Bruce Pearl is the winningest coach in Auburn history, and another milestone is within his grasp — the No. 1 ranking in next week’s Associated Press Top 25 poll.
The No. 2 Tigers will attempt to run their winning streak to eight games and impress voters even further Saturday afternoon with a visit to South Carolina in Columbia, S.C.
Auburn (14-1, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) is unbeaten since its six-point loss at Duke on Dec. 4. The Tigers won the first six games of their streak by at least 16 points before Pearl, who is in his 11th season as Auburn’s coach, got his 214th win in Tuesday’s 87-82 victory at Texas.
Pearl surpassed Joel Eaves (1949-63), and his achievement occurred on the same night top-ranked Tennessee was handed a 30-point loss at eighth-ranked Florida. The Tigers began this season No. 11 and moved up to the top five on Nov. 11 before becoming the second-ranked team following an impressive showing to win the Maui Invitational.
Auburn’s latest win might have been its toughest since the trip to Hawaii, when it beat Iowa State, North Carolina and Memphis. The Tigers allowed a 21-point lead in the second half to slip to three in the final minute on Tuesday.
“The kids were excited about it,” Pearl said of his record. “I have confidence in them, and over a period of time, their confidence builds in us. I don’t think we panicked late. We’ve got a lot to learn from. The kids were happy for me.”
Auburn has scored at least 80 points in 12 games and continues to get big performances from Johni Broome, who has led the team in scoring in four straight games after totaling 20 points and 12 rebounds Tuesday. Broome is averaging a double-double for the season and leads the Tigers in scoring (18.7 points per game), rebounds (11.2) and assists (3.4).
Broome is one of six Auburn players to average in double figures in scoring. The Tigers continue to get steady outings from Chad Baker-Mazara, whose 16 points Tuesday marked the 12th time he reached double figures this season.
The Gamecocks (10-5, 0-2), meanwhile, are off to a rough start in conference play and will face their third straight ranked opponent after losing by a combined 55 points to Mississippi State and Alabama.
South Carolina struggled with slow starts in portions of its non-conference schedule, and the issue is appearing through the two conference games. After trailing Mississippi State by 25 at halftime a week ago, the Gamecocks faced a 45-28 halftime deficit against Alabama.
Off to a slow start in conference play is Collin Murray-Boyles, who was 3 of 15 from the field and scored 11 points in the past two games after reaching double figures in 12 of 13 non-conference games.
“Some of it is doubling. I think he’s been sped up a little bit,” South Carolina coach Lamont Paris said about Murray-Boyles. “You gotta make decisions in traffic and sometimes in a short amount of time, and he didn’t do a great job.”
South Carolina hopes Murray-Boyles can bounce back in conjunction with strong performances from Jacobi Wright, who scored 20 against Alabama. The Gamecocks also got 10 from Zachary Davis after he finished with 22 at Mississippi State.
Arden Conyers likely will see more time in place of Myles Stute, who is out indefinitely with a blood clot in his leg. Conyers played a season-high 19 minutes Wednesday after appearing for a combined 16 minutes in his five appearances during the non-conference schedule.
–Field Level Media
