The Auburn basketball team got the job done in their mid-week matchup against Texas, beating the Longhorns 87-82 in their second conference game of the season. This weekend the Tigers will hit the road again to take on South Carolina.
The Tigers had to battle their way to a win on Tuesday and dropped a 17-point lead at the end of the second half and allowing the Longhorns to come within one basket to tie the game. Though it was a big win for Auburn basketball, head coach Bruce Pearl would like to see less of a dropoff at the end of games.
#2 Auburn basketball is undefeated in conference play and still holds only one loss to Duke. South Carolina holds a 10-5 record but sits at the bottom of the SEC with no conference wins. The Gamecocks are coming off a two-loss streak while the Tigers will be hoping to solidify the #1 spot after Tennessee's loss to Florida.
Here is what Pearl and the players had to say:
Pearl on the Tigers falling off at the end of games, per Auburn Rivals:
“I'd say the late run against Texas was against our starters, that might be a concern. Some of the late runs prior to that … were against the bench. It's a 40-minute game. Teams aren't going anywhere. To your point, I think that I would say that what we've done offensively in a couple of those games where we may have relaxed a little bit because of the lead and may have thrown some passes and done some things where we should have just finished basic plays and did not, and then all of a sudden, the margin shrunk.”
Miles Kelly on his comeback with 18 points versus Texas, per Auburn Undercover:
"The last couple games I haven't shot the ball the way I wanted ... the rims just felt crazy. Everything I put up felt like it was going in. I hate that I missed the two I got great looks on. Just got to keep it going."
Johni Broome on the Tigers' free throws versus Texas and the SEC, per Auburn Rivals:
"Coach preaches about it all the time, about free throws and how crucial that is," Broome said. "For us to go 21 of 25 and only miss four free throws, it just shows how we were locked in today. We made a lot of them down the stretch when we needed them the most. You need to make free throws on the road, especially to win in the SEC."
The Tigers and the Gamecocks will tipoff from South Carolina at noon on Saturday.