams is scoring 15.7 points per game and averaging 5.2 rebounds for the Gamecocks. Demaree King is averaging 1.5 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for Jacksonville State.

LAST 10 GAMES: Tigers: 6-4, averaging 75.6 points, 34.9 rebounds, 16.0 assists, 10.3 steals and 4.9 blocks per game while shooting 39.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 68.6 points per game.

Gamecocks: 6-4, averaging 69.7 points, 31.0 rebounds, 14.2 assists, 5.4 steals and 3.0 blocks per game while shooting 49.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 61.7 points.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by