Tiger Tipoff Preview: Auburn

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Missouri picked up perhaps the program's biggest win not just of the Cuonzo Martin era, but since 2012 when it toppled then-No. 6 Tennessee in Knoxville on Saturday. The third straight victory propelled the Tigers back into the top 15 of both the Coaches' and AP polls, where Missouri is ranked No. 12.

The next challenge doesn't get much easier, however. Tuesday night, Missouri will travel to Auburn to face star freshman Sharife Cooper, who has taken the SEC by storm since being cleared by the NCAA. In his first five college games, Cooper is averaging 21.2 points and 9.0 assists per game. Auburn, after starting the season 0-3 in SEC play, has gone 3-2. Here's everything you need to know to get set for the matchup.

Missouri (10-2) vs Auburn (9-7)

WHEN: 8:00 p.m.

WHERE: Auburn Arena, Auburn, Alabama

TV: ESPN2

RADIO: Tiger Radio Network (Mike Kelly, Chris Gervino)

SERIES: Tied 6-6

KenPom Prediction: Missouri 74-73

1. Don't let Cooper beat you. Cooper has made Auburn into a different team. The former five-star recruit might already be the most dynamic guard in the SEC. He's going to put up some numbers against Missouri. The visiting Tigers just have to make sure he doesn't take the game over and win it by himself, because he's capable of that. The key to doing so will be keeping Cooper from getting into the lane without fouling him. Cooper has shot just 20 percent from three-point range this season, but he's averaging nine free throws per contest and shooting 77.8 percent from the line. Dru Smith, who will likely draw the assignment of guarding Cooper for most of the game, has been foul-prone at times this season. He'll need to avoid cheap foul calls, which might mean cutting back on the number of times he tries to swipe at the ball.

2. Play fast, but don't get sped up. So far this season, Missouri has fared pretty well against opponents who like to get up and down the floor, like Auburn. Mizzou has handled both Arkansas and South Carolina, who play at a faster pace than Auburn, winning both games by double-digits. Auburn's frenetic style of play should provide Missouri with plenty of transition opportunities, as Auburn has turned the ball over on a whopping 22.8 percent of its possessions this season. That's the good news. The bad is that Auburn has been nearly as good at turning over its opponents and converting those into transition points of its own. Auburn has created turnovers on 20.2 percent of opponent possessions. Despite the fact that Missouri only turned the ball over 11 times against Tennessee, that continues to be an area of concern. There will be a fine line between embracing Auburn's pace and taking advantages of turnovers and playing recklessly and giving up easy points on the other end.

3. Attack the paint. For the most part, Auburn has defended the three-point line well this season, allowing opponents to shoot just 30.4 percent from behind the arc. Meanwhile, even though Missouri has shot a bit better from deep the past two games, it has generally struggled to shoot from the perimeter, converting just 29.0 percent of three-point attempts. As a result, the visiting Tigers need to get the ball to the rim early and often rather than settling for jumpers. That shouldn't be too challenging — Missouri scored 28 of its 73 points in the paint against Tennessee. The keys will be keeping center Jeremiah Tilmon, who has emerged as a legitimate first-teal all-SEC candidate, on the floor and active as well as not letting the offense get stagnant. Auburn has been adept at blocking shots this season, ranking 13th nationally in block rate, but the home Tigers have also allowed opponents to shoot better than 50 percent from inside the three-point arc. If Missouri can keep its guards and wings moving, that should give Tilmon or driving guards passing options when Auburn's shot blockers try to help.

Coming off the big win in Knoxville and a short turnaround that didn't allow the team to return to Columbia, this definitely has the makings of a potential letdown game for Missouri. The team can't afford to start too slowly, either, because Auburn can score points in bunches. Plus, even without a full capacity crowd, that can be a tough place to play. All that said, this appears to be a pretty favorable matchup for Mizzou based on style of play. As long as Missouri can contain Cooper, we think this could be the first real nail-biter in conference play, and we'll give a slight edge to the visitors.

FINAL SCORE: Missouri 78, Auburn 76