Historically, Auburn has struggled in Columbia, said coach Bruce Pearl, and is now set to play a street game against South Carolina in an attempt to recover from the loss to Arkansas.
Gamecocks haven’t played many games this season due to three interruptions in the game. They are 3-4 for the season and 1-2 at the conference. Their only win was over Texas A&M, and they lost to LSU and Missouri.
The biggest challenges the Tigers will face when playing against them, said Pearl, will be dealing with their physicality in defense and rebounds. Gamecocks also have two strong snipers, Jermaine Couisnard and AJ Lawson.
Generally, a strong game of guards is necessary for the Tigers to beat them. The Tigers will be led by Sharife Cooper, but still without Justin Powell, who suffered a concussion five games ago. Cooper is the principal owner, but Powell replaced him while his eligibility was under review. Allen Flanigan has been the reserve guard in recent games.
Follow along to see if Cooper and his teammates can return from the two-point loss to Arkansas and emerge with their third SEC victory:
FIRST HALF:
– Cooper passes on to Cambridge in a fastbreak. Cambridge hits the rim with the Gamecocks behind him. 10-9 Auburn
– Thor grabs the board when Cooper missed three and gets a hitting hit. Cooper is now 3-23 out of three. Thor hits both, and Auburn is 8-7.
– Auburn reaches three in a row to rise 6-3 at the start.