February has not been a good month for the Tigers.
A month ago, No. 14 Auburn was sitting comfortably atop the SEC standings with a three-game lead over Tennessee. Now, the Tigers and Volunteers are deadlocked in first place with one game remaining in the regular season.
Auburn has dropped three of its last four games, due in large part to slow starts and poor shooting percentages. The Tigers came into the game at South Carolina shooting 45.4 percent from the floor, 38.6 percent from the 3-point line and averaging 85.1 points per game.
In the last four games, Auburn is shooting 38.2 percent from the floor, 28.6 percent from 3-point range and is averaging 78.3 points per game.
The Tigers' leading scorer Bryce Brown has struggled with his shot since his shoulder injury against Georgia and an ankle injury after returning for Kentucky. In the last five games, Brown has shot 29.9 percent from the floor, 27.5 percent from the 3-point line and averaged 12.8 points per game.
Before the injuries, the junior was a strong candidate for SEC Player of the Year, shooting 42.6 percent from the floor, 40.3 percent from 3-point range and averaging 16.6 points per game.
“Since Bryce’s injury, his percentages are down so obviously his foot, his shoulder, his getting time in the gym," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "All those things are factors along with how people are guarding him.
“I don’t anticipate Bryce staying in a shooting slump. He won’t. And we’re obviously better when our three leading scorers are Jared (Harper), Bryce and Mustapha (Heron). Their ability to shoot the ball is important to our chances to win.”
Following a 91-82 loss at Arkansas, Auburn comes home Saturday to face South Carolina with a chance to clinch at least a share of the SEC regular season championship. Just a few weeks ago, the Gamecocks defeated the Tigers 84-75 in Columbia.
“Well if you believe that it’s a game of matchups, and a lot of times I do believe it, this has been a tough matchup for us," Pearl said. "I told Frank (Martin) after the game at South Carolina that he must have my number, and I’m not talking about my telephone either. They’ve won four out of our last five meetings.
“What they do defensively has bothered us, it bothers a lot of people. They overplay, they just don’t let you throw the ball from point A to point B…You’ve got to find a way to get the ball entered and moving because of that overplay. You’ve got to take advantage of backdoor opportunities, we’ve tried and failed way too often the last couple years.”
In the two games against Florida and Arkansas, the Tigers have turned the ball over a total of 27 times. Pearl wants to see his team play smarter this weekend, facing a South Carolina defense that held Auburn to 20-of-63 from the field in their first meeting.
“We have to have a greater sense of urgency in the first possession, the fourth possession, and the last possession,” Pearl said. “In other words, it can’t just be at the beginning or the end. We’ve got to value possessions, and if we focus on valuing each possession, we’ll be fine.”
Auburn (24-6, 12-5) has a chance to win the SEC regular season championship for only the third time in school history. And Pearl expects his team to be ready Saturday afternoon, despite the pressure.
“Our guys are excited about playing for a championship,” Pearl said. “Our guys are excited about having the opportunity to win a championship for the first time in a long time, and it’s something you dream about. We have the chance to make it a reality Saturday.”
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