COLUMBIA, S.C. - Fresh off becoming the winningest coach in the history of Auburn men’s basketball on Tuesday night, coach Bruce Pearl and Auburn (14-1, 2-0) face another tough road challenge against the South Carolina Gamecocks (10-5, 0-2) Saturday afternoon.
After a solid 10-3 finish in the non-conference schedule, the Gamecocks have endured a less-than-desirable start to league play. In the opener, they were thrashed by No. 17 Mississippi State in Starkville 85-50. They were then rolled over by No. 5 Alabama 88-68 in their second contest. Their brutal schedule gets no easier when the No. 2 Tigers come to Colonial Life Arena.
South Carolina boasts one of the better frontcourts in the SEC led by Collin Murray-Boyles and Alabama transfer Nick Pringle. Murray-Boyles leads the team in scoring and rebounding, putting up 15.1 points and 9.3 boards per contest. Both forwards love to get to the line and have the Gamecocks sitting 16th nationally in free throw attempts per game (25.1).
“Murray-Boyles and Pringle will look to attack our 4’s and 5’s,” Pearl said in his pregame presser. “They will just throw themselves into contact. [Against] Missouri, our guards had to do a good job of guarding without fouling. Our bigs will have to do the same.”
Gamecock guards are coming off a big showing in the Alabama game. Senior Jamarii Thomas put in a double-digit scoring effort for the 11th time this season and his backcourt partner Jacobi Wright enjoyed a 20-point night after going 7-12 from the field.
However, it appears as though South Carolina will be missing Thomas, as the availability report from the SEC has him listed as out. The Gamecocks will be looking for increased production from Wright, as well as bench guards Arden Conyers, Morris Ugusuk and Cam Scott to remedy this huge loss. One of them will need to step up in the absence of Thomas in order to help the upset bid.
History is certainly on the Tigers' side. The two teams faced each other twice a season ago, and each contest had a similar result: a blowout win for Auburn. In the regular season, it was a 40-point win, and in the SEC Tournament, it was a 31-point victory. Auburn has also won their last three times traveling to Columbia.
A fourth-consecutive win for the Tigers in Colonial Life Arena could mean even more history. With No. 1 Tennessee falling to Florida on Tuesday, a victory, in all likelihood, would propel Auburn to the top spot when the AP Poll is released on Monday afternoon. It would be the second team in the program’s history to find itself atop the national rankings.
Auburn will look to remain perfect in SEC play and move to 3-0 when they take on South Carolina. Tip-off is set for Saturday afternoon at 12 p.m. CT with radio coverage from the Auburn Sports Network and television coverage on the SEC Network.
