Basketball News: 1-20-2026
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Dudley Dent
Jan 20, 2026, 8:06:57 AM (18 hours ago) Jan 20
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Auburn Basketball News: 1-20-2026
Key Takeaways From Auburn’s Win Over South Carolina:
https://www.si.com/college/auburn/basketball/key-takeaways-from-auburn-s-win-over-south-carolina
Auburn plays at Ole Miss Tuesday, chasing first SEC road win:
https://auburntigers.com/news/2026/01/19/auburn-plays-at-ole-miss-tuesday-chasing-first-sec-road-win
Auburn searches for first road win in 'especially big' stretch at Ole Miss, Florida:
https://247sports.com/college/auburn/article/auburn-basketball-schedule-tigers-ole-miss-florida--271596985/
Auburn coach Steven Pearl seeks solutions to team’s road woes as Ole Miss game approaches:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/01/auburn-coach-steven-pearl-seeks-solutions-to-teams-road-woes-as-ole-miss-game-approaches.html
VIDEO: Pearl Press Conference:
https://www.on3.com/teams/auburn-tigers/news/video-pearl-press-conference/
The 2-4-7: Auburn at Ole Miss:
https://247sports.com/college/auburn/longformarticle/auburn-basketball-ole-miss-preview-tigers-2026-271590882/#2782026
Former Auburn Tigers Dylan Cardwell, Johni Broome Blowing Up as Pros:
https://www.si.com/college/auburn/basketball/pair-of-auburn-big-men-making-theirs-marks-in-nba
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Key Takeaways From Auburn’s Win Over South Carolina
By Brooks Crew
Auburn Daily
On Saturday, the Auburn Tigers took down the South Carolina Gamecocks by a final score of 71-67. The win moves Steven Pearl’s Tigers to 11-7 on the season and 2-3 in conference play. This matchup was irregular, to say the least, so let’s dive into some key takeaways from the Tigers’ bounce-back win.
Gamecocks Didn't Plan For Jovic
The Tigers’ Saturday night matchup got off to quite a shaky start, as the Tigers’ leading scorer, Keyshawn Hall, was benched with just eight minutes elapsed due to a high foul count. Clearly, the Gamecocks’ strategy was to keep Hall out of the game as much as possible, a goal that succeeded, as Hall was limited to just 14 minutes and scored just eight points.
The factor the Gamecocks didn’t plan for, though, was Filip Jovic, one of two Auburn freshman forwards. The Bosnian has had a bit of a rough start to his Auburn career, though he’s made headlines in recent games with stellar defense. Saturday, though, Jovic came alive offensively, scoring 23 points in just 30 minutes, more than doubling the Tigers’ second-highest scorers.
Jovic played incredibly efficient basketball against the Gamecocks, shooting 9-12 from the field and tacking on five extra points on eight free throws. Defensively, he accounted for two steals and a block. Undoubtedly, Jovic was the difference in this game, which bodes well for the future of this Tiger team, both in SEC play and potentially in March Madness.
Win Required Important Pivot
Steven Pearl’s Tigers have had trouble shooting the three-ball this season, though the matchup against the Gamecocks was the worst it’s been under the young Pearl. Collectively, Auburn made just two of its 19 three-point shots, which were coincidentally the first and last field goals of the game for the Tigers.
Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton, who’ve historically been a threat from beyond the arc, shot just 1-5 each from three-point range, while no other Tiger accounted for a three-pointer. Collectively, the Tigers shot 2-19, or 11%, from deep.
Despite troubles from deep, the Tigers quickly shifted to “old-fashioned” basketball, dominating the paint, midrange and free throw lines. They outscored the Gamecocks 42-26 from the paint, though they were beaten in the rebound game, 39-35.
Though it’s not exactly reassuring to see the Tigers struggle from range so much, it’s certainly worth noting that the team was able to adjust and play to their strengths, even if those strengths weren’t the ones they’ve become known for.
Defense Wins Games
Steven Pearl has emphasized the Tigers’ need to step up on defense, and his squad made his efforts apparent in their matchup against the Gamecocks. Collectively, the Tigers managed eight blocks to South Carolina’s four and doubled the Gamecocks’ total steals, 10-5.
South Carolina was limited to 40% shooting from the field and 32% three-point shooting in this matchup, largely due to pressure created by key defensive plays from Elyjah Freeman, Tahaad Pettiford and KeShawn Murphy, who each had two blocks.
The Tigers also forced the Gamecocks into 15 turnovers, with Sebastian Williams-Adams, Filip Jovic and Kevin Overton picking pockets left and right. Both Williams-Adams and Overton managed three steals apiece, whereas Jovic managed a pair.
Though a four-point win over a team that now falls to 1-4 in conference play isn’t exactly a statement for the Tigers, it’s certainly a step in the right direction for a team that’s fallen in two of their last three games, especially with a limited Keyshawn Hall.
Up next for the Tigers is a Tuesday night matchup against Ole Miss, where Steven Pearl’s squad will look to keep this forward momentum going. Tipoff in Oxford is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. CST.
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Auburn plays at Ole Miss Tuesday, chasing first SEC road win
By Jeff Shearer
In its third SEC road game Tuesday at Ole Miss, Auburn hopes to match the offense it played at Georgia with the defense it displayed at Missouri.
“We’ve got to find a middle ground where we’re defending and executing,” Auburn coach Steven Pearl said. “It all starts with we’ve got to be the more excited team to play. If we do that, it cleans up a lof of the silly mistakes we may have made in those first two SEC road games.”
After dropping its first two SEC games, the Rebels have won three straight, including road wins at No. 21 Georgia and at Mississippi State.
