SEC Watch: Auburn's "Splash Bros" torched the league's best defense before hosting the Cats
Auburn‘s 101-61 win over South Carolina headlines our midweek look at basketball in the Southeastern Conference. The surprising Wednesday night finish was a statement game for Bruce Pearl’s Tigers. The game also had significant implications on the SEC standings, where Alabama now sits alone in first place following the Gamecocks’ third loss. Now, the two-loss Crimson Tide control their own destiny over three teams with three losses and two teams with four.
Auburn’s “Splash Bros”
Auburn is unbeaten at home this season and has only lost twice at Auburn Arena in three years, so last night’s win was expected. What we didn’t see coming was how Auburn beat the SEC’s best defense, scoring 101 points on 61 percent shooting from the field (36-59) and 60 percent from 3 (12-20). Today, Auburn is the only team in the country ranked in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, per KenPom.
Against the Gamecocks, the Auburn frontcourt of Jaylin Williams and Johni Broome was on fire from the outside. Williams hit 5 of 7, and Broome hit 4 of 5 from deep. They combined for 44 points before revealing their nickname after the game: “The Splash Bros.”
No, you cannot take a selfie with Bo Jackson
Auburn football legend Bo Jackson is loving his alma mater’s basketball program this season. Jackson was among the 9,121 in attendance to watch the Tigers defend homecourt last night, and he was so into the game that he didn’t have time for photos with young fans.
Not all selfie requests were denied, though. Jackson and Auburn football head coach Hugh Freeze posed for at least one in Auburn’s student section.
Auburn fans lined up early for Kentucky
As soon as Auburn sent South Carolina home with a lopsided loss, several Auburn students stepped outside to get in line for Saturday’s game against Kentucky. “Pearlville,” they call it, opened three nights before game day. Maybe they’ll be tired on Saturday night?
Tennessee also won big last night
As Auburn was running up the score on South Carolina, Tennessee was doing the same to Arkansas in Fayetteville. The Vols went on the road to face the wounded Razorbacks, seeking a bounce-back win after Tennessee’s loss at Texas A&M last Saturday.
Arkansas was in the fight for a half, but the Vols ran away in the second to win 92-63 in Bud Walton Arena. It is the widest margin in the 55-year history of the Tennessee-Arkansas series and nearly broke the Bud Walton record set earlier this season when Auburn beat Arkansas by 32.
SEC Tournament Seeding Watch
If the SEC Tournament started today, Kentucky would be the tournament’s No. 6 seed, playing the late game on Thursday night. Gross. Luckily, the tournament does not start today, and the Wildcats have several opportunities to climb the ranks before everyone heads to Nashville. A win at Auburn on Saturday would go a long way in securing a double-bye as the Cats and Tigers would each have four losses, with Kentucky holding the head-to-head tiebreaker.
SEC Scoreboard
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13
| AWAY | HOME | ||
| Texas A&M | 73 | Vanderbilt | 74 |
| LSU | 80 | Florida | 82 |
| Ole Miss | 63 | (22) Kentucky | 75 |
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14
| AWAY | HOME | ||
| (11) South Carolina | 61 | (13) Auburn | 101 |
| (8) Tennessee | 92 | Arkansas | 63 |
SEC Standings
| CONFERENCE | OVERALL | |
| Alabama | 9-2 | 17-7 |
| South Carolina | 9-3 | 21-4 |
| Auburn | 9-3 | 20-5 |
| Tennessee | 8-3 | 18-6 |
| Florida | 7-4 | 17-7 |
| Kentucky | 7-4 | 17-7 |
| Texas A&M | 6-5 | 15-9 |
| Ole Miss | 5-6 | 18-6 |
| Mississippi State | 5-6 | 16-8 |
| Georgia | 4-7 | 14-10 |
| LSU | 4-7 | 12-12 |
| Arkansas | 3-8 | 12-12 |
| Vanderbilt | 2-9 | 7-17 |
| Missouri | 0-11 | 8-16 |
SEC Schedule
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17
| AWAY | HOME | TV | |
| 12:00 PM ET | Texas A&M | (15) Alabama | ESPN |
| 1:00 PM ET | Florida | Georgia | SEC Network |
| 2:00 PM ET | Arkansas | Mississippi St | ESPNU |
| 3:30 PM ET | LSU | (11) South Carolina | SEC Network |
| 6:00 PM ET | (22) Kentucky | (13) Auburn | ESPN |
| 6:00 PM ET | Vanderbilt | (8) Tennessee | SEC Network |
| 8:30 PM ET | Missouri | Ole Miss | SEC Network |
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