No. 14 Auburn not feeling pressure of SEC race

[aubiefifty 16,822]

No. 14 Auburn not feeling pressure of SEC race, 'excited' for chance to clinch title vs. Arkansas

Updated 7:03 AM; Posted 7:00 AM

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Gallery: Arkansas at Auburn: Jan. 6, 2018

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By Tom Green

tgreen@al.com

Bryce Brown can sense the difference in Auburn's play lately.

The Tigers "aren't playing bad right now," despite losing two of their last three. But the junior guard can tell there's a "little difference" in his team's performance as they eye just the program's third SEC regular-season crown ever.

Just don't classify it as pressure.

"To be honest with you, it's not much pressure," Brown said. "We are just really excited at this point. We came a long way. I wouldn't say it's pressure; it's more excitement to be able to get to cut down nets in our arena (on Saturday). I wouldn't say it's much pressure.

"Others think it is pressure because it hasn't happened in a long time and we want to be the team to do it. I'm excited to see what happens."

Winning an SEC regular-season crown hasn't happened on the Plains in nearly two decades. Auburn last won the title in 1999, and before that it was 1960. Tuesday night, it'll have a chance to shore up at least a share of another one when No. 14 Auburn (24-5, 12-4 SEC) travels to Arkansas (20-9, 9-7) for an 8 p.m. tip in Bud Walton Arena and broadcast on SEC Network.

Brown confident shooting slump will end vs. Arkansas

Bryce Brown has been mired in a slump that has been compounded by lingering shoulder and foot injuries, as well as teams' new approaches to defending him.

It'll be the Tigers' second straight opportunity to clinch a piece of the SEC title after whiffing on Saturday at Florida. Auburn can clinch a share of the title with a win against Arkansas or a Tennessee loss to Mississippi State (6 p.m., SEC Network). The Tigers can win the title outright with a win and a Vols loss.

"They have seven seniors on the roster and we're going there for senior night trying to win a championship," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. "But as Desean Murray has said all year long, 'Coach, this is a great opportunity.'"

That's something Auburn's players understand. They also understand it will be no walk in the park.

Arkansas is one of the hottest teams in the SEC, winning five of its last six games and eight of 11 overall. The Razorbacks are projected as an eight-seed in the NCAA Tournament by ESPN, and they have the No. 30 RPI in the country to go along with a 14-2 home record this season.

They'll also likely be playing with a two-fold chip on their shoulder Tuesday night, wanting to avenge an 88-77 loss at Auburn Arena on Jan. 6 and wanting to prevent the Tigers from celebrating an SEC title on their home court.

"I definitely know it's going to be a grind tomorrow," Brown said. "It's going to be a hard one. We'll have to fight from the beginning of the first half to the end of the second half. It's going to be a tight game. It's not going to be one of those blowout games, because it's a lot on the line for them and a lot on the line for us. We're just going to have to come out ready and, like I said, keep that chip on our shoulder.

"That's what got us this far. As long as we continue to do that, we'll be fine."

[auburn4ever 1,266]

I think Pearl and Auburn is feeling the pressure of the SEC race. They've lost 3 out of the last 4 games. All on the road.