Auburn basketball: Tigers moving on from first loss as SEC schedule picks up
Off nights happen.
That’s what happened Jan. 8, when the Auburn squeaked out a close win over Vanderbilt. And that’s what happened again to the Tigers (15-1, 3-1 SEC) on Wednesday night, as they were trounced by rival Alabama in Tuscaloosa, in a loss that wasn’t really that close as the Crimson Tide controlled the game and won comfortably.
But the Tigers do not have much time to dwell on their first defeat.
Auburn travels to an 11-5 Florida team on Saturday (1:30 p.m. EST, CBS), a place where, prior to beating the Gators twice last year, they had lost 21 of 22, and lost 12 straight in Gainesville, Florida.
“I’m very proud of our guys for starting the season so well, beating the opponents on our schedule that we were supposed to beat, which isn’t always easy to do,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said Friday. “Now, as we get into the meat and potatoes of our SEC schedule, we’ve got to be able to step up and play at a higher level.”
The Tigers’ SEC grind continues in Gainesville on Saturday and continues back to Auburn next week, when the Tigers host South Carolina, followed by a home tilt against Iowa State in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. Pearl said the team did not watch film from the Alabama loss, “hardly any at all,” due to the quick turnaround.
Pearl was not high on Auburn’s offensive efficiency, and with good reason. The Tigers would probably like to forget that offensive display against Alabama.
Samir Doughty’s seven turnovers (the Tigers committed 21 total) were a season high for the 6-foot-4, 195-pound senior guard. Auburn shot 31% from the field and 25% from three-point range. Auburn’s starting guard duo of Doughty and J’Von McCormick combined to shoot just 4-of-19 and a combined 0-of-5 from three-point range.
Those are not winning stat lines in the SEC, especially once the Tigers get into the meat of their conference slate, which includes home games against Kentucky and LSU, and a road trip to Arkansas.
“Our offensive efficiency numbers have not been as good sense we entered league play and began playing against better teams,” Pearl said Friday. “My assistant coaches, and maybe to the casual eye, say we’ve missed some shots we should make, but that’s just not the way I look at it. I look at like I’ve got to do a better job at getting us better shots. It’s a combination of one of those two things.”
What ultimately matters most is how the Tigers respond to Wednesday’s setback.
Auburn has shown toughness in the face of adversity more than once this year: The Tigers grinded out a close win on an off night against Vanderbilt, overcame a sluggish start to blow out Georgia and won close games against overmatched opponents Furman and South Alabama.
Said Pearl: “We’ve got to shoot at a higher level, execute at a higher level, continue to defend and rebound, and try to get better as we get through this grind.”
