2018–19 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team

2018–19 Auburn Tigers men's basketball
SEC tournament champions
NCAA tournament, Final Four
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 5
APNo. 14
Record30–10 (11–7 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaAuburn Arena
Seasons
2018–19 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 15 LSU 16 – 2   .889 28 – 7   .800
No. 10 Tennessee 15 – 3   .833 31 – 6   .838
No. 7 Kentucky 15 – 3   .833 30 – 7   .811
No. 5 Auburn† 11 – 7   .611 30 – 10   .750
South Carolina 11 – 7   .611 16 – 16   .500
Mississippi State 10 – 8   .556 23 – 11   .676
Ole Miss 10 – 8   .556 20 – 13   .606
Florida 9 – 9   .500 20 – 16   .556
Alabama 8 – 10   .444 18 – 16   .529
Arkansas 8 – 10   .444 18 – 16   .529
Texas A&M 6 – 12   .333 14 – 18   .438
Missouri 5 – 13   .278 15 – 17   .469
Georgia 2 – 16   .111 11 – 21   .344
Vanderbilt 0 – 18   .000 9 – 23   .281
† 2019 SEC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2018–19 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team represented Auburn University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season as a member of the Southeastern Conference. The team's head coach was Bruce Pearl in his 5th season at Auburn. The team played their home games at the Auburn Arena in Auburn, Alabama. They finished the season 30–10, 11–7 in SEC play. They defeated Missouri, South Carolina, Florida, and Tennessee to win the SEC tournament. They received an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated New Mexico State, Kansas, North Carolina, and Kentucky to advance to their first Final Four in school history where they lost to Virginia.[1]

Previous season

Auburn finished the 2017–18 season 26–8, 13–5 in SEC play to win a share of the SEC regular season championship. They lost to Alabama in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated College of Charleston to advance to the Second Round where they lost to Clemson.[2]

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Mustapha Heron 5 G 6'5" 218 Sophomore Waterbury, CT Transferred to St. John's
Davion Mitchell 10 G 6'1" 200 Freshman Hinesville, GA Transferred to Baylor
Desean Murray 13 F 6'3" 225 Junior Stanley, NC Transferred to Western Kentucky
Patrick Keim 21 G 6'0" 186 Senior Birmingham, AL Graduated

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
J'Von McCormick 12 G 6'0" 170 Junior Katy, TX Lee College
Jamal Johnson G 6'3" 178 Sophomore Birmingham, AL Memphis

