5 players Auburn doesn’t want to see in the SEC Tournament

Bruce Pearl's team is good enough to win the 2024 SEC Tournament, but these five players, who are on contending teams, could spoil the party for the Tigers. Why Mark Sears, Antonio Reeves, and other scoring guards are Auburn's worst nightmare in March.

Alabama Crimson Tide guard Mark Sears (1) / Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Junior. SG. Meechie Johnson. Meechie Johnson. 4. player. 533. . . Meechie Johnson

Okay yes, this may sound ridiculous because Auburn just beat South Carolina by 40 points, but Meechie Johnson had a solid game and fits the archetype of a player that Auburn has struggled with. The 6-foot-2 guard is averaging 13.5 points on 11.2 shots a game and shoots 82.6% from the foul line.

Johnson scored 22 points in that Auburn blowout and went 8-17 from the field. It was far from a dominant performance, but he displayed a quality that is essential to succeeding against an elite defense like Auburn. Johnson has amnesia when it comes to his misses. Last time out against Ole Miss he went 1-11 from the field, but he won’t be gun-shy when South Carolina plays Texas A&M on Wednesday.

It doesn't matter if his shots aren't going down, he'll stay confident and keep taking them, which is necessary against Auburn.

South Carolina is 48th in KenPom and 62nd in adjusted offense. Auburn exposed how overrated the Gamecocks are, but the Tigers aren’t 40 points better than Lamont Paris’s team. I would expect a much closer matchup if the two meet in the SEC Tournament and Meechie Johnson will either shooting his team into or out of the game, but he won’t stop shooting, that’s for sure.

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