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(02/24/15 1:36am)
Bruce Pearl has never had a losing season.
If Pearl wants to be able to brag about that past this year, his Tigers will have to get things turned around quickly.
The games have been close, but lately the Tigers haven't been able to find a way to win in crunch time.
"Adversity reveals character, it doesn't build it," Pearl said. "They are still playing hard, competing hard and working hard. My message to the team this morning was we have to go to class this week, don't let the pain of not winning get involved and become a distraction to other aspects of being a student-athlete."
Pearl said he also stressed to his players the importance of staying in the moment.
"Don't look back and don't look too far ahead," Pearl said. "Some late offensive rebounds have hurt us and some late turnovers have hurt us. We need to improve in those two areas."
The momentum may not be there right now, but according to Pearl, his team, despite their struggles, still approaches every game with an attitude and a belief that they can come away victorious.
"I'm sure when you have lost four in a row that it is a confidence issue," Pearl said. "But it has been a confidence issue from the day I got the job. It is still a confidence issue. I have to continue to come up with game plans and strategies and things for us to continue to be able to compete and have a chance to win games. That is all we can do."
Of those four losses, only one has been a double-digit defeat, a 71-61 home loss to Texas A&M. Also in that group is a heartbreaking two-point loss at Alabama, a game that Auburn controlled the majority of.
"Right now we're just trying to stay together as a team," said senior guard Malcolm Canada. "As we stay together as a team, we are trying to take the positive after these games and move try to move forward with them and make a late run. Stay together, stick together, and stay positive."
Canada attributed some of the late-game collapses to poor execution and lack of faith in the game plan from the coaching staff.
"Just us not staying committed and trusting one another and trusting our coaches, who worked hard and put us in the right positions to make plays defensively," Canada said. "And then coming down to offense and executing our plays offensively. We're not doing what we need to do."
Even with the losses, Canada says this team is leaps and bounds improved from last year's squad, mostly because of the team's mindset.
"We are putting ourself in position to win all these games," Canada said. "Rather than last year, where we went into the game with defeat already on our mind. This year we know we can win these games. These last few games we dropped the ball on ourself. If we can just stay with it and hold the lead when we have it, we'll be in good shape. But we keep shooting ourselves in the foot."
(02/02/15 9:54pm)
Something big may be coming to Jordan-Hare Stadium.
That something is a new, enormous video board, and should it be approved, it will be the largest of its kind in all of college football.
In a meeting Friday, Feb. 6, Auburn's board of trustees will vote on the proposed board, which will be around 200-feet wide and will replace the current video board in Jordan-Hare's south end zone.
Should the vote pass, the estimated $13.9 million screen could be in place by the Tigers' first home game of 2015, a matchup with Jacksonville State on Sept. 12.
That $13.9 million will be covered by the University, and then will be reimbursed by the athletic program, according to proposal documents posted on the University website.
In order to claim the title of "biggest," Auburn's new board will have to exceed the dimensions of the one at Texas A&M's Kyle Field, which is 47 by 163.
The largest video board in all of sports is at Everbank Field, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars. That screen features whopping dimensions of 362 by 60.
The announcement of the vote comes just shortly after the installation of a new 23 by 29 video board at Jane B. Moore field, home of Auburn softball.
(02/24/15 1:33am)
"Some will be booing and some will be Bru-ing."
That's what Auburn basketball head coach Bruce Pearl said he expects to hear when he makes his return to Thompson-Boling Arena on Saturday, Jan. 31.
Pearl coached at Tennessee from 2005-11 and was the engineer of the program's turnaround that included a trip to the elite eight.
Pearl added that leading up to the game, his emotions will be running high, but when the ball tips, it will be time to get to work.
"I asked them to try and understand what my emotions are going to be prior to the game," Pearl said. "For those of you who do not know me, I am not Dick Vermeil, but I can get watery. I cannot control it. It just happens when I talk about my players or when I talk about my family or I talk about things that I am passionate about. It happens sometimes. But from the minute we get in that huddle to start playing, there will not be any different emotion as it relates to coaching, as it relates to the game. My preparation prior to has been the same, it has been consistent. But I am sure, in the moments leading up to tip, it will be difficult."
Pearl said he's tried to prepare the team for that distraction.