Roster

2018–19 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 0 Horace Spencer 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr Findlay Prep Warminster, PA
G 1 Jared Harper 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Pebblebrook Mableton, GA
G 2 Bryce Brown 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 198 lb (90 kg) Sr Tucker Stone Mountain, GA
F 3 Danjel Purifoy 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS Jr Hargrave Military Academy Centerville, AL
G/F 4 Malik Dunbar 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Sr Spring Valley/College of Central Florida North Augusta, SC
F 5 Chuma Okeke 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) So Westlake Atlanta, GA
G 10 Samir Doughty 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Jr Mathematics, Civics & Science/VCU Philadelphia, PA
G 12 J'Von McCormick 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Mayde Creek/Lee College Katy, TX
G 14 Preston Cook (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Auburn Auburn, AL
F 20 Myles Parker (W) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Madison Academy Madison, AL
G 21 Devontae Williams (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Opp Opp, AL
G 22 Will Macoy 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Vestavia Hills Birmingham, AL
F 24 Anfernee McLemore 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr Worth County Warwick, GA
G 25 Brett Easterling (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Jr Lawton Chiles Tallahassee, FL
C 41 Cole Blackstock 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Sr Brooks Killen, AL
C 50 Austin Wiley 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Jr Spain Park Hoover, AL
F 54 Thomas Collier (W) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS Jr Briarwood Christian Birmingham, AL
G Jamal Johnson (I) Current redshirt 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS So Spain Park/Memphis Birmingham, AL
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
November 2, 2018*
7:00 pm 		No. 11 Lincoln Memorial W 76–62  –
  22 – Harper   11 – Okeke   5 – Okeke  Auburn Arena (8,121)
Auburn, AL
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2018*
8:00 pm, SECN 		No. 11 South Alabama W 101–58  1–0
  20 – Tied   9 – Okeke   13 – Harper  Auburn Arena (7,754)
Auburn, AL
November 9, 2018*
8:30 pm, SECN 		No. 11 No. 25 Washington W 88–66  2–0
  19 – Okeke   10 – Okeke   5 – Harper  Auburn Arena (9,121)
Auburn, AL
November 14, 2018*
7:00 pm, SECN+ 		No. 9 Mississippi College W 103–52  3–0
  18 – Wiley   17 – Spencer   4 – Harper  Auburn Arena (6,959)
Auburn, AL
November 19, 2018*
1:30 pm, ESPN2 		No. 8 vs. Xavier
Maui Invitational tournament quarterfinals 		W 88–79 OT 4–0
  26 – Brown   7 – Okeke   8 – Harper  Lahaina Civic Center (2,400)
Lahaina, HI
November 20, 2018*
7:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 8 vs. No. 1 Duke
Maui Invitational Tournament semifinals 		L 72–78  4–1
  22 – Harper   12 – McLemore   6 – Harper  Lahaina Civic Center (2,400)
Lahaina, HI
November 21, 2018*
10:30 pm, ESPN2 		No. 8 vs. Arizona
Maui Invitational Tournament 3rd place game 		W 73–57  5–1
  19 – Brown   6 – Okeke   5 – Harper  Lahaina Civic Center (2,400)
Lahaina, HI
November 28, 2018*
7:00 pm, SECN+ 		No. 8 Saint Peter's W 99–49  6–1
  19 – Tied   6 – Tied   8 – Harper  Auburn Arena (7,162)
Auburn, AL
December 4, 2018*
7:00 pm, SECN 		No. 8 UNC Asheville W 67–41  7–1
  14 – Wiley   7 – Tied   5 – Okeke  Auburn Arena (7,121)
Auburn, AL
December 8, 2018*
7:30 pm, SECN 		No. 8 Dayton W 82–72  8–1
  34 – Brown   10 – Doughty   7 – Harper  Auburn Arena (8,365)
Auburn, AL
December 15, 2018*
6:30 pm, CBSSN 		No. 8 at UAB
Rivalry/Mike Slive Invitational 		W 75–71 OT 9–1
  31 – Harper   6 – Tied   3 – Harper  Legacy Arena (15,856)
Birmingham, AL
December 19, 2018*
6:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 7 at NC State L 71–78  9–2
  14 – McCormick   6 – Tied   5 – Harper  PNC Arena (17,793)
Raleigh, NC
December 22, 2018*
3:30 pm, SECN 		No. 7 Murray State W 93–88  10–2
  20 – Doughty   10 – Wiley   10 – Harper  Auburn Arena (8,356)
Auburn, AL
December 29, 2018*
4:00 pm, SECN+ 		No. 12 North Florida W 95–49  11–2
  18 – Brown   7 – Wiley   10 – Harper  Auburn Arena (8,450)
Auburn, AL
SEC regular season
January 9, 2019
6:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 11 at Ole Miss L 67–82  11–3
