Bruce Pearl and his No. 13 Tigers return home from an emotional week, defeating No. 15 Alabama by 18 before falling to the Florida Gators in Gainesville by 16. Auburn still is in position to achieve everything it wants to as a team, but the competition that awaits this week is perhaps the toughest stretch of the season.
“We've been talking all season long about being in position to be in position, and that's where we find ourselves. If we want to win the (SEC) championship. We have to beat South Carolina tomorrow. It's pretty simple,” said Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl.
The surprise team of the SEC, No. 11 South Carolina, enters Neville Arena tied with Alabama for the top spot in the league standings with just a month to go until the conclusion of the regular season and the SEC Tournament in Nashville, Tennessee.
Although the Gamecocks were picked to finish last in the league, Lamont Paris’ crew has continued to pass every test thrown at them. South Carolina has been no stranger to playing in tough environments, defeating then-No. 5 Tennessee in January inside Thompson-Boling Arena – one of only 4 teams in the nation with a top-5 road win this season.
“I'll tell the coaches at South Carolina, when I see them (Wednesday), it took me three years to do what it's taken you guys 18 months or a year to do,” Pearl said of South Carolina’s quick resurgence under Paris.
The Gamecocks have pulled off upsets and taken care of business against their southeastern foes with their stifling defense – limiting 20 opponents below 70 points this season, which leads the SEC and is tied for third nationally.
But in contrast, Auburn has found offensive success in front of the Jungle averaging 85.5 points per game in home games and boasting a margin of victory of 18.8 points inside Neville Arena during conference play.
The Tigers are the only unbeaten at home team in the SEC with a perfect 12-0 mark at Neville Arena this season. The Tigers currently own a 15-game home winning streak, tied with High Point for the eighth-longest nationally.
“It's amazing how many fans and how many people just show love to the team,” Chaney Johnson said of the Jungle. “So it's really just a blessing to have a fan base that is really behind their players through thick and thin.”
In order for Auburn to continue the home-court success, the Tigers will once again rely on production from their big men.
In five conference home games this season, Auburn is led by Jaylin Williams, averaging 18.2 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game, and Johni Broome, averaging 16.2 points per game and 7.4 rebounds per game.
“We have four guys in the front line, Johni Broome, Dylan Cardwelll and Jaylin Williams, Chaney Johnson. And South Carolina is gonna have four guys in the frontline too, but our strength is when everybody contributes,” Pearl said.
The two, Broome and Williams, have been on fire from the field shooting a combined 60.2% from the field and 61.9% from behind the arc in the five home SEC competitions.
“South Carolina's not doubled (teamed) a lot. They've got really good size in there. They'll mix it up a little bit,” Pearl said of the Gamecocks’ potential approach to slowing down Broome. “We’re going to play through our best players and Johni is clearly one of our best players and we'll continue to play through him.”
Broome’s opponent Wednesday night, Ta'Lon Cooper, has had recent performances, such as his 18-point game against No. 5 Tennessee and a career-high 20 points against No. 6 Kentucky, that underscore his impact both as a player and as a team leader.
“They are a physical team. He's a veteran,” Johni Broome said Tuesday afternoon. “Lately, they've been on a winning streak, so he's a big factor in this game.”
Cooper has not only proven himself as proficient scorer, but he also ranks third in the SEC in assists per game with 4.4 and sixth nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.62:1.
The big men could ultimately decide this top-13 matchup inside of Neville Arena between Auburn and South Carolina – the first ranked matchup of the series in 50 meetings. The Tigers and Gamecocks are scheduled to tipoff on Valentine’s Day at 7:30 p.m. CST with television coverage on the SEC Network.
“So this game will be won with defense and rebounding and obviously we'll have to do a better job of executing,” Pearl said of the upcoming matchup with the Gamecocks.
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Patrick is a sophomore from Auburn, Alabama, double majoring in journalism and marketing. He started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
