ATHENS, Ga. -- If, after Auburn basketball's win over No. 15 Mississippi State on Tuesday, you were no longer wondering about the Tigers' best-in-the-nation status, you weren't out of line. But this afternoon could provide another moment of pause.
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Auburn hits the road for another Quad 1 opportunity, at No. 23 Georgia. The Bulldogs are ranked for the first time in 14 years, with a pair of home wins over then-No. 6 Kentucky and then-No. 17 Oklahoma boosting their resume. They'll be looking for their third-ranked win against Auburn, which is without Johni Broome for a second-straight game as he covers from an ankle sprain he suffered against South Carolina.
"They're playing eight or nine guys 20-something minutes, or at least seven or eight guys 20-something minutes," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said Thursday. "So, really balanced. And I think on any given night, other than (Silas) Demary and (Asa) Newell bringing it every night, they have two or three guys that step up each night, but not always the same guy. It's a talented team. It's the most talented team they've had at Georgia in a while."
Stayed tuned here for live updates from today's matchup, including live score updates and in-game highlights from Stegeman Coliseum.
3:28, 1H: Auburn once held a 17-point lead, but after failing to find a point for 4:32 of game time, the Bulldogs are amid a 15-2 run and have trimmed their deficit to just four points.
Tahaad Pettiford's still at 12 points, and Tyrin Lawrence had a team-high eight for Georgia.
It's 28-24, Auburn.
7:42, 1H: After a Georgia steal on Auburn's latest inbound, the Bulldogs worked an Asa Newell 3-pointer with an impressive pass from Tyrin Lawrence.
Still, Georgia's made just two of its past 10 shots despite being on a 7-2 run, and the Tigers have maintained a double-digit lead.
The Tigers are 4 of 8 from distance, they've generated eight points from three Georgia turnovers, and the Bulldogs have been whistled for three fouls -- including one on the offensive end.
Tahaad Pettiford leads all scorers with six points.
It's 16-7, Auburn.
14:55, 1H: The Bulldogs struck first, but Auburn quickly retook the lead with a 3-pointer from Chad Baker-Mazara. Two possessions later, Miles Kelly hit a deep 3 after the Tigers secured an offensive rebound.
We're less than five minutes in, but that's been the difference to this point.
It's 8-7, Auburn.
Saturday's contest will be the 200th matchup between the Tigers and Bulldogs, according to the Auburn record book. However, it'll be just the second time both teams have faced off as ranked opponents.
John Schriffen will be on the call for Saturday's contest, with former Auburn standout Daymeon Fishback on color commentator duties.
Saturday's game will be broadcast live on WLWI FM (92.3) in Montgomery and WGZZ FM (94.3) in Auburn. The radio call can also be streamed online. Here are the announcers:
No. 2 Auburn 73, No. 23 Georgia 67: Assuming Broome is scratched, it wouldn't be a shock to say this is the toughest circumstance Auburn has -- and will -- face in its regular season. The Bulldogs are 11-0 at home this season, and with two ranked wins, there's little going against the possibility of them securing a third ranked victory at home.
What does go against that, however, is how well Auburn's played away from home -- and how well it has played without Broome. The Tigers are 8-1 away from Neville Arena this year, and it beat Georgia State by 41 points with Broome sidelined for nearly the entire contest. Without him for 40 minutes against a top-15 squad earlier this week, it won by 22 points.
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It may be close. It may be ugly. It could even be an Auburn loss. But for now, it appears Auburn is capable of winning away from home. If it can do it without Broome, there's truly no telling what could stop the Tigers this season.
Auburn: The Tigers will once again be without Broome, who was listed as OUT on the game's final SEC availability report.
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Georgia: The Bulldogs are at full strength, with no players listed on the game's final SEC availability report.
Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at [email protected] or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter.