2019–20 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team

2019–20 Auburn Tigers men's basketball
Legends Classic champions
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 20
APNo. 20
Record25–6 (12–6 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaAuburn Arena
Seasons
2019–20 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 8 Kentucky 15 – 3   .833 25 – 6   .806
No. 20 Auburn 12 – 6   .667 25 – 6   .806
LSU 12 – 6   .667 21 – 10   .677
Mississippi State 11 – 7   .611 20 – 11   .645
Florida 11 – 7   .611 19 – 12   .613
South Carolina 10 – 8   .556 18 – 13   .581
Texas A&M 10 – 8   .556 16 – 14   .533
Tennessee 9 – 9   .500 17 – 14   .548
Alabama 8 – 10   .444 16 – 15   .516
Arkansas 7 – 11   .389 20 – 12   .625
Missouri 7 – 11   .389 15 – 16   .484
Ole Miss 6 – 12   .333 15 – 17   .469
Georgia 5 – 13   .278 16 – 16   .500
Vanderbilt 3 – 15   .167 11 – 21   .344
Note: The 2020 SEC tournament was canceled after the first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rankings from AP poll

The 2019–20 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team represented Auburn University during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season as a member of the Southeastern Conference. The team's head coach was Bruce Pearl in his sixth season at Auburn. The team played their home games at Auburn Arena in Auburn, Alabama. They finished the season 25–6, 12–6 in SEC play to finish in a tie for second place. They were set to be the No. 2 seed in the SEC tournament with a bye to the quarterfinals. However, the SEC Tournament and all other postseason tournaments were cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Previous season

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The Tigers finished the 2018–19 season 30–10, 11–7 in SEC play. As the No. 5 seed in the SEC tournament, the Tigers defeated Missouri, South Carolina, Florida, and Tennessee to win the tournament championship. It was Auburn's second SEC Tournament championship and first since 1985. The Tigers received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 5 seed in the Midwest Region. There, they defeated New Mexico State and Kansas to advance to the team first Sweet Sixteen since 2003. In the Sweet Sixteen, they defeated No. 1-seeded North Carolina to advance to the Elite Eight. There they defeated No. 2 seed Kentucky to advance to the program's first Final Four. In the Final Four, they suffered a controversial loss to eventual national champion Virginia.

Offseason

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Departures

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Auburn lost seniors Cole Blackstock, Bryce Brown, Malik Dunbar, and Horace Spencer to graduation. In addition, Jared Harper and Chuma Okeke declared for the NBA draft. The Orlando Magic picked Okeke as the 16th draft choice, making him the first Auburn player to be drafted since 2001. Harper signed with the Phoenix Suns, Brown with the Sacramento Kings, and Dunbar with the Golden State Warriors. Spencer signed with Argentine club Atenas de Cordoba.

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Cole Blackstock 41 C 6'9" 260 Senior Killen, AL Graduated
Bryce Brown 2 G 6'3" 198 Senior Stone Mountain, GA Graduated
Malik Dunbar 4 G/F 6'6" 230 Senior North Augusta, SC Graduated
Jared Harper 1 G 5'11" 175 Junior Mableton, GA Play professionally
Chuma Okeke 5 F 6'8" 230 Sophomore Atlanta, GA Declared for the NBA draft; selected 16th overall by the Orlando Magic.
Horace Spencer 0 F 6'8" 225 Senior Philadelphia, PA Graduated

2019 recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Babatunde Akingbola
PF 		Powder Springs, GA McEachern (GA) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jan 11, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN grade: 75
Devan Cambridge
F 		Athens, TN Hillcrest Prep School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jul 17, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A
Allen Flanigan
F 		Little Rock, AR Parkview Magnet High 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Nov 15, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN grade: 81
Javon Franklin
SF 		Goodman, MS Goodman Community College 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) May 31, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars
Tyrell Jones
G 		Orlando, FL West Oaks Academy 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Nov 21, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN grade: 82
Isaac Okoro
SF 		Powder Springs, GA McEachern High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Nov 21, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN grade: 88
Jaylin Williams
F 		Nahunta, GA Brantley County High School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Nov 15, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN grade: 81
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 15  247Sports: 20  ESPN: 21
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Auburn 2019 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  • "2019 Auburn Tigers Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 30, 2019.

2020 Recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for 2020 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Justin Powell
SG 		Prospect, KY North Oldham (KY) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jun 7, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 83
Sharife Cooper
PG 		Powder Springs, GA McEachern (GA) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Sep 27, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 94
Chris Moore
PF 		West Memphis, AR West Memphis (AR) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Nov 16, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 79
JT Thor
PF 		Anchorage, AK Norcross (GA) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Apr 12, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 86
Dylan Cardwell
C 		Augusta, GA McEachern (GA) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) May 7, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 79
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 6  247Sports: 9  ESPN: 6
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Preseason

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SEC media poll

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The SEC media poll was released on October 15, 2019.[1]

Media poll
Predicted finish Team
1 Kentucky
2 Florida
3 LSU
4 Auburn
5 Tennessee
6 Alabama
7 Mississippi State
8 Ole Miss
9 Georgia
10 South Carolina
11 Arkansas
12 Texas A&M
13 Missouri
14 Vanderbilt

Roster

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2019–20 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Tyrell Jones 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr West Oaks Academy Chicago, IL
G 1 Jamal Johnson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS So Memphis Birmingham, AL
F 2 Jaylin Williams 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Brantley County Nahunta, GA
F 3 Danjel Purifoy 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS Sr Hargrave Military Academy Centerville, AL
F 4 Javon Franklin 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 218 lb (99 kg) RS So Holmes CC Little Rock, AR
G 5 J'Von McCormick 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Lee College New Orleans, LA
G 10 Samir Doughty 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Sr VCU Philadelphia, PA
G 12 Lior Berman (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Mountain Brook Birmingham, AL
C 13 Babatunde Akingbola 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 236 lb (107 kg) Fr McEachern Ogun, Nigeria
G 14 Preston Cook (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Auburn Auburn, AL
F 20 Myles Parker (W) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Madison Academy Madison, AL
G 21 Will Macoy 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Vestavia Hills Birmingham, AL
G 22 Allen Flanigan 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Parkview Magnet Little Rock, AR
F 23 Isaac Okoro 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Fr McEachern Powder Springs, GA
F 24 Anfernee McLemore 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr Worth County Warwick, GA
G 33 Chase Maasdorp (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) So The Out-of-Door Academy Lakewood Ranch, FL
G 35 Devan Cambridge 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Hillcrest Prep Nashville, TN
C 50 Austin Wiley 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Sr Spain Park Hoover, AL
F 54 Thomas Collier (W) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS Sr Briarwood Christian Birmingham, AL
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: October 7, 2019