“They do a great job of swarming to the basketball and creating turnovers,” Pearl said. “They do a good job of being active on all penetration, on all rebounds. I think they’re playing harder defensively. They have three options offensively that they can really feed and go to. They’re getting more confident with one another.”
Returning starter Malik Dia leads Ole Miss in scoring and rebounding, averaging 14.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. The Rebels rank second in the SEC, committing only 7.6 turnovers per game in league play.
For the Tigers, says Pearl, the winning recipe is simple.
“Defensively, we’ve got to be really good in this game because they have a lot of really good one-on-one players,” he said. “Offensively, we have to do a great job of executing and sharing the ball.”
In Auburn’s SEC wins over Arkansas and South Carolina, point guard Tahaad Pettiford has totaled 12 assists with only three turnovers.
“Trying to be the best point guard that my team needs,” said Pettiford, who has a 2-to-1 assist-turnover ratio in SEC play. “I’m trying to get my guys open looks.”
A key member of Auburn’s Final Four team as a true freshman a year ago, Pettiford sees a different identity for the 2025-26 Tigers.
“Fast paced and gritty,” said Pettiford, who averages 31.4 minutes per game in SEC play. “Trying to get down the floor, score either early or late in the clock, and get stops on defense. Stops are what’s going to get our offense going. We’re trying to play the hardest we can on defense and make it easier on us on offense.”
Seeking its 10th straight series win over the Rebels (11-7, 3-2), Auburn (11-7, 2-3) plays at the Pavilion at Ole Miss Tuesday at 8 p.m. CT on ESPNU. Andy Burcham and Randall Dickey will provide play-by-play and analysis for listeners on the Auburn Sports Network.
“A great opportunity against a team that’s ahead of us in the standings,” Pearl said.
The Tigers remain on the road Saturday for a matinee at No. 16 Florida before returning to Neville Arena Wednesday, Jan. 28, at 6 p.m. CT for the Rumble in the Jungle vs. Texas featuring free foam tiger paws for Auburn University students.
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
Through five league games, freshman Filip Jovic is shooting 82.6 percent from the floor (19-of-23).
In SEC play, point guard Tahaad Pettiford has a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. He has 20 assists (4.0/game) to just 10 turnovers through five conference games.
The Tigers are looking for their first true road win of the season. Auburn is 0-3 in road games (at Arizona, at Georgia, at Missouri) and is 3-3 in neutral site games. Auburn will play three of its next four on the road, beginning Tuesday at Ole Miss.
KeShawn Murphy is averaging 11.2 points and a team-best 7.0 rebounds in SEC play. He has scored no less than eight points in every game and has grabbed at least sevenrebounds in four of five games.
Auburn has the nation’s No. 4 Strength of Schedule with having played six teams that are currently in the Top 25, including four who are ranked in the top six (No. 1 Arizona, No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 Purdue, No. 6 Houston).
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Auburn searches for first road win in 'especially big' stretch at Ole Miss, Florida
By Nathan King
Every game and week in the SEC gauntlet is important, but the Tigers know they need to fare respectably in their next two games need to keep their heads above water.
Auburn made progress in the SEC win column by defeating South Carolina 71-67 and improving to 2-3 in the league, but two straight road games await this week: at Ole Miss on Tuesday and at Florida on Saturday. And Steven Pearl's ball club would find itself in quite a nasty hole in the conference standings if Auburn can't come up with its first road win of the season.
"I'm always trying to figure out: Are there different things that we should be doing on the road as opposed to at home?" Pearl said before Monday's practice.
The Tigers are 0-3 this season in true road settings, with an easy argument to be made that the blowout loss against Purdue in downtown Indianapolis was a de facto road game, too. And those losses haven't been Auburn's best efforts: losing by 29 points to then-No. 2 Arizona, allowing 104 points in an overtime loss at Georgia, and falling 84-74 at Missouri last week in a game where Pearl said the Tigers' energy lacked the entire trip.
"In the Georgia game we just didn't defend," Pearl said. "We executed really well offensively, we didn't defend. Missouri, I thought we defended, but we didn't execute offensively. So we've got to find a middle ground here — where we're defending and executing."
With the caveat that competition level by year is not the same, this is currently Auburn's longest stretch without a true road win (0-3) to begin a season before Bruce Pearl's first Auburn team in 2014-15 started 0-7 before defeating LSU in early February.
Ole Miss had a rocky nonconference slate but has now won three straight games in league play. And Saturday's Final Four rematch at No. 16 Florida will be a tremendous challenge — not only because Auburn hasn't won in Gainesville since 1996, but also because the Gators have won four straight and looked like more of the championship-contending squad most expected in the preseason.
"It would mean a lot," point guard Tahaad Pettiford said of nabbing a road win this week. "We've had a lot of ups and downs this year. So going and getting these two — especially these two — would be especially big wins for us. I feel like getting those would push the momentum to where we need it to go and get guys in the right headspace and get us going."
As Pettiford said, Auburn is certainly aware of the significance of its road opportunities this week. If the Tigers find themselves even further back in the SEC standings, things get ramped up in a hurry late this month and into February. Following a home game against Texas next Wednesday, Auburn's next four games are currently all designated as Quad 1: at Tennessee, vs. Alabama, vs. Vanderbilt and at Arkansas.
All that Auburn can control right now, though, is that it comes out with more fire and focus than it did in a disheartening performance at Missouri last week.
"It all starts with we've just got to be the most excited team to play," Pearl said. "If we do that, it cleans up a lot of the stuff — a lot of the silly mistakes that we may have made in those first two SEC road games."
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Auburn coach Steven Pearl seeks solutions to team’s road woes as Ole Miss game approaches
By Jerry Humphrey III
al.com
Auburn basketball sits at 11-7 overall and 2-3 in SEC play after defeating South Carolina in its last home contest.
