Notebook: Auburn versus South Carolina
It's safe to say that Auburn owns South Carolina at this point.
The Tigers cruised to an 86-55 win over the Gamecocks in their SEC Tournament opener.
Auburn shot 49 percent from the field and 47 percent from three and held South Carolina to 28 percent shooting and 25 percent from deep.
The Tigers will play Mississippi State on Saturday after the Bulldogs dominated Tennessee 73-56.
"Proud of our kids," said Bruce Pearl. "Coaching staff did a great job of getting us prepared. Guys had a really good week. We're looking forward to the opportunity to play Mississippi State tomorrow."
BAD MATCHUP, BUT...
In the teams' first matchup, Auburn won by 40 in Neville Arena. On a neutral court, the Tigers won by 31.
Auburn outscored South Carolina 187-116 in the two matchups between the schools.
"I'm not going to tell you why it's a good matchup for us and a bad one for them," Pearl said. "It just is. There's things about the way we play and they work that sort of works out for us."
It's clear that Auburn is a matchup issue for the Gamecocks, but here's the thing: South Carolina is 26-7 and a projected 5-seed.
So while the matchup certainly favors Auburn, destroying a good team the way Auburn has twice shouldn't be chalked up as just a bad matchup -- it's an objectively impressive win for the Tigers.
CLAMPS
South Carolina runs a slow, methodical offense which played right into the hands of the Tigers.
Auburn held the Gamecocks to 55 points and 28 percent shooting, their lowest mark of the season.
Per Synergy, South Carolina posted 0.663 points per possession, its second-lowest mark of the season.
B.J. Mack, Collin Murray-Boyles and Meechie Johnson, Carolina's three leading scorers, combined to shoot 5-of-31 from the field.
The Gamecocks are a mediocre three-point shooting team, but they excel in the post, just not against the Tigers; They went 10-of-34 on shots at the rim.
"We already played them once and destroyed them," said Chad Baker-Mazara. "So we stayed with the same game plan and executed pretty well. Guys had a little extra chip on their shoulder today because their guys had a little fun saying their little comment about us. That brought a little fire to us. We came out ready for them."
THIS AIN'T THE JUNGLE BAYBEE
As South Carolina players noted, the SEC Tournament wasn't held in Neville Arena, which was a factor as the Gamecocks improved upon their previous game against Auburn by losing by nine fewer points.
Auburn's players heard the noise, and while they don't need motivation for an SEC Tournament game, it certainly didn't hurt.
"One of the players in their postgame interviews said they basically won because it was in The Jungle," Broome said. "South Carolina is a very good team but we had a little extra motivation coming in."
ALL AROUND OFFENSE
The defense was the story, but the Auburn offense also had a good day, and they were good from everywhere.
Three-point shooting? Auburn went 9-of-19.
Inside the paint? Auburn had 42 paint points with 36 of them being at the rim.
In transition? The Tigers posted 1.375 points per possession on the break.
Overall, Auburn posted 1.117 points per possession on the night and totaled 18 assists compared to just five turnovers. A dominant showing.
"Just being aggressive but not forcing it, and taking what the defense gives us," said Aden Holloway. "Just staying solid, making good basketball plays."
DEPTH, AGAIN
Jaylin Williams has a good argument to be Auburn's second most valuable player, and he scored just three points against the Gamecocks. It didn't matter.
Broome paced Auburn with 18 points, and outside of him and Williams, every other Tiger had a point total ranging from five to 11.
The Tigers' depth is a massive advantage for them, and they know it.
"We play 10, 11 guys," Williams said. "If it’s not my shooting night, if I take two shots that’s fine, because I know Chaney’s going to come in behind me, pick it up, make tough shots, block shots, rebound; He’s going to do everything. If Johni had a bad night, Dylan’s going to step up. We’re going to be balanced. The bench doesn’t drop off.
UP NEXT
Coming into the day, most expected an Auburn versus Tennessee rematch. The Tigers did their part, but Mississippi State had other plans.
The Bulldogs beat the Vols in a game that they controlled pretty much from start to finish.
The two teams split the season series as the Bulldogs won 64-58 in Starkville and Auburn won 78-63 in Neville Arena.
The Bulldogs under Chris Jans are a physical, defensive-minded team, and they have the respect of the Auburn locker room.
"I wasn’t shocked they won because they play hard for 40 minutes and they’re one of the most athletic teams in the conference," Williams said. "I have a lot of respect for those guys. They play very hard. I see us as one of the better teams in the league, and we’re not going to let down either, so it’s going to be a fist fight tomorrow.”