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
November 1, 2019*
8:00 pm 		No. 24 Eckerd W 97–53  –
  20 – McCormick   10 – Wiley   5 – McCormick  Auburn Arena (9,121)
Auburn, AL
Regular season
November 5, 2019*
8:00 pm, SECN 		No. 24 Georgia Southern W 83–74  1–0
  20 – Doughty   9 – Wiley   4 – McCormick  Auburn Arena (8,702)
Auburn, AL
November 8, 2019*
5:00 pm, CBSSN 		No. 24 vs. Davidson
Veterans Classic 		W 76–66  2–0
  17 – Okoro   10 – Wiley   5 – McCormick  Alumni Hall (4,549)
Annapolis, MD
November 12, 2019*
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		No. 22 at South Alabama W 70–69  3–0
  15 – Okoro   10 – Doughty   6 – Okoro  Mitchell Center (10,068)
Mobile, AL
November 15, 2019*
6:00 pm, SECN 		No. 22 Cal State Northridge
Legends Classic campus-site game 		W 116–70  4–0
  33 – Doughty   9 – Wiley   16 – McCormick  Auburn Arena (8,389)
Auburn, AL
November 18, 2019*
7:00 pm, SECN 		No. 19 Colgate
Legends Classic campus-site game 		W 91–62  5–0
  20 – Doughty   10 – Wiley   8 – McCormick  Auburn Arena (7,522)
Auburn, AL
November 25, 2019*
8:30 pm, ESPNews 		No. 18 vs. New Mexico
Legends Classic semifinals 		W 84–59  6–0
  19 – Doughty   13 – Wiley   6 – McCormick  Barclays Center (6,812)
Brooklyn, NY
November 26, 2019*
6:30 pm, ESPN2 		No. 18 vs. Richmond
Legends Classic championship 		W 79–65  7–0
  22 – Doughty   9 – Purifoy   6 – McCormick  Barclays Center (6,420)
Brooklyn, NY
December 5, 2019*
8:00 pm, SECN 		No. 14 Furman W 81–78 OT 8–0
  18 – Okoro   12 – Wiley   4 – McCormick  Auburn Arena (8,226)
Auburn, AL
December 14, 2019*
3:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 12 vs. Saint Louis
Mike Slive Invitational 		W 67–61  9–0
  20 – McCormick   8 – Wiley   6 – McCormick  Legacy Arena (12,614)
Birmingham, AL
December 19, 2019*
8:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 12 NC State W 79–73  10–0
  24 – Doughty   8 – Wiley   4 – Doughty  Auburn Arena (9,121)
Auburn, AL
December 21, 2019*
5:00 pm, SECN 		No. 12 Lehigh W 74–51  11–0
  18 – McCormick   15 – Wiley   4 – Tied  Auburn Arena (9,121)
Auburn, AL
December 29, 2019*
3:00 pm, SECN 		No. 8 Lipscomb W 86–59  12–0
  17 – Purifoy   11 – Wiley   7 – Doughty  Auburn Arena (9,121)
Auburn, AL
January 4, 2020
3:30 pm, SECN 		No. 8 at Mississippi State W 80–68  13–0
(1–0) 		 28 – McCormick   8 – Tied   4 – McCormick  Humphrey Coliseum (8,447)
Starkville, MS
January 8, 2020
8:00 pm, SECN 		No. 5 Vanderbilt W 83–79  14–0
(2–0) 		 23 – Okoro   12 – Wiley   3 – Okoro  Auburn Arena (9,121)
Auburn, AL
January 11, 2020
11:00 am, ESPNews 		No. 5 Georgia W 82–60  15–0
(3–0) 		 17 – Doughty   8 – Purifoy   4 – Doughty  Auburn Arena (9,121)
Auburn, AL
January 15, 2020
8:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 4 at Alabama
Iron Bowl of Basketball 		L 64–83  15–1
(3–1) 		 13 – Okoro   13 – Wiley   3 – Tied  Coleman Coliseum (14,474)
Tuscaloosa, AL
January 18, 2020
12:30 pm, CBS 		No. 4 at Florida L 47–69  15–2
(3–2) 		 10 – Purifoy   6 – Wiley   2 – Tied  O'Connell Center (10,756)
Gainesville, FL
January 22, 2020
6:00 pm, ESPNU 		No. 16 South Carolina W 80–67  16–2
(4–2) 		 26 – Cambridge   8 – Wiley   7 – Okoro  Auburn Arena (8,430)
Auburn, AL
January 25, 2020*
11:00 am, ESPNU 		No. 16 Iowa State
Big 12/SEC Challenge 		W 80–76  17–2
  19 – Okoro   9 – Wiley   5 – Doughty  Auburn Arena (9,121)
Auburn, AL
January 28, 2020
8:00 pm, ESPNU 		No. 17 at Ole Miss W 83–82 2OT 18–2
(5–2) 		 19 – McLemore   9 – Tied   3 – Tied  The Pavilion at Ole Miss (8,125)
Oxford, MS
February 1, 2020
5:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 17 No. 13 Kentucky
ESPN College GameDay 		W 75–66  19–2
(6–2) 		 23 – Doughty   10 – Wiley   4 – McCormick  Auburn Arena (9,121)
Auburn, AL
February 4, 2020
6:00 pm, SECN 		No. 11 at Arkansas W 79–76 OT 20–2
(7–2) 		 23 – Doughty   10 – McLemore   3 – Tied  Bud Walton Arena (17,196)
Fayetteville, AR
February 8, 2020
11:00 am, ESPN 		No. 11 No. 18 LSU W 91–90 OT 21–2
(8–2) 		 26 – Doughty   13 – Wiley   9 – McCormick  Auburn Arena (9,121)
Auburn, AL
February 12, 2020
6:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 11 Alabama
Iron Bowl of Basketball 		W 95–91 OT 22–2
(9–2) 		 19 – Okoro   17 – Wiley   5 – McCormick  Auburn Arena (9,121)
Auburn, AL
February 15, 2020
5:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 11 at Missouri L 73–85  22–3
(9–3) 		 22 – Wiley   10 – Wiley   4 – Doughty  Mizzou Arena (12,506)
Columbia, MO
February 19, 2020
6:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 13 at Georgia L 55–65  22–4
(9–4) 		 22 – McCormick   9 – Wiley   3 – Doughty  Stegeman Coliseum (10,181)
Athens, GA
February 22, 2020
11:00 am, CBS 		No. 13 Tennessee W 73–66  23–4
(10–4) 		 22 – Doughty   7 – Wiley   4 – McCormick  Auburn Arena (9,121)
Auburn, AL
February 25, 2020
6:00 pm, SECN 		No. 15 Ole Miss W 67–58  24–4
(11–4) 		 15 – Wiley   11 – Wiley   4 – Doughty  Auburn Arena (9,121)
Auburn, AL
February 29, 2020
2:45 pm, CBS 		No. 15 at No. 8 Kentucky L 66–73  24–5
(11–5) 		 13 – McCormick   12 – Wiley   5 – Doughty  Rupp Arena (20,638)
Lexington, KY
March 4, 2020
6:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 17 Texas A&M L 75–78  24–6
(11–6) 		 25 – Doughty   5 – Tied   10 – McCormick  Auburn Arena (9,121)
Auburn, AL
March 7, 2020
11:00 am, ESPN2 		No. 17 at Tennessee W 85–63  25–6
(12–6) 		 32 – Doughty   9 – Wiley   3 – Tied  Thompson–Boling Arena (21,156)
Knoxville, TN
SEC Tournament
March 13, 2020
6:00 pm, SECN 		(2) No. 20 vs.
Quarterfinals 		Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[2] Bridgestone Arena
Nashville, TN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