As the Tigers travel to Ole Miss for their sixth conference matchup this season, Auburn is still winless in true road games this season.
The Tigers suffered a blowout loss at Arizona in December. They then dropped their first two SEC road games at Georgia and Missouri.
“Yeah, I mean, I’m always trying to figure out, like, is there different things that we should be doing on the road as opposed to at home? So, that’s something that as a coach, you’re always kind of trying to figure out. But yeah, I think drawing to – in the Georgia game we just didn’t defend. We executed really well offensively, we didn’t defend. Missouri, I thought we defended, but we didn’t execute offensively," Auburn coach Steven Pearl said Monday afternoon.
“So, we got to find a middle ground here, where we’re defending and executing. I think if we do a good job of just paying attention to what we’re talking about, because they’re really talented. But I think there’s things that we can do that can bother them, and we got to do the things necessary that they’re really good at to not let it bother us,” Pearl added.
Georgia shot 52% and made 11 three-pointers in a 104-100 overtime victory. Auburn’s struggles continued at Missouri, where the Tigers shot just 29% from three-point range in a 10-point loss.
Pearl also acknowledged that beyond the analytics, his team can’t lack energy—something he said they did following the loss at Missouri.
“You don’t want to change up your routine too much, but at the same time, we got to find a way to change something on the road,” Pearl said. “So, we’re kind of exploring some things that we might change up in our preparation. But I think for us, more importantly, it’s about kind of drawing to what we did do well and didn’t do well in the two previous SEC games and how we got to avoid those things.”
“It all starts with we’ve just got to be the most excited team to play. If we do that, it cleans up a lot of the stuff, a lot of the silly mistakes that we may have made in those first two SEC road games,” Pearl added.
Auburn and Ole Miss (11-7, 3-2) will tip off at 8 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
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VIDEO: Pearl Press Conference
By Jay G. Tate
Auburn’s quest for consistency will continue Tuesday night at Ole Miss.
Road games have been a bugaboo for the Tigers, who are 0-4 on the road this season. The problems haven’t exactly been numerous; sometimes the problem is scoring and sometimes it’s defense. The key, coach Steven Pearl believes, is finding a way to play with more energy and letting the energy carry the team through the typical ups-and-downs of life on the road.
“We’ve got to find a middle ground here, where we’re defending and executing,” Pearl said Monday. “It all starts with — we’ve just got to be the most excited team to play. If we do that, it cleans up a lot of the stuff, a lot of the silly mistakes that we may have made in those first two SEC road games.”
The Tigers’ game against the Rebels tips at 8 p.m. CST on ESPNU.
Click below for Pearl’s full comments …
https://youtu.be/wcp8vJO2Wd0
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The 2-4-7: Auburn at Ole Miss
By Nathan King
The Tigers return to the road and look to even their SEC record against a team they've had plenty of success against recently. Auburn (11-7, 2-3 SEC) heads to Ole Miss (11-7, 3-2), looking for its 10th straight win in the series. The Rebels, however, have won three straight games in league play and are coming off a rivalry win over Mississippi State.
Here's the 2-4-7 preview for the first of Auburn's two straight road games this week, with two matchups to watch, four quotes of note and seven stats to study.
Location: The Sandy and John Black Pavilion (Oxford, Miss.)
Tipoff: 8 p.m. CST (ESPNU)
Auburn's chance to win: 53.8% (ESPN BPI)
Projected point spread (Torvik): Auburn -2
Series history: Auburn 86-64
Coaching matchup: Steven Pearl (Year 1) 0-0 vs. Chris Beard (Year 3)
2 MATCHUPS TO WATCH
An intriguing point-guard challenge
Steven Pearl said it: Ole Miss' point guard, Ilias Kamardine, is "not what you usually see" in an SEC backcourt. As compared to the quick, smaller and more explosive point guards in the league, Kamardine is a 6-foot-5, smooth operator from France. Currently with the SEC's No. 5 assist rate, Kamardine is paramount in getting Ole Miss stabilized offensively. Considering the Rebels' other weapons are playing better over the past few games, how Auburn slows Kamardine and gets Ole Miss out of its rhythm offensively will be key for a thin Auburn backcourt. It's not likely Tahaad Pettiford will be matched up defensively with the Rebels' point guard because of his size, so could Auburn play someone like Elyjah Freeman in the backcourt more often this game? Foul trouble will have to be avoided for players like Freeman and Kevin Overton, who are lengthier guards to defend Kamardine.
Guarding one-on-one
Like Georgia and Arkansas, Ole Miss has a guard-focused lineup that will look to attack the basket. What was the difference between those two results — where Auburn yielded 104 and 73 points, respectively? The Tigers guarded well on the perimeter and limited drives to the basket. Being "in the gaps," as Pearl has reiterated so many times, was a big focus after that Georgia result, and then Arkansas had to chuck up a bunch of 3-pointers. Against athletic scorers like Malik Dia and AJ Storr, Auburn will looking to force long jumpers once again. During their three-game winning streak, the Rebels are attempting a 3-pointer on less than one-third of their trips down the floor and have been much more successful driving the lane, scoring inside and getting offensive rebounds.
