Auburn will be without two starters Thursday night when it hosts Coastal Carolina and former head coach Cliff Ellis.
Center Horace Spencer and guard Bryce Brown, both sophomores, were suspended Wednesday after an arrest for misdemeanor possession Tuesday night, head coach Bruce Pearl announced.
"Bryce Brown and Horace Spencer will not practice today nor will they play tomorrow," Pearl said. "Unfortunately they were arrested for misdemeanor possession. We’re disappointed. They are embarrassed. These are really good kids that have done a lot of really good things. They made a mistake and they are going to pay a price for that mistake.
"I’ve talked to both of the young men and I’ve talked to their families. They understand that they’re role models and they understand that they’ve let their Auburn family down, they’ve let their own families down. They feel really badly about it.”
Spencer has started all eight games this season for the Tigers. The 6-foot-8 center is averaging 5.9 points per game to go along with 4.8 rebounds per game. He also shares the team lead in blocks (14) with Laron Smith.
Brown has also started every contest thus far for Auburn, averaging 6.9 points per game. After setting a school record for three point shots made by a freshman last year, he has struggled to get his shot going this season. Brown is 11-43 (25.6 percent) from beyond the arc this season.
The length of their suspensions has not been decided yet.
“We’ll be without our best defender in Bryce Brown and we’ll be without our best rebounder in Horace Spencer,” Pearl said. “It will complicate things even further.”
Pearl said guard TJ Lang, who was injured Monday night against Boston College, should play Thursday night, although not at 100 percent. Senior guard T.J. Dunans missed Monday’s game in Madison Square Garden with an illness, returned to practice Tuesday and should make his first start of the season Thursday.
"Dunans is our best rebounding guard. He's also probably my best play-making guard, so getting him back is significant," Pearl said.
Auburn will look to bounce back from the tough loss Monday night in New York against Coastal Carolina Thursday night at 8 p.m CST. The Chanticleers are 5-6 this season. The game will be televised by the SEC Network.
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