Fresh off a win over Tennessee to open conference play, Auburn is now forced to quickly turn its attention to South Carolina.
The Gamecocks, whose starters are all taller than 6-foot-5, will roll into Auburn Arena on Tuesday undefeated and boasting the No. 22 ranking in this week’s AP poll.
Auburn coach Bruce Pearl praised the job South Carolina coach Frank Martin has done with the program, which finished 11th in the conference last year with a 6-12 record in the SEC.
“He’s been a great program-builder, and he’s a terrific coach and a great motivator," Pearl said. "His teams play hard and physical and passionate and play together. This year’s edition is a better representative of the way he wants his team to play. A lot of these guys have been with him for a couple of years and have experienced the bumps and bruises of trying to rebuild a program and rebuild a roster. I’m happy for Frank and for the SEC that South Carolina is at such a strong position.”
Auburn struggled to rebound against Tennessee, and the task will not be made easier by South Carolina’s size and physicality. Auburn was outrebounded by Tennessee, 48-37, and the Volunteers grabbed 23 offensive rebounds. The Gamecocks lead the SEC in rebounding with 43.1 boards per game, while Auburn is ninth with 37.2.
“We have to do a better job defensive rebounding,” said freshman shooting guard Bryce Brown, who has averaged over 17 points per game in the last three contests. “The rebound is the biggest part of this game that we need to focus in on. The coaches have definitely put a main focus on that.”
Auburn will also need to keep South Carolina off the free-throw line, as the Gamecocks have attempted 110 more free throws than Auburn this season, including an astounding 63 free-throw attempts in their win over Memphis last Saturday.
“They do a good job to get the ball inside," Pearl said. "They initiate contact every possession. Offensively and defensively, they will be the most physical team we play on both sides of the ball, and we’re going to have to be able to handle their physicality.”
Auburn will enter the game with only two scholarship guards fully healthy, but the Tigers will try to overcome the injuries to open conference play with two consecutive wins for the first time since 2012-13.
“They’ve got a good, deep roster,” Pearl said. “So our ability to rebound, our ability to defend without getting them on the foul line and seeing if we can turn them over some, I think will probably be keys to our success.”
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