[3]

Rankings

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See also: 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
т = Tied with team above or below
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP242219181412128854161711111315172020
Coaches2323*181713109875416161011121515-T1720

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings

Awards and honors

[edit]

Samir Doughty

[edit]
  • Coaches' First Team All-SEC[4]
  • AP Second Team All-SEC[5]

Isaac Okoro

[edit]
  • Coaches' Second Team All-SEC[4]
  • Coaches' SEC All-Freshman Team[4]
  • Coaches' SEC All-Defensive Team[4]

Austin Wiley

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "UK picked to win 2020 SEC Men's Basketball Championship". SEC Sports. October 15, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  2. ^ "2020 SEC Tournament canceled Thursday amid coronavirus pandemic concerns".
  3. ^ "2019-20 Men's Basketball Schedule".
  4. ^ a b c d "SEC announces 2020 Men's Basketball Awards". www.secsports.com. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  5. ^ "Mississippi State's Perry, Arkansas' Jones share SEC honors". AP NEWS. March 10, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  6. ^ "2020 SEC Men's Basketball Preseason Teams announced". Southeastern Conference. November 4, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  7. ^ "AUBURN CAPTURES ROMAN LEGENDS CLASSIC PRESENTED BY OLD TRAPPER". www.gazellegroup.com. November 26, 2019. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
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