"The minute I walk in that building and get off that bus there will be a camera in my face," Pearl said. "It will walk me to the bathroom. I lived on the other side of media. They are going to know every time I scratch my nose and every little emotion that is going through me.:
As far as the game itself goes, guard K.C. Ross-Miller said the emotion surrounding his coach will definitely be a motivating factor for the team.
"I don't think it should take away from the game," Ross-Miller said. "We are all pretty focused. Coach has already spoken with us and let us know how things are going to be so we are already aware of the attention he is going to get from coming back to Tennessee. We just want to make him happy."
The game will tipoff at 11 a.m. and will air on ESPN2.
(02/24/15 1:34am)
It's been said all year. This Auburn basketball team is small.
When Auburn struggles to crash the boards and nab rebounds, the result is usually an Auburn loss, especially if that game is being played on the road.
"There have been a couple games where we have been bothered by size," said head coach Bruce Pearl. "At Colorado, where we made some of their power forwards, who are good players, look like great players. Certainly, we hung in there in the boards against Alabama, but we did not rebound the ball late. You could say that a couple of offensive rebounds late were major factors in costing us that opportunity."
In what was only Auburn's second home loss, the Tigers were out rebounded by Mississippi State 44-33, and gave up 20 second chance points to the Bulldogs.
After the game, Pearl talked about the impact a lack of rebounding can have on his team.
"Defense and rebounding are things that we can control," Pearl said. "When we defend and rebound, we can beat just about anybody in this league. When we don't defend and rebound, we can't beat anybody in this league. There's not enough talent in there to beat anybody in this league if we don't defend and rebound and play with our identity. We can't beat anybody if we play like that."
Pearl said once an opposing team makes its way to the low post, their chances of scoring greatly increase.
"In the halfcourt, the closer these teams get to the basket the better they look," Pearl said. "If you let a team handle the ball close to the rim, if you let a team get in there easily and don't double them down when they get in their tight, that's what we have had to do."
Pearl's tallest player, freshman center Trayvon Reed, has shown flashes of great play on defense, but Pearl said Reed's progression into a great player will take time.
"Trayvon has not improved as much in games as we would like and as people would expect," Pearl said. "But he has improved a lot as far as his preparation, and as far as his habits, training, work in the weight room, his diet and just his attention to being consistent on a schedule. We are going to have to be patient with Trayvon. Trayvon is going to have to be patient. He didn't come here to average one point and two rebounds. He came here to play a more dominant role. He physically isn't ready for that at 7-foot-2, 225 lbs. as a freshman. He didn't have that same off-season that all of our guys had in the weight room and running stairs. He didn't have that and it shows. I don't know how much more we will see from Trayvon as the season progresses."
Senior guard KT Harrell agreed that he thinks Reed will get better as time goes on.
"He's young, he's inexperienced, but Trayvon's going to be really good," Pearl said. "He's got to get stronger but I think the most important thing for him is just to go out there and play as hard as he can and just leave it all out there."
Another problem Pearl said he has seen begin to take shape on his team is lack of distribution in scoring.
In Auburn's 57-55 loss at Alabama, Cinmeon Bowers, Harrell and Antoine Mason combined for 49 of the Tigers' 55 points, with 13, 22 and 14 respectively.
K.C. Ross-Miller, Malcolm Canada and Tahj Shamsid-Deen each had two points, while Jordon Granger, Alex Thompson and Trayvon Reed all had zero.
"I look at this two ways," Pearl said. "One, you go on the road and you want to make sure your best players are getting the looks, and they certainly did. Antoine, KT and Cinmeon got the majority of the looks and carried the load scoring-wise. The other guys who don't play as dominant of a role in the offense, have consistently played better at home than they have on the road. We play best when everyone is contributing. When everyone isn't contributing and we go on the road we haven't won."
(01/29/15 8:30pm)
Nine hundred feet. From my front door to the front door of RBD library, it's exactly 900 feet.
A rock thrown from my window would land on RBD's front lawn.
From my old window, a window at Copper Beech townhomes on Shelton Mill Road, a rock thrown out of my window would probably have just hit my car.
Copper Beech, like so many other far-off-campus apartments, is a big complex with large townhomes and spacious rooms, but being this close to campus is invaluable.
After a long night of studying, a 900-foot walk looks a lot better than a 10-minute drive.