4 QUOTES OF NOTE
"I think if you watched early in the year, coaches wanted to get more of an identity defensively. And I think they've established that a little bit. Their 2-point defense has gotten a lot better. They do a great job of just swarming to the basketball and creating turnovers on penetration. Anytime there's an offensive rebound, they do a great job of stripping and ripping. I think Georgia shot 23 percent from 2 in that game off of 21 offensive rebounds. They do a really good job of just being active on all penetration, on all rebounds, and I just think they're playing harder defensively. They have the luxury of having three options offensively that they can really feed and go to. ... Kind of like us, they're all figuring out how to gel with one another, play the game with one another. I just think they found a little bit of that and got some confidence in it, and it's led to three straight wins against some good teams." — Steven Pearl on what's changed with Ole Miss during its three-game winning streak
"I'm always trying to figure out: Are there different things that we should be doing on the road as opposed to at home? ... The Georgia game, we just didn't defend. We executed really well offensively, we didn't defend. Missouri, I thought we defended, but we didn't execute offensively. So, we gotta find a middle ground here, where we're defending and executing. ... We're kind of exploring some things that we might change up in our preparation. But I think for us, more importantly, it's about kind of drawing to what we did do well and didn't do well in the two previous SEC games and how we gotta avoid those things. It all starts with we've just got to be the most excited team to play. If we do that, it cleans up a lot of the stuff, a lot of the silly mistakes that we may have made in those first two SEC road games." — Steven Pearl on Auburn searching for its first true road win of the season
"Yeah, it was interesting. We've been doubled a lot in the post this year. So it's been really hard to feed him in there, because if they're going to rotate over with two 6-10's, he kind of loses his advantage. South Carolina went one-on-one in the post, and he did a great job. If teams are going to continue to play us one-on-one in the post, or him specifically, absolutely. You saw how physical he was and how he did such a good job using shot fakes and scoring on angles. ... It's definitely something that, when he's in the game, we need to look at. When he's scoring it at such a high rate around the rim — he leads the SEC in offensive ratings since league play began. We've got to continue to feed that because he's playing with a lot of confidence right now, and it's been effective." — Steven Pearl on Auburn forward Filip Jovic's offensive improvements
"Just not getting too high. Just staying at the same level that we are. Going into the game with the same energy that we did the game before. Every game is gonna be the best game for us, you know? We don't look at the next game, the day after, the day before. We just try to stay focused on that game and keep going from there." — Auburn point guard Tahaad Pettiford on how to carry over Saturday's strong defensive performance
7 STATS TO STUDY
— From Auburn's game notes: Filip Jovic is KenPom's the SEC's No. 1 player in offensive rating since conference play began. Jovic is 19-of-23 from the floor in five SEC games with one turnover.
— Auburn is searching for its 10th straight win over Ole Miss, which would tie South Carolina as the Tigers' longest active winning streak against an SEC opponent.
— Auburn is 0-3 in true road games this season, which is its worst start in that regard since it was 0-7 to begin the season in true road games in Bruce Pearl's first season (2014-15).
— From Auburn's game notes: Pettiford has a 2-to-1 assist-turnover ratio in five SEC games (20-10). In nonconference play, Pettiford's assist-turnover ratio was 2.9-2.4.
— Ole Miss is one of the best in the SEC at taking care of the basketball. As such, when the Rebels have nine or more turnovers in a game this season, they're 4-6. In all other games, they're 7-1.
— Pearl said Auburn's film review showed Pettiford made 28 individual defensive mistakes against Missouri. That number was all the way down to eight such mistakes against South Carolina.
— Auburn will look for free throws to be an equalizer on the road Tuesday. The Tigers are No. 4 nationally in free-throw attempts per game, while Ole Miss is No. 273 nationally in fouls committed.
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Former Auburn Tigers Dylan Cardwell, Johni Broome Blowing Up as Pros
By Micah Farmer
Auburn Daily
Former Auburn Tigers Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell have each been making their presence known at the next level, Broome in the NBA G League and Cardwell in the NBA for the Sacramento Kings.
Broome exploded for a career-best game on Friday night, recording the first 50-point game by any G League player this season. He also racked up 17 rebounds and 5 made threes, each career-highs, on 53% shooting.
https://twitter.com/nbagleague/status/2012357506622787664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2012357506622787664%7Ctwgr%5E22b66243f214fc016a8e12e685544098c182ece5%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.si.com%2Fcollege%2Fauburn%2Fbasketball%2Fpair-of-auburn-big-men-making-theirs-marks-in-nba
It’s been a good year in G League play for the former SEC Player of the Year, who is averaging 24.7 points per game, 8.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.5 blocks through 11 regular-season games for the Philadelphia 76ers' affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.
Broome has also spent time at the NBA level this season, appearing in seven regular-season games for the 76ers. He managed 1.4 points and 1.9 rebounds per game, prompting the move down to continue his development. However, if he keeps putting up explosive performances like Friday’s, he could shortly find himself back in the NBA.
Meanwhile, Broome’s former teammate, Dylan Cardwell, has been establishing himself as a fan favorite in recent weeks with the Sacramento Kings. The Kings are riding a 4-game winning streak, and Cardwell has been right in the middle of the team’s energy during the run.
He is averaging a career-best 5.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game in January, as well as one block and 0.8 assists, while averaging 18 minutes. One of those blocks was especially significant for the young rookie, as he emphatically stonewalled LeBron James on a drive to the basket against the Lakers on Monday.
https://twitter.com/i/status/2010919964874842218
“And it was nice out there to finally -- you know, I got a block on LeBron, so that’s something I’ll tell my kids,” Cardwell said. “I dunked the ball when he was in the area, and so I’m going to frame it and say, ‘Hey, kids, you know, Pops dunked on LeBron.’”
The former Auburn center has made an even bigger impact outside of the box score, as was the case in his time on The Plains. His defense has been a much-needed boost for Sacramento, which has struggled on that end of the court for the majority of the season.
The addition of Cardwell into the rotation has provided a defensive presence in the post that his team hasn’t possessed all season, which has helped spark the recent run of wins. Though the Kings are far from being a competitive team or finding the Playoffs, Cardwell’s play style and attitude have lifted the spirits of both the team and the fans.
