AUBURN | It’s easy to forget what a good freshman season Bryce Brown had, especially when he’s in a bit of a sophomore slump.

Auburn’s shooting guard has made just 9-of-34 (29.2 percent) of his 3-pointers this season, well below his average a year ago.

“We’re 5-1 and he hasn’t been able to shoot the ball very well, especially the last 5 games,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “Obviously it’s mental. That’s something he can definitely overcome.”

Brown set an Auburn freshman record with 78 made 3-pointers last season, shooting 37.0 percent from beyond the arc. He ranked fourth in the SEC with 2.6 made 3-pointers per game.

He averaged 10.1 points, the first Auburn freshman to average in double figures in 10 years.

This season, Brown is averaging 7.2 points and 0.7 assists per game and is third on the team with nine steals. He’s made just 4-of-24 3-pointers since draining 5-of-10 in the opener against North Florida.

Still, Brown has started all six games for the Tigers and Pearl expects those shots to start dropping for his talented sophomore before too long.

“I would say that I’ve not lost one ounce of confidence in Bryce’s ability to score the ball, shoot the basketball,” Pearl said. “The fact that Bryce can be a great defender and a great shooter gives him a chance to be a really important player, because he’s got a chance to be great at both.

“But I would say too, that he does need to continue to take better shots and not shoot his way out of a — let’s say he’s in a slump like right now.”

Pearl would love to see Brown break out this Saturday when Auburn visits UAB. Tip-off at Bartow Arena is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT on beIN Sports.

“Now when Bryce starts making shots and you get him into a ‘heat check,’ then you’re looking to go at it a little bit. But he’s got to get out of that (slump) first,” Pearl said.