Speaking of driving, my house's closeness to campus means my car pretty much stays put. Gas prices might have dropped, but my wallet is much heavier now than it ever was at Copper Beech.
Not only has my wallet benefited from the change, but so has my sleep schedule. The 10-minute drive from Copper Beech required me to get up approximately 15 minutes earlier than normal. Sleep and money are two things many college students lack, but living near campus has definitely made a change for me in both of those areas.
A student should live as close as they can to campus, but campus isn't the only thing close to my house. Downtown Auburn is also just a short walk away.
Understandably, people see the allure of the bigger apartments, but on weekends spent downtown, driving home could land them in jail.
Of course, there are other ways to get home. The transit system is a reliable option, but the options pretty much run out there. Taxis can be costly, and Uber, a cheaper alternative to taxis, suspended their services in Auburn. It's better to walk home from the bar than to drive.
I suppose it comes down to preference, but, for me at least, the many benefits of living close to campus far outweigh the few of living far away.
I can be anywhere I need to be on campus or around town within 10 minutes, my sleep schedule has grown and my wallet has taken a significantly smaller hit.
For a college kid, you really can't beat that.
(02/24/15 1:14am)
Auburn didn't see the lead for a single second.
In a 71-61 loss to Texas A&M, the Tigers were playing from behind from the get-go.
TAMU guard Danuel House hit four early 3-pointers and the Tigers found themselves down 11 less than six minutes into the game.
As has been the trend lately for Auburn, the bulk of their points, 41 to be exact, came from KT Harrell, Cinmeon Bowers and Antoine Mason. The rest of the players who saw time for Auburn only managed a combined 20 points.
"We didn't play well together offensively," said head coach Bruce Pearl. "My biggest thing moving forward is, I've got to find a way for our team to play better offensively where we get each other open and find each other. It's been a challenge."
Pearl has said several times in the past that Auburn lacks in size, and the Tigers certainly paid for that Tuesday.
In the paint, TAMU outscored Auburn 42-14, while also out-rebounding the Tigers 36-29.
"We shot too many jump shots," Mason said. "We should have drove. Especially me, I shot eight 3-pointers. We can't just rely on jump shots. We've got to attack them and get them in foul trouble like they got us."
Harrell, Auburn's leading scorer and the second leading scorer in the SEC was shut down by the Aggie defense for most of the night.
"There were some opportunities for KT where he kind of was hesitant," Pearl said. "They make you score over great size and great length, and KT wasn't as aggressive looking for his shots, and when they took him away he kind of forced some things."
Pearl added that Harrell should have realized he was A&M's main target, and used that knowledge to get his teammates better shots.
"He's got to make plays for others," Pearl said. "For example, he had one assist. On a night when they're really taking him away ... go get other guys shots. But it wasn't just KT. We were pretty disrupted offensively most of the night."
Harrell finished the night with 11 points. Mason was the leading scorer on the night for the Tigers with 16. Bowers added 14 of his own and grabbed eight rebounds.
The loss is the third straight for the Tigers and drops them to a 10-10 record with a 2-5 mark in conference play.
Saturday, Auburn will travel to Knoxville, Tennessee, to take on Tennessee in Pearl's return to Thompson-Boling Arena.
The game will tip off at 11 a.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
(01/24/15 6:30pm)
Sports editor Eric Wallace and assistant sports editor David McKinney discuss this week's happenings in Auburn sports.
(02/24/15 1:12am)
Sophomore center Matthew Atewe hasn't seen any minutes on the hardwood since Auburn's exhibition against West Alabama, and he won't see any more.
The Canadian re-injured his leg that had a steel rod put in it last April in the West Alabama game, and has been out of action since.
Atewe is 6-foot-8, 230 pounds, and would have added some much-needed height to a short Auburn roster this season.
(02/24/15 1:05am)
With roughly seven minutes left in the first half, Auburn led Mississippi State 21-19.
The Tigers wouldn't see the lead again.
To close out the half, Auburn would score only one more point, a KT Harrell free throw. At half, the Bulldogs led 31-22.
A furious comeback saw the Tigers cut MSU's lead to 67-65 with 2:03 to go, but Bulldog guard IJ Ready answered right back with a three, and the comeback attempt was foiled.