Key Takeaways From Auburn’s Win Over South Carolina:
https://www.si.com/college/auburn/basketball/key-takeaways-from-auburn-s-win-over-south-carolina
Auburn plays at Ole Miss Tuesday, chasing first SEC road win:
https://auburntigers.com/news/2026/01/19/auburn-plays-at-ole-miss-tuesday-chasing-first-sec-road-win
Auburn searches for first road win in 'especially big' stretch at Ole Miss, Florida:
https://247sports.com/college/auburn/article/auburn-basketball-schedule-tigers-ole-miss-florida--271596985/
Auburn coach Steven Pearl seeks solutions to team’s road woes as Ole Miss game approaches:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/01/auburn-coach-steven-pearl-seeks-solutions-to-teams-road-woes-as-ole-miss-game-approaches.html
VIDEO: Pearl Press Conference:
https://www.on3.com/teams/auburn-tigers/news/video-pearl-press-conference/
The 2-4-7: Auburn at Ole Miss:
https://247sports.com/college/auburn/longformarticle/auburn-basketball-ole-miss-preview-tigers-2026-271590882/#2782026
Former Auburn Tigers Dylan Cardwell, Johni Broome Blowing Up as Pros:
https://www.si.com/college/auburn/basketball/pair-of-auburn-big-men-making-theirs-marks-in-nba
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Key Takeaways From Auburn’s Win Over South Carolina
By Brooks Crew
Auburn Daily
On Saturday, the Auburn Tigers took down the South Carolina Gamecocks by a final score of 71-67. The win moves Steven Pearl’s Tigers to 11-7 on the season and 2-3 in conference play. This matchup was irregular, to say the least, so let’s dive into some key takeaways from the Tigers’ bounce-back win.
Gamecocks Didn't Plan For Jovic
The Tigers’ Saturday night matchup got off to quite a shaky start, as the Tigers’ leading scorer, Keyshawn Hall, was benched with just eight minutes elapsed due to a high foul count. Clearly, the Gamecocks’ strategy was to keep Hall out of the game as much as possible, a goal that succeeded, as Hall was limited to just 14 minutes and scored just eight points.
The factor the Gamecocks didn’t plan for, though, was Filip Jovic, one of two Auburn freshman forwards. The Bosnian has had a bit of a rough start to his Auburn career, though he’s made headlines in recent games with stellar defense. Saturday, though, Jovic came alive offensively, scoring 23 points in just 30 minutes, more than doubling the Tigers’ second-highest scorers.
Jovic played incredibly efficient basketball against the Gamecocks, shooting 9-12 from the field and tacking on five extra points on eight free throws. Defensively, he accounted for two steals and a block. Undoubtedly, Jovic was the difference in this game, which bodes well for the future of this Tiger team, both in SEC play and potentially in March Madness.
Win Required Important Pivot
Steven Pearl’s Tigers have had trouble shooting the three-ball this season, though the matchup against the Gamecocks was the worst it’s been under the young Pearl. Collectively, Auburn made just two of its 19 three-point shots, which were coincidentally the first and last field goals of the game for the Tigers.
Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton, who’ve historically been a threat from beyond the arc, shot just 1-5 each from three-point range, while no other Tiger accounted for a three-pointer. Collectively, the Tigers shot 2-19, or 11%, from deep.
Despite troubles from deep, the Tigers quickly shifted to “old-fashioned” basketball, dominating the paint, midrange and free throw lines. They outscored the Gamecocks 42-26 from the paint, though they were beaten in the rebound game, 39-35.
Though it’s not exactly reassuring to see the Tigers struggle from range so much, it’s certainly worth noting that the team was able to adjust and play to their strengths, even if those strengths weren’t the ones they’ve become known for.
Defense Wins Games
Steven Pearl has emphasized the Tigers’ need to step up on defense, and his squad made his efforts apparent in their matchup against the Gamecocks. Collectively, the Tigers managed eight blocks to South Carolina’s four and doubled the Gamecocks’ total steals, 10-5.
South Carolina was limited to 40% shooting from the field and 32% three-point shooting in this matchup, largely due to pressure created by key defensive plays from Elyjah Freeman, Tahaad Pettiford and KeShawn Murphy, who each had two blocks.
The Tigers also forced the Gamecocks into 15 turnovers, with Sebastian Williams-Adams, Filip Jovic and Kevin Overton picking pockets left and right. Both Williams-Adams and Overton managed three steals apiece, whereas Jovic managed a pair.
Though a four-point win over a team that now falls to 1-4 in conference play isn’t exactly a statement for the Tigers, it’s certainly a step in the right direction for a team that’s fallen in two of their last three games, especially with a limited Keyshawn Hall.
Up next for the Tigers is a Tuesday night matchup against Ole Miss, where Steven Pearl’s squad will look to keep this forward momentum going. Tipoff in Oxford is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. CST.
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Auburn plays at Ole Miss Tuesday, chasing first SEC road win
By Jeff Shearer
In its third SEC road game Tuesday at Ole Miss, Auburn hopes to match the offense it played at Georgia with the defense it displayed at Missouri.
“We’ve got to find a middle ground where we’re defending and executing,” Auburn coach Steven Pearl said. “It all starts with we’ve got to be the more excited team to play. If we do that, it cleans up a lof of the silly mistakes we may have made in those first two SEC road games.”
After dropping its first two SEC games, the Rebels have won three straight, including road wins at No. 21 Georgia and at Mississippi State.
“They do a great job of swarming to the basketball and creating turnovers,” Pearl said. “They do a good job of being active on all penetration, on all rebounds. I think they’re playing harder defensively. They have three options offensively that they can really feed and go to. They’re getting more confident with one another.”
