Arizona vs Auburn prediction: Can anyone besides Ivan Kharchenkov score for rebuilt Arizona at Auburn?

One scorer, one loss

Arizona lost its opener to UCLA 84-75 in Las Vegas on Nov. 2, and the box score reads like a solo act. Ivan Kharchenkov scored 38 points and used 37.6% of Arizona's possessions while he was on the floor. Last season he was a complementary piece averaging 10.4 points.

The rest of the offense never caught up. Arizona trailed 43-29 at halftime, and Derek Dixon, the North Carolina transfer, needed 12 three-point attempts to get his 18 points. This is a roster that returns 27.5% of last season's minutes, with Jaden Bradley, Brayden Burries and Koa Peat all gone. The team that went 36-3 and reached the Final Four last season is a reference point, not a guide.

Arizona's new shooting habit

Tommy Lloyd's Final Four team barely shot threes. Its 3-point attempt rate (the share of shots taken from deep) was 26.4%, 363rd of 365. Against UCLA, half of Arizona's shots came from behind the arc, and it made just 23.3% of them.

Auburn's perimeter defense last season gives that new habit a reason to continue. The Tigers allowed opponents to shoot 36.7% from three, 347th nationally. Auburn also brings back only about a third of its minutes, so last season's defense is a loose guide. Still, if Arizona's shooters were ever going to find a rhythm on the road, a defense with that history is the one to try it against.

Auburn reloads around two guards

Steven Pearl, in his second year as head coach after Bruce Pearl's retirement, kept his guard core. Kevin Overton shot 41.3% from three last season and is the most efficient returner on either roster. Tahaad Pettiford carried more of the load but shot 29% from deep, so his shot selection against Arizona's length is worth watching.

The additions lean toward shooting and size. Adam Olsen hit 39.5% from three at South Alabama, and Dowd averaged 10.1 rebounds at Troy. Auburn's interior scorers will see Motiejus Krivas, Arizona's returning center, who blocked 6 shots against UCLA. Auburn was picked 9th in the SEC after winning the NIT last season, so this group has room to prove the preseason poll wrong.

Availability still in flux

Several rotation pieces on both sides are uncertain, and the notes are moving daily.

For Auburn, Pearl said on Nov. 3 that Freeman, the Creighton transfer coming off a foot injury, was expected to debut against Southeastern Louisiana on restricted minutes. Mantas Rubštavičius, one of the new shooters, has an unresolved eligibility case against the NCAA and sat out an exhibition against Alabama. Zion Foster was listed out with a torn ACL as of Oct. 12.

For Arizona, Clemson transfer RJ Godfrey's eligibility remained unresolved in the latest reports, and Arizona hasn't said whether he'll be available. Freshman big Endurance Aiyamenkhue was listed questionable with a lower-leg injury as of Oct. 18, with no newer update. JJ Mandaquit, who missed the exhibitions with a possible foot issue, played heavy minutes against UCLA and handed out 6 assists.

The setting and the number

Arizona gets 11 days off after the UCLA loss before a 9:00 PM ET tip at Neville Arena on ESPN2. This is the return trip from last December, when Arizona beat Auburn 97-68 in Tucson. Few players from either side of that game remain.

No spread or total had been posted as of today. The AP's No. 5 team failed to cover its first number of the season, and its opener went over. Expect the market to weigh Arizona's ranking against an offense that, so far, has run through one player.