AUBURN, Alabama – Auburn will try to deal with a quick turnaround as the Tigers head to South Carolina for a rematch on Saturday morning against a team that has played just seven basketball games this season. The showdown with the SEC is set to start at 11 am in Columbia, SC, with TV coverage on ESPN2.
Auburn will try to recover from a disappointing defeat in the last game of the league on Wednesday night in Arkansas. Tigers led by 19 points in the first half, but the Razorbacks recovered to a 75-73 victory. This reduced Auburn’s record to 8-7 overall and 2-5 in the league.
South Carolina played only three SEC games this season due to secret protocol problems that affected several teams at the University of South Carolina. The Gamecocks won their only home match, beating Texas A&M 78-54 on January 6.
SEC losses to Gamecocks occurred last Saturday at LSU (85-80) and Tuesday in Missouri (81-70).
Gamecocks, which are 3-4 in total, have had four games canceled and another four postponed, including three SEC competitions.
“When you play in South Carolina, you can’t be dominated by the pressure of the ball,” said the Auburn coach Bruce Pearl, who noticed this with Frank Martin as a head coach, it can be difficult to score against Gamecocks.
“They are not socially distant,” said Pearl. “They are all inside you. They make you go faster. They make their catch difficult. They make you spread. You have to take advantage of (their) exaggeration.
“That’s why J’Von McCormick has always been important to them,” said Pearl of last year’s starting point guard, whose speed allowed him to penetrate South Carolina’s defense. “Jared Harper it was always important against them. Sharife Cooper it will be important against them because of all this overplay. “
Gamecocks are forcing an average of 16.6 turnovers per game, which ranks third in the SEC. Auburn is spinning the ball more than 17.2 times per game, which is ranked 13th in the league, ahead of just 17.4 in Georgia.
AJ Lawson, a 6-6, 177 junior guard, leads the South Carolina attack. He is scoring 16.6 points per contest, which ranks seventh in the SEC. He is third in the conference at three per game with 2.4. Justin Minaya, a 6-6 junior striker, 215 redshirt, has an average of 8.1 rebounds per game, which is fourth in the league. He has an average of 9.1 points and has won praise from Pearl for his energy with game after game.
The Auburn coach said he was impressed with Keyshawn Bryant’s ability to play over the edge. The 6-6 and 195 junior striker averaged 13.4 points and 4.4 rebounds for Gamecocks.
Jermaine Couisnard, a second-year guard in a 6-4 red jersey, 216, is South Carolina’s third double-digit player of the season with 11.6 points per contest.
As a team, South Carolina has 4.3 more per game on the rebound margin, which ranks fifth in the league. Auburn is eighth with 3.5 more.
Gamecocks are shooting 42.4 percent of the field, 30.4 percent in the group of three and 60.5 percent in the foul line, the bottom of the league.
Auburn came home from Fayetteville at 1:30 am. Thursday, the players and coaches were back on campus for 7:30 am in an ambitious test, something they must do three times a week. “The guys slept three or four hours at most,” said Pearl, who put the team on a three-hour workout in the afternoon after classes. He said he is pleased that his Tigers have not had a positive test since July 4.
“The kids (at Thursday’s training) were disappointed and responsible,” said Pearl as the Tigers began preparations for Gamecocks after what he said was a disappointing defensive performance after a strong defensive start that allowed Tigers to build a big advantage against Arkansas. “There were things that I could have done better. I always say this to the children so that they understand that we are in this thing together ”, observed the coach.
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Cooper, who has played four games for Tigers, averages 22.4 points, the highest of any SEC player going to Saturday’s games, with an average of 8.25 assists.
Allen Flanigan is next in the scoring for Pearl’s team with 13.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest. Jamal Johnson has an average of 10.1 points and Jaylin Williams is at 10.0. Justin Powell, who has not yet been released to play since suffering a concussion on January 2, has an average of 11.7 points.
As a team, Tigers are the sixth in the SEC in scoring with 76.1 points and the 12th in defending goals, allowing 73 points per fight.