A win is a win, right? No matter how bad it looks. That is what Bruce Pearl must be thinking as his team returns home from Columbia, Missouri with a 77-72 victory over Missouri.
Auburn was out-rebounded 51-42 by Missouri, including allowing an astounding 25 offensive rebounds to the home-standing Tigers. Auburn also shot a dismal 55 percent (18-of-33) from the free-throw line to go along with 14 turnovers. However, without second leading scorer Danjel Purifoy, Auburn found a way to get a road conference win. A win over Missouri is not typically something to celebrate, but this win could provide a big confidence boost to a young Tigers team who was still searching for their first SEC win.
This season has been full of ups and downs for Auburn, which was expected with the Tigers starting four freshmen. Jared Harper has started 15 of 16 games at point guard for Bruce Pearl and has been very solid at controlling the game for Auburn. The 5-foot-10 guard is averaging 13.5 points per game to go along with a team-leading 49 assists.
Mustapha Heron has started every game thus far for the Tigers, and has quickly emerged as a star in the making. The Waterbury, Connecticut native leads the Tigers in scoring, averaging 16.2 points per game. Heron also leads Auburn in rebounding, averaging 6.4 per game. The 6-foot-5 forward broke the Auburn freshman record scoring at least 10 points in the first 15 games of his college career. Heron ranks 8th in the SEC in scoring.
Danjel Purifoy had started every game for Auburn until he suffered an ankle injury in the Tigers’ loss to Ole Miss on Jan. 7. Purifoy was sensational early in the season for the Tigers, but had struggled on the offensive end before he was sidelined. He had back-to-back 27-point games vs. Coastal Carolina and Boston College, but has averaged just 7.8 points per game in six games since. The Centerville, Alabama native is averaging 13.7 points per game to go along with 5.8 rebounds per game. It is vital for Auburn to get him back in the lineup before the grind of the SEC season begins.
On Dec. 16, two days prior to the final home non-conference game of the season vs. Mercer, Auburn added a five-star to its roster in 6-foot-11 center Austin Wiley. Wiley won Alabama high school Class 7A player of the year as a junior a year ago, averaging 22 points per game and 12 rebounds per game for Spain Park. The freshman quickly joined the starting lineup in his second game, and has earned more playing time as the Tigers have entered SEC play. The Hoover, Alabama native is averaging 7.3 points per game to go along with 4.1 rebounds per game.
Freshmen are bound to experience ups and downs during their first season, but with four freshmen in the starting lineup, Bruce Pearl has seen the extreme of the ups and the extreme of the downs. On Dec. 15, Auburn made a school record 21 three-pointers, which also tied a SEC record in a 117-72 victory over Coastal Carolina. That three-point barrage came just three days after the Tigers most disappointing loss of the season, a 72-71 loss to Boston College. Auburn followed the dismantling of Coastal Carolina with an electrifying last second victory over Mercer and wins over typical powerhouses Oklahoma and UConn.
The Tigers entered conference play with a 10-2 record, just one win shy of last season’s total. After the four straight victories following the loss to Boston College, confidence was high on the Plains. Auburn followed up with three straight losses to open the SEC schedule, two of the losses coming at Auburn Arena. Home losses to Georgia and Ole Miss sandwiched a road defeat to Vanderbilt, and suddenly, things felt the same as usual for Auburn. However, this season is nowhere near the feeling of Pearl’s first two seasons at Auburn.
With the victory over Missouri on Tuesday, Auburn has already matched its win total from a season ago. After a trip to Lexington, Kentucky on Saturday to face No. 6 Kentucky, the Tigers will welcome LSU and Alabama to Auburn Arena, two very winnable games for Auburn. A 20-win season is still very attainable for this young Tigers squad. Auburn has not made a postseason appearance since 2009, something that could very well change this year. Auburn may still be a year away from true aspirations of making the NCAA Tournament, but this Auburn team is quite capable of winning 10 SEC games, finishing with 20 wins and making the NIT.
Good times are here, but great times are ahead for Pearl and his Auburn program. Auburn’s four extremely talented freshmen will be much more experienced next season. The Tigers will also welcome four-star guard Davion Mitchell and four-star forward Chuma Okeke next season. Pearl already has his first commitment for the 2018 season in five-star E.J. Montgomery. Auburn has not made the NCAA Tournament since 2003, the longest drought in the SEC. However with Pearl at the helm, that drought is sure to be snapped sooner rather than later. Next season could be the year for the Tigers, but this year’s team still gives Auburn fans plenty reasons to watch.
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