Auburn heads to Columbia for stiff SEC test

Coming off a tough loss to Kentucky in Auburn Arena on Saturday, the now No. 16 Auburn Tigers will look to right the ship in Colonial Life Arena Tuesday night.

Frank Martin once again has this team exceeding all expectations, as the Gamecocks are 4-1 in conference play.

This is surprising because of the fact that SC went 4-7 against D-1 opponents in the nonconference. They also lost to schools such as Wyoming and Wofford.

Martin’s teams are always tough, and this version is no different.

Chris Silva, who is  a senior this season and is the vocal and emotional leader of this team, is a versatile big man that can also shoot it from outside if you let him.

Hassani Gravett is a guy that shoots over 40% from the outside and can get hot in a moment’s notice.

Maik Kotsar is a guy to watch on the interior, as he can post up and play good defense, but also watch out for him to be a lightning rod in terms of getting Auburn players fired up.

His antics can be a little dramatic at times. If he and Malik Dunbar lock heads, things could get pretty intense very fast.

Auburn, on the other hand, looks to bounce back from starting conference play 2-2.

They fought back from being down 17 to the Wildcats but the same thing that has plagued Auburn for the last couple of years showed up again down the stretch: foul trouble.

Word came out that Auburn Wiley is now out a couple weeks with an injury. With this news, the frontcourt had to step up against the size of the Wildcats. They did not, as Anfernee McLemore fouled out with 0 points on the afternoon and Horace Spencer fouled out late after getting his face cut up on a hard foul.

Going forward, Auburn is going to need Chuma Okeke and Danjel Purifoy to assist McLemore and Spencer down low if this team has any plans to win the SEC. This league is too good not to have a presence down low.

Auburn may not be a top-10 at the moment, but you bet that they are going to get everyone’s best shot. That starts on the road in Columbia, South Carolina Tuesday night.

Keys to the game

There are two distinct keys to the game for Auburn. For one, South Carolina shoots roughly 30% from three. Limiting easy shots but forcing SC to shoot from deep rather than go inside will be a big factor.

On the offensive side of the ball, it is imperative to get Chuma Okeke going.

This guy has all the potential in the world but has just not flipped the switch this season.

Sure, he is averaging over 10 points a game and plays good defense. On the other hand, if you have watched Auburn play any basketball this year, you know this is a guy who could play himself into hearing his name called on draft night.

I’ve said all year that at some point this kid is going to take it to another level. Why not do this starting Tuesday night at 5:30 Central time on the SEC Network.