Auburn basketball returns to the court tonight for the first time after Monday night’s horrible defeat at the hands of Boston College at Madison Square Gardens. The Tigers will also be returning to the court without two players who have been starters all season long in Horace Spencer and Bryce Brown.
It always hurts to lose two players that have been starters, but with Auburn’s depth this season it’s not as bad as it could have been. Spencer and Brown are 4th and 5th on the team in scoring so far this season, but it’s not very much more than a number of players behind them. Bryce Brown’s cold shooting streak means the Tigers aren’t losing too much in the way of production. Spencer’s blocking ability will be missed, but that’s about it right now.
Still, it hurts to shake up the lineup. We don’t know what it might mean for team chemistry, etc. The Tigers hope to have TJ Dunnans back for tonight’s game. His absence was a big part of the Tigers’ loss to BC. Bruce Pearl also hopes to have TJ Lang back after he left the BC game early.
What Auburn has to hope to avoid is another game where they get outrebounded by 17 boards. If there’s one stat you can really come back to that shows why Auburn lost to Boston College, it’s that one.
The opponent tonight is a familiar one for the Tigers as they’re facing former coach Cliff Ellis’ Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. Coastal has started the season 5-6, including an opening game loss at Alabama 70-53. They don’t have anything that can be called a quality win at this point and are not looking as strong as Cliff Ellis’ Coastal squads have looked.
Coastal, like Auburn, has three players who are averaging in double-digits for scoring. They’re led by 6’4, 205 lbs senior guard Elijah Wilson with 15-7 points per game.6’1 junior guard Jaylen Shaw is averaging 12.9 ppg and 6’8 junior forward Demario Beck 11.1. Beck is also averaging close to 8 rebounds per game and is the Chanticleer’s biggest force inside.
Size shouldn’t be a big issue in this game, which is good news for Auburn with Spencer out. The Chanticleers don’t have a player above 6’9. This is a game that matches up well for Auburn in a number of ways and could offer a good chance for the Tigers at home to get their feet back under them following Monday night’s embarrassing loss.
How to Watch, Stream, Listen:
Time: 9pm Eastern / 8pm CentralThe Tigers return to the friendly confines of Auburn Arena tonight.
TV: SEC Network
Stream: WatchESPN
Listen: Auburn Sports Network