(0–1) 		 23 – Brown   7 – Tied   5 – Harper  The Pavilion at Ole Miss (8,241)
Oxford, MS
January 12, 2019
3:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 11 Georgia W 93–78  12–3
(1–1) 		 22 – Harper   6 – Spencer   7 – Harper  Auburn Arena (9,121)
Auburn, AL
January 16, 2019
6:00 pm, ESPNU 		No. 14 at Texas A&M W 85–66  13–3
(2–1) 		 22 – Brown   12 – Wiley   6 – Harper  Reed Arena (8,730)
College Station, TX
January 19, 2019
3:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 14 No. 12 Kentucky L 80–82  13–4
(2–2) 		 28 – Brown   8 – Spencer   6 – Harper  Auburn Arena (9,121)
Auburn, AL
January 22, 2019
5:30 pm, SECN 		No. 16 at South Carolina L 77–80  13–5
(2–3) 		 17 – Tied   7 – Okeke   5 – Harper  Colonial Life Arena (13,857)
Columbia, SC
January 26, 2019
7:30 pm, SECN 		No. 16 at No. 22 Mississippi State L 84–92  13–6
(2–4) 		 18 – Brown   5 – Doughty   7 – Harper  Humphrey Coliseum (10,063)
Starkville, MS
January 30, 2019
7:30 pm, SECN 		Missouri W 92–58  14–6
(3–4) 		 16 – Harper   12 – Okeke   5 – Harper  Auburn Arena (7,213)
Auburn, AL
February 2, 2019
7:00 pm, ESPN2 		Alabama
Iron Bowl of Basketball 		W 84–63  15–6
(4–4) 		 23 – Brown   5 – Tied   5 – Harper  Auburn Arena (9,121)
Auburn, AL
February 5, 2019
8:00 pm, ESPNU 		Florida W 76–62  16–6
(5–4) 		 14 – Brown   8 – Okeke   3 – Harper  Auburn Arena (7,714)
Auburn, AL
February 9, 2019
1:00 pm, ESPN2 		at No. 21 LSU L 78–83  16–7
(5–5) 		 25 – Harper   14 – Okeke   7 – Harper  Pete Maravich Assembly Center (12,004)
Baton Rouge, LA
February 13, 2019
7:30 pm, SECN 		Ole Miss L 55–60  16–8
(5–6) 		 23 – Okeke   11 – Okeke   2 – Tied  Auburn Arena (7,337)
Auburn, AL
February 16, 2019
11:00 am, ESPNU 		at Vanderbilt W 64–53  17–8
(6–6) 		 16 – Harper   6 – Okeke   8 – Harper  Memorial Gymnasium (11,287)
Nashville, TN
February 20, 2019
7:30 pm, SECN 		Arkansas W 79–56  18–8
(7–6) 		 18 – Brown   6 – McLemore   5 – Okeke  Auburn Arena (7,493)
Auburn, AL
February 23, 2019
12:30 pm, CBS 		at No. 4 Kentucky L 53–80  18–9
(7–7) 		 14 – Okeke   8 – McLemore   2 – Tied  Rupp Arena (23,427)
Lexington, KY
February 27, 2019
8:00 pm, ESPNU 		at Georgia W 78–75  19–9
(8–7) 		 22 – Harper   6 – Okeke   5 – Harper  Stegeman Coliseum (7,837)
Athens, GA
March 2, 2019
3:00 pm, ESPNU 		Mississippi State W 80–75  20–9
(9–7) 		 24 – Brown   7 – Okeke   9 – Harper  Auburn Arena (9,121)
Auburn, AL
March 5, 2019
8:00 pm, ESPNU 		at Alabama
Iron Bowl of Basketball 		W 66–60  21–9
(10–7) 		 17 – Okeke   14 – Okeke   3 – Okeke  Coleman Coliseum (11,865)
Tuscaloosa, AL
March 9, 2019
11:00 am, ESPN 		No. 5 Tennessee W 84–80  22–9
(11–7) 		 22 – Okeke   5 – Tied   8 – Harper  Auburn Arena (9,121)
Auburn, AL
SEC Tournament
March 14, 2019
2:30 pm, SECN 		(5) No. 22 vs. (12) Missouri
Second Round 		W 81–71  23–9
  17 – Brown   10 – Spencer   5 – Harper  Bridgestone Arena (12,720)
Nashville, TN
March 15, 2019
2:30 pm, ESPN 		(5) No. 22 vs. (4) South Carolina
Quarterfinals 		W 73–64  24–9
  27 – Harper   6 – Harper   6 – Harper  Bridgestone Arena (16,490)
Nashville, TN
March 16, 2019
12:00 pm, ESPN 		(5) No. 22 vs. (8) Florida
Semifinals 		W 65–62  25–9
  20 – Harper   7 – Okeke   4 – Doughty  Bridgestone Arena (20,933)
Nashville, TN
March 17, 2019
12:00 pm, ESPN 		(5) No. 22 vs. (3) No. 8 Tennessee
Championship 		W 84–64  26–9
  19 – Brown   13 – Okeke   6 – Harper  Bridgestone Arena (19,452)
Nashville, TN
NCAA tournament
March 21, 2019*
12:30 pm, TNT 		(5 MW) No. 14 vs. (12 MW) New Mexico State
First Round 		W 78–77  27–9
  17 – Harper   5 – Okeke   5 – Brown  Vivint Smart Home Arena (16,576)
Salt Lake City, UT
March 23, 2019*
8:40 pm, TBS 		(5 MW) No. 14 vs. (4 MW) No. 17 Kansas
Second Round 		W 89–75  28–9
  25 – Brown   5 – Okeke   6 – Harper  Vivint Smart Home Arena (17,792)
Salt Lake City, UT
March 29, 2019*
6:29 pm, TBS 		(5 MW) No. 14 vs. (1 MW) No. 3 North Carolina
Sweet Sixteen 		W 97–80  29–9
  20 – Okeke   11 – Okeke   11 – Harper  Sprint Center (17,385)
Kansas City, MO
March 31, 2019*
1:20 pm, CBS 		(5 MW) No. 14 vs. (2 MW) No. 7 Kentucky
Elite Eight 		W 77–71 OT 30–9
  26 – Harper   7 – Tied   5 – Harper  Sprint Center (17,174)
Kansas City, MO
April 6, 2019*
5:09 pm, CBS 		(5 MW) No. 14 vs. (1 S) No. 2 Virginia
Final Four 		L 62–63  30–10
  13 – Doughty   12 – McLemore   3 – Tied  U.S. Bank Stadium (72,711)
Minneapolis, MN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
MW=Midwest S=South.
All times are in Central Time.

