The time for talking is almost over. Auburn (21-12) is a few hours away from playing top-seeded Houston (32-3) in the second round of the 2023 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship Saturday at Legacy Arena in what should be a heavily partisan Tiger crowd.

It’s simple. If Auburn wins, they’ll advance to the Sweet 16. A loss ends the season. Let’s get into a few areas that could impact the game.

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— Houston guards Marcus Sasser (groin) and Jamal Shead (knee) are expected to play. Will their ailments hamper them? Sasser on offense and Shead on defense are pivotal to Houston’s No. 1 ranking in the latest NCAA NET rankings, KenPom.com efficiency rankings, and ESPN BPI. If they’re compromised physically, it could completely change their team.

“We’re planning on him playing,” Pearl said about Sasser. “He tried to go the other night against Northern Kentucky. He was okay offensively, but when he had to just plant, really sit down and guard, you could tell it wasn’t 100 percent. But we’re expecting him to be out there. And he makes a big difference for him because he is such a dynamic offensive player. You know, one of the best guards in the entire country.

Houston struggled to beat No.16-seed Northern Kentucky, with Sasser scoring five points and two rebounds before leaving the game early with the injury. Sasser averages 16.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists.

“It’s always going to be a concern when you know you can reaggravate or reinjure, but, you know, it’s win or goes home. Tomorrow is not promised,” The next game is not promised. I just feel like I don’t want to just sit a game out. I just want to go out there and give it my all because you never know when your last game is.

Shead averages over ten points and nearly two steals. He got hurt late in the second half in the first-round game against Northern Kentucky. Could Auburn’s speedy guards be advantageous if the dynamic Houston guards aren’t 100 percent?

— A lot of noise was made because Houston will essentially be playing a road game despite being the higher seed in the tournament. It’s a fair critique because while Birmingham is the closest site to Houston, it doesn’t feel like a reward for a team that lost three games compared to an Auburn team that struggled toward the end of the season.

— It might not matter how many fans pack the arena for Auburn since Houston is undefeated 11-0 in road games this season, while 5-1 at neutral sites (lost to Memphis in the AAC Championship game on March 12). One of the reasons why Houston is good on the road is because of their tenacious defense. The Cougars led the nation in field-goal percentage defense (36.4) and scoring margin (+18.5) and ranked second in scoring defense (56.5) and 3-point field-goal percentage defense (27.8).

— Johni Broome and Allen Flanigan had double-digit rebounds in the win against Iowa. Auburn will need them to rebound well against Houston, a top-10 team in rebounding margin.

“I think because Allen is one of our best athletes,” Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. “It’s important that our best athletes can match up and be able to play well because, I mean, Houston is almost always bigger, stronger, and more athletic at every position than almost every opponent they played this year.”

Nubyjas Wilborn covers Auburn for Alabama Media Group.