AUBURN — It will go down as one of the loudest substitutions in Auburn basketball history.

At the 16:56 mark in the first half, Austin Wiley took off his warmup and stepped to the scorer's table. Everyone in Auburn Arena knew how long it had been since the Tigers center, the former 5-star prospect, played a basketball game for Auburn.

Through a yearlong NCAA ineligibility ruling and a preseason foot injury, Wiley hadn't stepped on the floor as an Auburn basketball player since March 2017 against Missouri in Nashville for the SEC Championship.

"Almost 600 days," Samir Doughty said after the game, shaking his head.

Bryce Brown quickly jumped in.

"Yeah, almost 600 days. That's a long time. It was great to have him back out there, just another big body, an extra body that is going to continue to help us win," Brown said.

Wiley's teammates were among those most excited for his return. Malik Dunbar and Horace Spencer stood up on the bench, both flashing their expressive smiles as much as they did all night. The walk-ons at the end of the bench snapped their towels with a fervor matched only by the reactions to the night's three-point shooting binge.

But Auburn's players were far from the only ones in the building who understood the gravity of Wiley's return.

Everyone did.

"I'm sure Austin would tell you. We're just grateful for the response our fans gave him — a standing ovation," Bruce Pearl said. "Austin Wiley hasn't played a college basketball game since March of 2017 in Nashville against Missouri. That's the last college game he's played. We're in November of 2018 now."

Wiley's entrance may have generated more buzz than his on-court performance, but that will soon change. The sophomore center only returned to the court Wednesday for his first full-contact practice.

He finished his season debut with 5 points on 2-of-4 shooting with a rebound and an assist in 13 minutes of action.

Pearl lit up at this team's possibilities when Wiley is back comfortably at full speed.

"You could tell there's a little rust on him, but he's going to help us when he gets in the flow a little bit," Pearl said. "Today was his second contact day in five weeks. Great to have him back."