Returning starter Malik Dia leads Ole Miss in scoring and rebounding, averaging 14.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. The Rebels rank second in the SEC, committing only 7.6 turnovers per game in league play.
For the Tigers, says Pearl, the winning recipe is simple.
“Defensively, we’ve got to be really good in this game because they have a lot of really good one-on-one players,” he said. “Offensively, we have to do a great job of executing and sharing the ball.”
In Auburn’s SEC wins over Arkansas and South Carolina, point guard Tahaad Pettiford has totaled 12 assists with only three turnovers.
“Trying to be the best point guard that my team needs,” said Pettiford, who has a 2-to-1 assist-turnover ratio in SEC play. “I’m trying to get my guys open looks.”
A key member of Auburn’s Final Four team as a true freshman a year ago, Pettiford sees a different identity for the 2025-26 Tigers.
“Fast paced and gritty,” said Pettiford, who averages 31.4 minutes per game in SEC play. “Trying to get down the floor, score either early or late in the clock, and get stops on defense. Stops are what’s going to get our offense going. We’re trying to play the hardest we can on defense and make it easier on us on offense.”
Seeking its 10th straight series win over the Rebels (11-7, 3-2), Auburn (11-7, 2-3) plays at the Pavilion at Ole Miss Tuesday at 8 p.m. CT on ESPNU. Andy Burcham and Randall Dickey will provide play-by-play and analysis for listeners on the Auburn Sports Network.
“A great opportunity against a team that’s ahead of us in the standings,” Pearl said.
The Tigers remain on the road Saturday for a matinee at No. 16 Florida before returning to Neville Arena Wednesday, Jan. 28, at 6 p.m. CT for the Rumble in the Jungle vs. Texas featuring free foam tiger paws for Auburn University students.
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
Through five league games, freshman Filip Jovic is shooting 82.6 percent from the floor (19-of-23).
In SEC play, point guard Tahaad Pettiford has a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. He has 20 assists (4.0/game) to just 10 turnovers through five conference games.
The Tigers are looking for their first true road win of the season. Auburn is 0-3 in road games (at Arizona, at Georgia, at Missouri) and is 3-3 in neutral site games. Auburn will play three of its next four on the road, beginning Tuesday at Ole Miss.
KeShawn Murphy is averaging 11.2 points and a team-best 7.0 rebounds in SEC play. He has scored no less than eight points in every game and has grabbed at least sevenrebounds in four of five games.
Auburn has the nation’s No. 4 Strength of Schedule with having played six teams that are currently in the Top 25, including four who are ranked in the top six (No. 1 Arizona, No. 3 Michigan, No. 4 Purdue, No. 6 Houston).
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Auburn searches for first road win in 'especially big' stretch at Ole Miss, Florida
By Nathan King
Every game and week in the SEC gauntlet is important, but the Tigers know they need to fare respectably in their next two games need to keep their heads above water.
Auburn made progress in the SEC win column by defeating South Carolina 71-67 and improving to 2-3 in the league, but two straight road games await this week: at Ole Miss on Tuesday and at Florida on Saturday. And Steven Pearl's ball club would find itself in quite a nasty hole in the conference standings if Auburn can't come up with its first road win of the season.
"I'm always trying to figure out: Are there different things that we should be doing on the road as opposed to at home?" Pearl said before Monday's practice.
The Tigers are 0-3 this season in true road settings, with an easy argument to be made that the blowout loss against Purdue in downtown Indianapolis was a de facto road game, too. And those losses haven't been Auburn's best efforts: losing by 29 points to then-No. 2 Arizona, allowing 104 points in an overtime loss at Georgia, and falling 84-74 at Missouri last week in a game where Pearl said the Tigers' energy lacked the entire trip.
"In the Georgia game we just didn't defend," Pearl said. "We executed really well offensively, we didn't defend. Missouri, I thought we defended, but we didn't execute offensively. So we've got to find a middle ground here — where we're defending and executing."
With the caveat that competition level by year is not the same, this is currently Auburn's longest stretch without a true road win (0-3) to begin a season before Bruce Pearl's first Auburn team in 2014-15 started 0-7 before defeating LSU in early February.
Ole Miss had a rocky nonconference slate but has now won three straight games in league play. And Saturday's Final Four rematch at No. 16 Florida will be a tremendous challenge — not only because Auburn hasn't won in Gainesville since 1996, but also because the Gators have won four straight and looked like more of the championship-contending squad most expected in the preseason.
"It would mean a lot," point guard Tahaad Pettiford said of nabbing a road win this week. "We've had a lot of ups and downs this year. So going and getting these two — especially these two — would be especially big wins for us. I feel like getting those would push the momentum to where we need it to go and get guys in the right headspace and get us going."
As Pettiford said, Auburn is certainly aware of the significance of its road opportunities this week. If the Tigers find themselves even further back in the SEC standings, things get ramped up in a hurry late this month and into February. Following a home game against Texas next Wednesday, Auburn's next four games are currently all designated as Quad 1: at Tennessee, vs. Alabama, vs. Vanderbilt and at Arkansas.
All that Auburn can control right now, though, is that it comes out with more fire and focus than it did in a disheartening performance at Missouri last week.
"It all starts with we've just got to be the most excited team to play," Pearl said. "If we do that, it cleans up a lot of the stuff — a lot of the silly mistakes that we may have made in those first two SEC road games."
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Auburn coach Steven Pearl seeks solutions to team’s road woes as Ole Miss game approaches
By Jerry Humphrey III
al.com
Auburn basketball sits at 11-7 overall and 2-3 in SEC play after defeating South Carolina in its last home contest.