Rankings

See also: 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
AP119888871212111416RVRVRVRVRVRV2214Not released
Coaches1212^9810–T987121314101215RVRVRVRV24185

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll.

Awards and honors

Bryce Brown

  • Jerry West Award Preseason Watch List[3]
  • Preseason Media Second Team All-SEC[4]
  • Preseason Coaches' Second Team All-SEC[5]
  • Coaches' Second Team All-SEC[6]
  • SEC All-Tournament Team[7]
  • SEC Tournament MVP[7]

Jared Harper

  • Bob Cousy Award Preseason Watch List[8]
  • Preseason Media Second Team All-SEC[4]
  • Preseason Coaches' Second Team All-SEC[5]
  • Maui Jim Maui Invitational All-Tournament Team[9]
  • AP Second Team All-SEC[10]
  • Coaches' Second Team All-SEC[6]
  • SEC All-Tournament Team[7]
  • NCAA Midwest Regional All-Tournament Team[11]
  • NCAA Midwest Regional MVP[11]

Chuma Okeke

  • SEC All-Tournament Team[7]
  • NCAA Midwest Regional All-Tournament Team[12]

Austin Wiley

  • Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Preseason Watch List[13]

References

  1. ^ "2018-19 Auburn Tigers Schedule and Results". Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  2. ^ "2017-18 Auburn Tigers Schedule and Results". Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  3. ^ "College basketball awards: 20 shooting guards named to Jerry West Award preseason watch list". NCAA. October 17, 2018. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Media picks Kentucky as 2019 SEC Champion". Southeastern Conference. October 17, 2018. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  5. ^ a b "2019 SEC Men's Basketball preseason teams announced". Southeastern Conference. November 6, 2018. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  6. ^ a b "2019 SEC Men's Basketball Awards announced". Southeastern Conference. March 12, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  7. ^ a b c d "SEC announces All-Tournament team after Auburn wins tourney title". Saturday Down South. March 17, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  8. ^ "College basketball awards: 20 point guards named to Bob Cousy Award preseason watch list". NCAA. October 17, 2018. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  9. ^ "Bryce Brown becomes 3-point king as Auburn caps Maui Invitational with win". AuburnTigers.com. November 22, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  10. ^ "Tennessee's Grant Williams named AP SEC player of year". Associated Press. March 12, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  11. ^ a b "Auburn point guard Jared Harper to leave school, enter draft". Associated Press. April 9, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  12. ^ "Chuma Okeke declares for 2019 NBA Draft". AuburnTigers.com. April 20, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  13. ^ "College basketball awards: 21 centers named to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar preseason watch list". NCAA. October 19, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2019.