"They made it really difficult for us to score in the first half," head coach Bruce Pearl said. "We didn't value the ball, we didn't value possessions. Points off turnovers and second chance points were the difference in the game. "
All told, the Bulldogs had 20 second chance points and 21 points off 12 Auburn turnovers.
Another large contribution to the Tigers loss was lack of rebounding.
On the night, MSU outrebounded Auburn 44-33, with 17 of those 33 coming from forward Cinemon Bowers. Bowers also had 16 points, giving him his 12th double-double on the year.
"Defense and rebounding are things that we can control, Pearl said. "When we defend and rebound, we can beat just about anybody in this league. When we don't defend and rebound, we can't beat anybody in this league. There's not enough talent in there to beat anybody in this league if we don't defend and rebound and play with our identity. We can't beat anybody if we play like that."
Despite Bowers' big night and KT Harrell's 22 points, Pearl said that in order for Auburn to win games, it has to be a team effort, rather than a few standout individual performances.
"We play best when everybody contributes, and I only had two or three guys that really played well tonight," Pearl said. "It's hard to win when you only have two or three guys that played."
Next up for the Tigers is a trip to Tuscaloosa on Saturday and Harrell said that a win there will take more than the Tigers have given on the road as of late.
"We've got to be more consistent," Harrell said. "We've been playing at home really well, but we've got to figure out a way to win on the road. Our mind is on Alabama, and that's going to be a tough road game for us. We've got to be more consistent. Period. I think that's what we'll be focusing on tomorrow."
The loss drops the Tigers to 10-8 overall, with a 2-3 record in Southeastern Conference play.
The Alabama game will tip off at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
(02/24/15 12:59am)
KT Harrell's 24 points lifted Auburn to a 71-68 victory over South Carolina Saturday, Jan. 17.
None of those 24 were more important than the four that came after Harrell was fouled on a made 3-pointer with the Tigers trailing 53-57 with less than five minutes to go.
"Late in the game, it doesn't take a great coach to figure out that you've got to get the ball in his hands," head coach Bruce Pearl said. "KT did a great job closing it out."
Harrell said the play, along with the crowd, was a great experience for him.
"Man, that was a great feeling," Harrell said. "It was a big momentum shift for us, so I was just glad I made the play."
Antoine Mason said he agreed the play was a huge part of Auburn's win.
"It changed the whole momentum," Mason said. "We got more confidence and just focused on defense."
Mason was the Tigers' second-leading scorer on the night with 14, while Cinmeon Bowers joined Harrell and Mason in double-digits, recording his 11th double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Auburn led 39-29 at the half, but South Carolina opened up the second half on fire, eventually taking back the lead 47-46 with a little more than elven minutes left. The game was back and forth the rest of the way.
"If you look at how we got the game, it was defense, turning them over, transition and rebounding," Pearl said. "They came out (in the second half) scoring, and we weren't rebounding, we weren't running and we weren't turning them over. The start of second halves has been a problem for us this year."
The Tigers forced 17 turnovers, and converted those turnovers into 17 points. They also out-rebounded the Gamecocks 36-34.
"We had 23 defensive rebounds, and they only had nine offensive rebounds," Pearl said. "They rebound 35 or 36 percent of their misses, and obviously that is not what they had tonight. The fact that South Carolina only got nine second chance points is huge."
The crowd was a factor all night for Auburn, whose performances at home have exceedingly outshone those on the road.
"That's probably the loudest it's been since I've been here," Harrell said. "When you have that type of atmosphere, that type of crowd, it makes you feel like you can't lose, and it makes you play that much harder."
Pearl also commented on the crowd, and said things may have gone differently without it.
"That could not have happened without a sell-out crowd," Pearl said. "I talked to (USC head coach) Frank Martin before the game and he looked around and complimented what he saw in Auburn Arena."
Overall, Auburn shot 36.5 percent from the field, and went seven of 20 from three-point land.
The win moves the Tigers to 10-7 overall on the year, with a 2-2 record in SEC play.
Next up, the Tigers will take on Mississippi State on Wednesday, Jan 21 in Auburn Arena at 8 p.m. before traveling to Alabama on Jan. 24.
(01/18/15 5:02am)
KT Harrell's 24 points lifted Auburn to a 71-68 victory over South Carolina Saturday night in the Auburn Arena.