As the Tigers travel to Ole Miss for their sixth conference matchup this season, Auburn is still winless in true road games this season.
The Tigers suffered a blowout loss at Arizona in December. They then dropped their first two SEC road games at Georgia and Missouri.
“Yeah, I mean, I’m always trying to figure out, like, is there different things that we should be doing on the road as opposed to at home? So, that’s something that as a coach, you’re always kind of trying to figure out. But yeah, I think drawing to – in the Georgia game we just didn’t defend. We executed really well offensively, we didn’t defend. Missouri, I thought we defended, but we didn’t execute offensively," Auburn coach Steven Pearl said Monday afternoon.
“So, we got to find a middle ground here, where we’re defending and executing. I think if we do a good job of just paying attention to what we’re talking about, because they’re really talented. But I think there’s things that we can do that can bother them, and we got to do the things necessary that they’re really good at to not let it bother us,” Pearl added.
Georgia shot 52% and made 11 three-pointers in a 104-100 overtime victory. Auburn’s struggles continued at Missouri, where the Tigers shot just 29% from three-point range in a 10-point loss.
Pearl also acknowledged that beyond the analytics, his team can’t lack energy—something he said they did following the loss at Missouri.
“You don’t want to change up your routine too much, but at the same time, we got to find a way to change something on the road,” Pearl said. “So, we’re kind of exploring some things that we might change up in our preparation. But I think for us, more importantly, it’s about kind of drawing to what we did do well and didn’t do well in the two previous SEC games and how we got to avoid those things.”
“It all starts with we’ve just got to be the most excited team to play. If we do that, it cleans up a lot of the stuff, a lot of the silly mistakes that we may have made in those first two SEC road games,” Pearl added.
Auburn and Ole Miss (11-7, 3-2) will tip off at 8 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
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VIDEO: Pearl Press Conference
By Jay G. Tate
Auburn’s quest for consistency will continue Tuesday night at Ole Miss.
Road games have been a bugaboo for the Tigers, who are 0-4 on the road this season. The problems haven’t exactly been numerous; sometimes the problem is scoring and sometimes it’s defense. The key, coach Steven Pearl believes, is finding a way to play with more energy and letting the energy carry the team through the typical ups-and-downs of life on the road.
“We’ve got to find a middle ground here, where we’re defending and executing,” Pearl said Monday. “It all starts with — we’ve just got to be the most excited team to play. If we do that, it cleans up a lot of the stuff, a lot of the silly mistakes that we may have made in those first two SEC road games.”
The Tigers’ game against the Rebels tips at 8 p.m. CST on ESPNU.
Click below for Pearl’s full comments …
https://youtu.be/wcp8vJO2Wd0
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The 2-4-7: Auburn at Ole Miss
By Nathan King
The Tigers return to the road and look to even their SEC record against a team they've had plenty of success against recently. Auburn (11-7, 2-3 SEC) heads to Ole Miss (11-7, 3-2), looking for its 10th straight win in the series. The Rebels, however, have won three straight games in league play and are coming off a rivalry win over Mississippi State.
Here's the 2-4-7 preview for the first of Auburn's two straight road games this week, with two matchups to watch, four quotes of note and seven stats to study.
Location: The Sandy and John Black Pavilion (Oxford, Miss.)
Tipoff: 8 p.m. CST (ESPNU)
Auburn's chance to win: 53.8% (ESPN BPI)
Projected point spread (Torvik): Auburn -2
Series history: Auburn 86-64
Coaching matchup: Steven Pearl (Year 1) 0-0 vs. Chris Beard (Year 3)
2 MATCHUPS TO WATCH
An intriguing point-guard challenge
Steven Pearl said it: Ole Miss' point guard, Ilias Kamardine, is "not what you usually see" in an SEC backcourt. As compared to the quick, smaller and more explosive point guards in the league, Kamardine is a 6-foot-5, smooth operator from France. Currently with the SEC's No. 5 assist rate, Kamardine is paramount in getting Ole Miss stabilized offensively. Considering the Rebels' other weapons are playing better over the past few games, how Auburn slows Kamardine and gets Ole Miss out of its rhythm offensively will be key for a thin Auburn backcourt. It's not likely Tahaad Pettiford will be matched up defensively with the Rebels' point guard because of his size, so could Auburn play someone like Elyjah Freeman in the backcourt more often this game? Foul trouble will have to be avoided for players like Freeman and Kevin Overton, who are lengthier guards to defend Kamardine.
Guarding one-on-one
Like Georgia and Arkansas, Ole Miss has a guard-focused lineup that will look to attack the basket. What was the difference between those two results — where Auburn yielded 104 and 73 points, respectively? The Tigers guarded well on the perimeter and limited drives to the basket. Being "in the gaps," as Pearl has reiterated so many times, was a big focus after that Georgia result, and then Arkansas had to chuck up a bunch of 3-pointers. Against athletic scorers like Malik Dia and AJ Storr, Auburn will looking to force long jumpers once again. During their three-game winning streak, the Rebels are attempting a 3-pointer on less than one-third of their trips down the floor and have been much more successful driving the lane, scoring inside and getting offensive rebounds.
