Senior shooting guard Tay Waller will miss his second consecutive game tonight when Auburn’s basketball team plays Missouri State in Springfield.
Tipoff at 11,000-seat JQH Arena, beginning its second season, is set for 7:05 p.m. CST.
Waller, Auburn’s top 3-point shooter, is nursing an injured quad. He also did not play in a season-opening 69-65 victory over Niagara on Friday at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum. Freshman Earnest Ross, who scored six points and got five rebounds against Niagara, is expected to replace Waller in the starting lineup.
The Tigers rallied in the final minute to beat Niagara behind senior point guard DeWayne Reed’s 24 points.
“Obviously, it gives you a little pep in your step, especially with how we won it,” Auburn coach Jeff Lebo said. “Hopefully, we can learn from the mistakes we made against Niagara and go in with some confidence on the road. I think that is big.”
Four of the eight Auburn players likely to get significant time tonight will play their first college road games.
“It is their opener with an SEC team coming in,” Lebo said. “I expect it to be a tough environment to play in.”
Missouri State fell 75-60 at Auburn last season, but Lebo said the Tigers will see a different team on the road. Seven new players are on the Missouri State roster. Among them are Caleb Patterson, a 7-footer who transferred from Colorado, and sharpshooter Adam Leonard, who transferred from Eastern Kentucky.
“Since we’re their first game,” Lebo said, “we don’t have a lot of information on them.”
