Austin Wiley is back — at practice.
The Tigers' probable starter at center went through a full-contact practice Wednesday and there's "a chance" Wiley (foot) could be available for Auburn's showdown Friday with No. 25 Washington, Bruce Pearl told reporters Thursday morning.
Wiley sat out all of last season, along with forward Danjel Purifoy, amid an FBI investigation into former Tigers coach Chuck Person. His freshman season in 2016-17, he averaged 8.8 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while shooting over 58 percent from the floor.
Pearl first told of Wiley's left foot injury at this year's SEC Media Day in Birmingham. Wiley missed Auburn's exhibition and its season-opening victory over South Alabama on Tuesday.
The 6-foot-11, 260-pound former 5-star prospect hasn't seen the floor for Auburn since it lost to Missouri in the SEC Tournament on March 8, 2017.
“If he’s available, he’ll play, and he clearly would come off the bench," Pearl said. "He won’t be on a heavy, heavy minute restriction, otherwise he wouldn’t be out there.”
The Tigers and Huskies tip off at 8:30 p.m. CST inside Auburn Arena on Friday. It's the first ranked-versus-ranked nonconference showdown in the history of the arena, and the first for Auburn since 1987 (UNLV).
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Nathan King, senior in journalism with a minor in business, is The Plainsman's sports editor.
