Basketball Game Preview: Auburn Tigers vs. Central Red Devils

Auburn is 8-2 against Central since February of 2022 and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Auburn Tigers will take on the Central Red Devils in a tournament on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Auburn comes in on eight and Central on four.

Auburn is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They claimed a resounding 64-35 win over Opelika. The Tigers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won 16 matchups by 24 points or more this season.

BRAYLEE WINFREY continued her habit of posting crazy stat lines, going 10 for 13 on her way to 25 points and seven steals. The contest was her third in a row with at least ten points. BROOKE HALLMAN was another key player, putting up ten points and six steals.

Meanwhile, Central didn't have too much trouble with Smiths Station on Wednesday as they won 71-56. Given the Red Devils' advantage in MaxPreps' Alabama basketball rankings (they are ranked 34th, while the Panthers are ranked 106th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Auburn better keep an eye on Jabria Lindsey. She was instrumental in Central's win, dropping a triple-double on 37 points, ten rebounds, and ten assists. That makes it six consecutive games in which Lindsey has scored at least a third of Central's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Gerritt Griggs, who went 5 of 7 en route to 14 points and eight boards.

Central smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in six consecutive games.

Auburn pushed their record up to 24-5 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. As for Central, they have also been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 20-5 record this season.

Auburn beat Central 47-38 in their previous matchup back in January. Will Auburn repeat their success, or does Central have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.