It's likely that none of those 24 points were more important than the four that came after Harrell was fouled on a made three pointer, with the Tigers trailing 57-53 with less than five minutes to go.
"Late in the game, it doesn't take a great coach to figure out that you've got to get the ball in his hands," Pearl said. "KT did a great job closing it out."
Harrell said the play, along with the crowd, was a great experience for him.
"Man, that was a great feeling," Harrell said. "It was a big momentum shift for us, so I was just glad I made the play."
Antoine Mason agreed that the play was a huge part of Auburn's win.
"It changed the whole momentum," Mason said. "We got more confidence and just focused on defense."
Mason was the Tiger's second leading scored on the night with 14, while Cinmeon Bowers joined Harrell and Mason in double-digits, recording his 11th double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Auburn led 39-29 at the half, but South Carolina opened up the second half on fire, eventually taking back the lead 47-46 with a little over eleven minutes left. The game was back and forth the rest of the way.
"If you look at how we got the game, it was defense, turning them over, transition and rebounding," Pearl said. "They came out (in the second half) scoring, and we weren't rebounding, we weren't running and we weren't turning them over. The start of second halves has been a problem for us this year."
The Tigers ended up forcing 17 turnovers, and converting those turnovers into 17 points. They also outrebounded the Gamecocks 36-34.
"We had 23 defensive rebounds, and they only had nine offensive rebounds," Pearl said. "They rebound 35 or 36 percent of their misses, and obviously that is not what they had tonight. The fact that South Carolina only got nine second chance points is huge."
The crowd was a factor all night for Auburn, whose performances at home have exceedingly outshone those on the road.
"That's probably the loudest it's been since I've been here," Harrell said. "When you have that type of atmosphere, that type of crowd, it makes you feel like you can't lose, and it makes you play that much harder."
Pearl also commented on the crowd, and said things may have gone differently without it.
"That could not have happened without a sell-out crowd," Pearl said. "I talked to (USC head coach) Frank Martin before the game and he looked around and complimented what he saw in Auburn Arena."
Overall, Auburn shot 36.5 percent from the field, and went seven of 20 from three-point land.
The win moves the Tigers to 10-7 overall on the year, with a 2-2 record in Southeastern Conference play.
Next up, the Tigers will take on Mississippi State on Wednesday in Auburn Arena at 8:00 p.m. before traveling to Alabama on Jan. 24.
(01/17/15 7:10pm)
(02/24/15 12:57am)
Nothing would fall. That was the story for Auburn basketball in Gainesville Jan. 15.
Coming off a home victory against Missouri, the Tigers were flat all night against Florida, losing by a final of 75-55.
Auburn shot 33 percent from the field and went six of 18 from three-point land.
The leading scorer for the Tigers was Antoine Mason, who had 13. Only one other Tiger, Cinmeon Bowers, scored in the double digits with 11. Bowers also had 11 rebounds, giving him his 10th double-double on the year.
The Gators shot 47 percent from the field and added seven three-pointers of their own, led by Dorian Finney-Smith, who had two threes and 14 total points.
The Tigers turned the ball over 13 times and forced the Gators into nine. Florida turned those Auburn turnovers into 16 points.
Late in the second half, the Tigers cut the lead to 10 at 63-53, but the comeback effort flamed out as quickly as it sparked.
The loss drops the Tigers to 9-7 overall and gives them a 1-2 mark in the SEC, with both losses coming on the road.
Next up for Pearl and his team is a Saturday, Jan. 17, matchup against South Carolina. That game will tipoff at 7:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
(02/24/15 12:57am)
Alex Thompson is back on the Plains and back on the hardwood for Auburn.
Thompson, a walk-on who was awarded a scholarship by former head coach Tony Barbee, took a semester off in the fall for personal reasons, but has seen significant playing time since returning to school in December 2014.
"We're glad that he's back," said basketball head coach Bruce Pearl when Thompson's return was announced. "I'm looking forward to getting to know him."
Thompson's return not only meant the return of a familiar face, but an extra body for a thin Auburn team.
"Now, with 11 scholarship players, we're not as far behind the eight ball," Pearl said.
Coming off the bench last year, Thompson averaged 7.8 minutes per game, one point per game and 1.5 rebounds per game.