4 QUOTES OF NOTE
"I think if you watched early in the year, coaches wanted to get more of an identity defensively. And I think they've established that a little bit. Their 2-point defense has gotten a lot better. They do a great job of just swarming to the basketball and creating turnovers on penetration. Anytime there's an offensive rebound, they do a great job of stripping and ripping. I think Georgia shot 23 percent from 2 in that game off of 21 offensive rebounds. They do a really good job of just being active on all penetration, on all rebounds, and I just think they're playing harder defensively. They have the luxury of having three options offensively that they can really feed and go to. ... Kind of like us, they're all figuring out how to gel with one another, play the game with one another. I just think they found a little bit of that and got some confidence in it, and it's led to three straight wins against some good teams." — Steven Pearl on what's changed with Ole Miss during its three-game winning streak
"I'm always trying to figure out: Are there different things that we should be doing on the road as opposed to at home? ... The Georgia game, we just didn't defend. We executed really well offensively, we didn't defend. Missouri, I thought we defended, but we didn't execute offensively. So, we gotta find a middle ground here, where we're defending and executing. ... We're kind of exploring some things that we might change up in our preparation. But I think for us, more importantly, it's about kind of drawing to what we did do well and didn't do well in the two previous SEC games and how we gotta avoid those things. It all starts with we've just got to be the most excited team to play. If we do that, it cleans up a lot of the stuff, a lot of the silly mistakes that we may have made in those first two SEC road games." — Steven Pearl on Auburn searching for its first true road win of the season
"Yeah, it was interesting. We've been doubled a lot in the post this year. So it's been really hard to feed him in there, because if they're going to rotate over with two 6-10's, he kind of loses his advantage. South Carolina went one-on-one in the post, and he did a great job. If teams are going to continue to play us one-on-one in the post, or him specifically, absolutely. You saw how physical he was and how he did such a good job using shot fakes and scoring on angles. ... It's definitely something that, when he's in the game, we need to look at. When he's scoring it at such a high rate around the rim — he leads the SEC in offensive ratings since league play began. We've got to continue to feed that because he's playing with a lot of confidence right now, and it's been effective." — Steven Pearl on Auburn forward Filip Jovic's offensive improvements
"Just not getting too high. Just staying at the same level that we are. Going into the game with the same energy that we did the game before. Every game is gonna be the best game for us, you know? We don't look at the next game, the day after, the day before. We just try to stay focused on that game and keep going from there." — Auburn point guard Tahaad Pettiford on how to carry over Saturday's strong defensive performance
7 STATS TO STUDY
— From Auburn's game notes: Filip Jovic is KenPom's the SEC's No. 1 player in offensive rating since conference play began. Jovic is 19-of-23 from the floor in five SEC games with one turnover.
— Auburn is searching for its 10th straight win over Ole Miss, which would tie South Carolina as the Tigers' longest active winning streak against an SEC opponent.
— Auburn is 0-3 in true road games this season, which is its worst start in that regard since it was 0-7 to begin the season in true road games in Bruce Pearl's first season (2014-15).
— From Auburn's game notes: Pettiford has a 2-to-1 assist-turnover ratio in five SEC games (20-10). In nonconference play, Pettiford's assist-turnover ratio was 2.9-2.4.
— Ole Miss is one of the best in the SEC at taking care of the basketball. As such, when the Rebels have nine or more turnovers in a game this season, they're 4-6. In all other games, they're 7-1.
— Pearl said Auburn's film review showed Pettiford made 28 individual defensive mistakes against Missouri. That number was all the way down to eight such mistakes against South Carolina.
— Auburn will look for free throws to be an equalizer on the road Tuesday. The Tigers are No. 4 nationally in free-throw attempts per game, while Ole Miss is No. 273 nationally in fouls committed.
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Former Auburn Tigers Dylan Cardwell, Johni Broome Blowing Up as Pros
By Micah Farmer
Auburn Daily
Former Auburn Tigers Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell have each been making their presence known at the next level, Broome in the NBA G League and Cardwell in the NBA for the Sacramento Kings.
Broome exploded for a career-best game on Friday night, recording the first 50-point game by any G League player this season. He also racked up 17 rebounds and 5 made threes, each career-highs, on 53% shooting.
https://twitter.com/nbagleague/status/2012357506622787664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2012357506622787664%7Ctwgr%5E22b66243f214fc016a8e12e685544098c182ece5%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.si.com%2Fcollege%2Fauburn%2Fbasketball%2Fpair-of-auburn-big-men-making-theirs-marks-in-nba
It’s been a good year in G League play for the former SEC Player of the Year, who is averaging 24.7 points per game, 8.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.5 blocks through 11 regular-season games for the Philadelphia 76ers' affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.
Broome has also spent time at the NBA level this season, appearing in seven regular-season games for the 76ers. He managed 1.4 points and 1.9 rebounds per game, prompting the move down to continue his development. However, if he keeps putting up explosive performances like Friday’s, he could shortly find himself back in the NBA.
Meanwhile, Broome’s former teammate, Dylan Cardwell, has been establishing himself as a fan favorite in recent weeks with the Sacramento Kings. The Kings are riding a 4-game winning streak, and Cardwell has been right in the middle of the team’s energy during the run.
He is averaging a career-best 5.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game in January, as well as one block and 0.8 assists, while averaging 18 minutes. One of those blocks was especially significant for the young rookie, as he emphatically stonewalled LeBron James on a drive to the basket against the Lakers on Monday.
https://twitter.com/i/status/2010919964874842218
“And it was nice out there to finally -- you know, I got a block on LeBron, so that’s something I’ll tell my kids,” Cardwell said. “I dunked the ball when he was in the area, and so I’m going to frame it and say, ‘Hey, kids, you know, Pops dunked on LeBron.’”
The former Auburn center has made an even bigger impact outside of the box score, as was the case in his time on The Plains. His defense has been a much-needed boost for Sacramento, which has struggled on that end of the court for the majority of the season.
The addition of Cardwell into the rotation has provided a defensive presence in the post that his team hasn’t possessed all season, which has helped spark the recent run of wins. Though the Kings are far from being a competitive team or finding the Playoffs, Cardwell’s play style and attitude have lifted the spirits of both the team and the fans.
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