Off to a slow start on Friday, South Florida led No. 15 Auburn until halftime, but the Tigers came out of the locker room blazing, grabbing the Bulls by the horns and stealing the lead. Wendell Green Jr. and Allen Flanigan led the team’s offense with a combined 38 points.
The veteran Flanigan made three of the five three-point shots made by the team. Chris Moore followed Green’s and Flanigan’s offensive surges by adding seven points and five rebounds to the scoreboard. Dylan Cardwell matched his career-high of five blocks and played a major role in Auburn’s second-half comeback.
For the next stop on their long journey to the postseason, head coach Bruce Pearl’s Tigers will face Mark Prosser’s Eagles in the Jungle.
“I think this team [Winthrop] is better than South Florida from the standpoint of our matchup. They’ve got a couple of great shooters that are really confident. They’ll shoot the ball very well. They’ve got good backcourt play,” Pearl said. “For this early in the year, this will expose us, which is what you want. We’ll be challenged, and it’ll force us to execute offensively and defensively.”
The last time Auburn played Winthrop was November 24, 2017, winning 119-85. Although the Tigers have a good record against Winthrop, this matchup will not be easy for them. In their 2021-22 season, the Eagles were named the Big South regular season champions.
Pearl specifically mentioned Winthrop senior forward Cory Hightower and his ability to beat the Tigers at the three and four spots. He also mentioned junior forward Kelton Talford’s talent on the inside, and he is interested to see how Auburn’s defense will match Talford’s offensive ability.
“You know, they know how to win. They’ve got good players. They have really good coaches,” Pearl said. “You just got to be excited about playing every night, you know, regarding the matchup, so that’s gonna be my message for our guys against Winthrop.”
Talford is off to a hot start for the Eagles, finishing with a double-double on 23 points and 11 rebounds in their second game against Piedmont. Hightower snagged nine rebounds in that game, but his season high in scoring came via 20 points in Winthrop's most recent game against Middle Tennessee.
During the game against South Florida, shooting was a big problem for Auburn, especially in the first half. In that time frame, Auburn was 6-24 for field goals compared to 15-28 in the second half. For three-point field goals, the Tigers had 2-14 compared to the 3-11 in the second half.
“This is a very hard-working team, and it frustrates me not seeing the ball go in for these guys. This team is prepared for the moment,” Cardwell said. “Some shots are early and contested, but I think we are taking the right shots.”
Johni Broome’s ankle continues to bother the forward, preventing him from participating at full strength. When asked about Chance Westry’s possible return, Pearl stated that there is a chance he will make an appearance tomorrow against the Eagles.
“Chance picked up a lot of defense in Israel. And, you know, I just love his work ethic, and I’m excited to see him play in front of the Jungle,” Cardwell said.
If Westry does return on Tuesday, it will likely be in the same fashion as Flanigan last season, with a gradual increase in playing time before he can truly be considered in any sort of starting role.
The Tigers and Eagles tip off at 6 p.m. CST from Neville Arena, with the game broadcast on the SEC Network.
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Caitlyn Griffin is a sophomore from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in journalism. She started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
Twitter: @caitlyngrif99
