Buzz Williams shares keys to beating Auburn a second time

Texas A&M has the opportunity to beat Auburn twice in a single season Tuesday night. The Aggies already handed the Tigers their only home loss this season two weeks ago, and are set to defend their home court in hopes of a sweep against one of the SEC’s best.

Head coach Buzz Williams isn’t expecting the same Auburn team that Texas A&M blew out 79-63. The Tigers have thrown some wrinkles into their lineups since the loss, though they have dropped two of their last three since losing to the Aggies.

“[Auburn’s] doing some different things than they did when we played them the last time. They did some unique things to attack our defense,” Williams said Monday. “[KD Johnson] is playing a lot more. [Johni Broome] has been even more effective than he was since then.

“I think [Broome] has had 11 offensive rebounds in the last three games, I think he scored 60 points. [Johnson] is playing the way he played this time last year. They’re a little faster in transition than they were, playing off more ball screens than they did in the past. We were fortunate [to win last time].”

Broome is averaging a causal 18.3 points and 11.3 rebounds per game since the loss to the Aggies, while Johnson is averaging 11 points off the bench in the same span. Both numbers are higher than their overall season average.

Still, Auburn losing two of its last three (three of four including TAMU loss) is its worst losing stretch of the season thus far. Half of their total losses this season have come within the past two weeks, and after such a strong start the Tigers are trending in the wrong direction with less than a month remaining in the regular season.

Tip-off between the Aggies and Tigers is set for 7 p.m. ET live from College Station on ESPN2. Texas A&M has opened as three-point favorites over Auburn and the over/under has been set at 140.5.