So far this season, Thompson has seen time in seven games, with his best performance coming in a win against Winthrop when he scored eight points and added six rebounds. As of the Tigers' last game, a home win against Missouri, Thompson's average has moved up to three points per game.
Senior guard and leading scorer KT Harrell said the team is happy to have Thompson back.
"Alex being here, it's going to help us a lot," Harrell said. "Alex can stretch the floor a little bit so that's going to help us out a lot."
Pearl has stressed before how appreciative he is of athletic director Jay Jacobs for giving him his second chance, and Pearl said he hopes Thompson will appreciate it.
"Whether or not Alex takes advantage of this, it's what we do," Pearl said. "As long as you're in this business, as long as you're in this profession, you get to a situation where nothing surprises you, but you still get disappointed, and the time ever comes when you stop getting disappointed when you've given someone a second or third chance and they don't take advantage of it, you need to do something else."
Pearl said he would be disappointed if Thompson and freshman Trayvon Reed, who joined the team in December after being unable to enroll at Maryland, his first college choice, don't take advantage of their second chances.
"So I will be disappointed if these guys [Thompson and freshman center Trayvon Reed] don't take full advantage of this opportunity, but nothing surprises you when you're dealing with young people."
Senior guard Malcolm Canada said Thompson's return has also boosted the team's chemistry.
"With Antoine (Mason) back, it is not like we have missed a beat because we had him through the offseason," Canada said. "Same thing with Alex (Thompson). We knew him already. We knew what he could bring to the table. The only new person to the family is Trayvon (Reed). It has been working out easier than what we had thought, because he fits in."
Thompson and the Tigers currently boast a 9-6 record, with a 1-1 mark in SEC play. Next up for Auburn is a road trip to Gainesville, Florida, on Thursday, Jan. 15, to take on Billy Donovan and Florida.
(02/24/15 12:53am)
Auburn safeties coach Charlie Harbison will not be retained by new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, per a report from Phillip Marshall.
(02/24/15 12:52am)
Florida defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson will join new Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp at Auburn.
"Obviously, I'm very excited about returning to Auburn where I played, received my degree, and was a graduate assistant," Robinson said. "Auburn has provided me so many opportunities and I'm excited to be able to give back to a place that has meant so much to me. I have a lot of respect for Coach Malzahn and I'm looking forward to working for him.
Robinson played at Auburn from 1999-2002 and was a graduate assistant with the Tigers from 2006-07.
"Travaris is one of the nation's best young coaches and recruiters, who is very familiar with Auburn and the Southeastern Conference," Malzahn said. "He was an outstanding player at Auburn and will be a tremendous asset for our staff and players. We're excited to have Travaris back at Auburn."
(12/29/14 8:15pm)
A regulation basketball goal stands at exactly 120 inches.
Auburn freshman center Trayvon tops out at less than three feet below the rim, at 7-feet-2-inches.
In his short time with the Tigers so far this season, Reed has shown what a valuable asset he can become for head coach Bruce Pearl.
"I think the biggest thing for Trayvon is he's a dimension," Pearl said. "Can he get his game from being a dimension so being more of a factor? The answer is yes, he has that kind of ability. I don't think it's going to be leaps and bounds, because the things that he doesn't do right now have a lot to do with his strength and physicality. That's just going to take time. (He has) tremendous upside if he will stay with it."
Pearl got a second chance when he was hired at Auburn, and turned right around and gave Reed one of his own.
Reed was previously committed to Maryland, but was unable to enroll following an assault charge. The center said he's thankful for the opportunity Pearl and Auburn have given him.
"I have had my ups and downs," Reed said. "Some days I wasn't in the mood, I didn't feel like practicing. Some days I was just down but I also have some good days too. I just thank God for that. I thank Auburn for giving me a second chance."
On the court, Reed's game has been improving with each minute he's on the court.
"The coaches have told me I've improved a lot but I feel like I can do more," Reed said. "Coming down the line I am going to do more. I'm just waiting on that moment."
Reed said he thinks, with his large frame, that he can be a great asset on the defensive side of things.
"(I think I can help the most) defensively and rebounding, and once I really get in shape, running the floor," Reed said. "I love blocking shots. That's my thing."
Of course, with as big as Reed is, he's expected to have a big role under the offensive basket as well, provided he can gain some strength.
