Feb. 16, 2018
#10 Auburn at South Carolina
(2017-18 RECORD: 22-3, 10-2 SEC) vs. (2017-18 RECORD: 13-13, 4-9 SEC)
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| Sat, Feb 17 | 2:30 p.m. |
By Greg Ostendorf
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" It's one thing to get up for a team like Kentucky. But now, coming off a signature win at home against the Wildcats, No. 10 Auburn (23-3, 11-2) must get up for a South Carolina team that has lost six straight games and fallen to the bottom of the SEC standings.
Getting up for games hasn't been a problem for the Tigers this season, though. It doesn't matter who the opponent is. It doesn't matter what the venue is.
"We can't afford to not get up for an opponent," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. "We can't afford to not or we won't win. It's real simple. If you're big enough, talented enough, deep enough, you can show up sometimes and win.
"I think the other thing, too, is it's as much out of respect for the league this year. We have such regard for every team in this league that we haven't taken anybody for granted or lightly. One of the most relieved after a game was when we beat Vanderbilt at home. Now, you would think that when you beat the team that is in last place in the league at home and you're in first place, you would be like, 'That's a rubber stamp. That's a no-brainer.' It was anything but that."
That respect for the league includes respect for South Carolina. The Gamecocks might be on a slide, but they beat Kentucky this year. They have road wins at Florida and at Georgia. Just earlier this week, they went to No. 18 Tennessee and nearly took down the second-place team in the SEC on the road. And it was only last year that the program reached the Final Four.
"They're terrific defensively," Pearl said. "(Chris) Silva is a dominating player on the inside. They play as a reflection of their coach, Frank Martin. They're not out of it in any shape or form, and the reason why you can say that is, again, just look at the league.
"We've got to continue to regroup, find a way to score. That's the hardest thing against South Carolina is finding a way to score, and we struggled to score against Kentucky. I never thought I'd hear myself say that about a really good Auburn team, but it's the case with every team that plays against South Carolina."
Saturday's game is scheduled to tip off at 2:30 p.m. CT from Colonial Life Arena in Columbia. Rod Bramblett and Sonny Smith will have the radio call on 93.9 Tiger FM, online at AuburnTigers.com and on the TuneIn app. The game will also be televised on SEC Network with Kevin Fitzgerald and Sean Harrington on the call.
Player to watch: Mustapha Heron
Heralded sophomore Mustapha Heron has continued his strong play since arriving at Auburn last season. He has improved his numbers in points per game, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and steals per game in his second campaign. The Waterbury, Conn. native is averaging 19.4 points per game while shooting 50 percent from the floor and 81 percent from the foul line in his last five games played.
Inside the series: South Carolina
Auburn has lost two straight and three of four against South Carolina. Its last win over the Gamecocks was a 71-68 triumph on Jan. 17, 2015, in Auburn Arena. Seven of the last 11 meetings between the two schools have been decided by double digits.
The Tigers have won six of their last eight battles with South Carolina in Colonial Life Arena, dating back to 2003.
Leading the pack
Auburn improved to 11-2 in the SEC this season with its win over Kentucky. The Tigers' 11 SEC wins are their most since Auburn went 14-2 in 1998-99 and just the second season with double digit wins in conference in the last 19 years. It is the 18th time in program history Auburn has reached double digit SEC wins.
Return to sender
Horace Spencer (121) and Anfernee McLemore (108) both rank in the top 10 of Auburn's all-time blocks leaders. McLemore currently leads the SEC is No. 13 nationally with 71 blocks this season, which is more than 96 Division I teams this season.
As a team, the Tigers have blocked 148 shots this season. The school record is 178 blocks set during the 2002-03 season.
Take a timeout
Click here to vote for Bruce Pearl and Children's Harbor in the Coaches Charity Challenge. The coach with the most votes after four rounds wins $100,000 for their charity. Each charity will receive money for every round their representative coach is voted through.
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @greg_ostendorf