"I'm kind of small right now, so gaining weight and working on my body too," Reed said. "I feel like once I get that everything will be good."
Reed and the Tigers will face their next test Monday, as they take on Middle Tennessee State at 8 p.m. in Auburn Arena.
(12/29/14 4:31pm)
Gus Malzahn gave Auburn fans some good news and some bad news Monday morning.
In a press conference, Malzahn announced that leading receiver D'haquille Williams has been suspended for the Outback Bowl, but is planning on returning for his senior season on the Plains.
"(Williams) has been suspended for breaking team rules," Malzahn said. "He is planning on coming back next year so that's why he is here."
Malzahn said Williams has been working with the scout team during practice in the week leading up to the game.
"He's acting as Wisconsin's top receiver, so I felt like that was the right thing to do," Malzahn said.
Williams, a junior college transfer, racked up 730 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 45 catches in his first year for the Tigers.
The absence of Williams will force Auburn's other playmakers to take a bigger role, according to Malzahn.
"We played without him a couple of games anyway, so we've got some veteran guys that we can move around," Malzahn said. "Ricardo Louis, C.J. (Uzomah), Melvin (Ray), they all three will have a role in taking his place."
Speculation on Williams' status with the team began to circulate when he did not make the initial trip to Tampa with the rest of the Tigers.
Williams' receiving counterpart Sammie Coates has already announced that he won't be returning for his senior season.
(12/22/14 8:17pm)
After Auburn's bowl game matchup with Wisconsin on New Year's Day, Sammie Coates will have one college game left before he heads to the NFL.
The Senior Bowl announced Monday that Coates has accepted his invitation to play in the game, joining Auburn teammates Cameron Artis-Payne, Gabe Wright and Rimington Trophy recipient Reese Dismukes.
Coates announced on Dec. 15, having graduated, he will forgo his final year of eligibility and head for the NFL Draft. On the year, Coates brought in 30 catches for 717 yards and four touchdowns.
The game will be played Saturday, Jan. 24 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile and will kickoff at 3 p.m., on the NFL Network.
(12/21/14 2:38am)
This was the kind of basketball people were expecting to see under Bruce Pearl at Auburn Arena.
Down 13 at halftime at home, the Tigers battled back against Xavier, eventually grabbing a one-point win in double overtime.
In the second half, Auburn shot 61 percent and took the lead with 2:27 to go on a three-pointer from leading scorer KT Harrell. The Tigers maintained that lead until the 00:21 mark, when Miles Davis hit a three to tie things up at 71.
Cinmeon Bowers hit a layup from under the basket to give Auburn the lead back, but Antoine Mason fouled a driving Remmy Abell at the other end, who sank both shots from the line to send it to overtime.
The teams went back and forth again in the first overtime, finding themselves tied at 83 heading to the second.
Free throws plagued Auburn all game long (18-29), but, in the end, clutch free throws are what made the difference for Pearl's Tigers. Freshman Trayvon Reed hit one of two to give Auburn an 87-86 lead. On the next possession, an errant Xavier shot was tipped back in by Jalen Reynolds, giving the Musketeers the lead back with 36 seconds to go.
On the next Auburn possession, Malcolm Canada was fouled and stepped to the line with 14 seconds left.
Canada finished with 15 points after having only two at the break, none bigger than the two he sank from the charity stripe to give the Tigers a one-point lead that would become the final score.
Remy Abell was able to get a final shot off at the buzzer, but it was off the mark and Auburn won 89-88.
Canada was arguably the MVP of the comeback, but it was a total team effort from the Tigers on Saturday that helped them win the game.
KT Harrell scored 24 points, Bowers scored 17, and Antoine Mason added another 12.
Reed had his best game so far with four points, five rebounds and five blocks.
The defense from the Tigers was much improved after halftime. Overall, Auburn forced 16 turnovers and turned them in to 17 points.
The win moves Auburn up to 5-5, but it won't get easier from here.
Auburn's next opponent, Texas Southern, pulled off an overtime win of their own Saturday, beating No. 25 Michigan State at home by a score of 71-64, for their second win of the season.
The game between Auburn and Texas Southern will tipoff at 7:00 p.m. on December 23, and will be broadcast on the SEC Network.