2019–20 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team

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.

2019–20 Auburn Tigers men's basketball
Legends Classic champions
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 20
APNo. 20
2019–20 record25–6 (12–6 SEC)
Head coachBruce Pearl (6th season)
Assistant coaches
Home arenaAuburn Arena
2019–20 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
No. 8 Kentucky15–3 .833  25–6  .806
No. 20 Auburn12–6 .667  25–6  .806
LSU12–6 .667  21–10  .677
Mississippi State11–7 .611  20–11  .645
Florida11–7 .611  19–12  .613
South Carolina10–8 .556  18–13  .581
Texas A&M10–8 .556  16–14  .533
Tennessee9–9 .500  17–14  .548
Alabama8–10 .444  16–15  .516
Arkansas7–11 .389  20–12  .625
Missouri7–11 .389  15–16  .484
Ole Miss6–12 .333  15–17  .469
Georgia5–13 .278  16–16  .500
Vanderbilt3–15 .167  11–21  .344
As of June 27, 2020; Rankings from AP Poll
NOTE: The 2020 SEC Tournament was canceled after the first round due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Previous season

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

Departures

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.

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Cole Blackstock 41 F 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
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:   Rivals:   247Sports:    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: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   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:   Rivals:   247Sports:    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:   Rivals:   247Sports:
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:   Rivals:   247Sports:    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: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    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:   Rivals:   247Sports:    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
    US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
    Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
    Justin Powell
    SG    		 Louisville, KY North Oldham (KY) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jun 7, 2019 
    Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 82
    Sharife Cooper
    PG    		 Marietta, GA McEachern (GA) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Sep 27, 2019 
    Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 92
    Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: #11  247Sports: #8  ESPN: #9
    • 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

      SEC media poll

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

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

      Roster
      2019–20 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team
      PlayersCoaches
      Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
      G 0 Tyrell Jones 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)170 lb (77 kg) FrWest Oaks Academy Chicago, IL
      G 1 Jamal Johnson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)195 lb (88 kg) RS SoMemphis Birmingham, AL
      F 2 Jaylin Williams 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)215 lb (98 kg) FrBrantley County Nahunta, GA
      F 3 Danjel Purifoy 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)230 lb (104 kg) RS SrHargrave Military Academy Centerville, AL
      F 4 Javon Franklin 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)218 lb (99 kg) RS SoHolmes CC Little Rock, AR
      G 5 J'Von McCormick 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)185 lb (84 kg) SrLee College New Orleans, LA
      G 10 Samir Doughty 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)195 lb (88 kg) RS SrVCU Philadelphia, PA
      G 12 Lior Berman (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)190 lb (86 kg) FrMountain Brook Birmingham, AL
      C 13 Babatunde Akingbola 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)236 lb (107 kg) FrMcEachern Ogun, Nigeria
      G 14 Preston Cook (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)200 lb (91 kg) SoAuburn Auburn, AL
      F 20 Myles Parker (W) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)200 lb (91 kg) SoMadison Academy Madison, AL
      G 21 Will Macoy 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)200 lb (91 kg) SrVestavia Hills Birmingham, AL
      G 22 Allen Flanigan 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)200 lb (91 kg) FrParkview Magnet Little Rock, AR
      F 23 Isaac Okoro 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)225 lb (102 kg) FrMcEachern Powder Springs, GA
      F 24 Anfernee McLemore 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)220 lb (100 kg) SrWorth County Warwick, GA
      G 33 Chase Maasdorp (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)175 lb (79 kg) SoThe Out-of-Door Academy Lakewood Ranch, FL
      G 35 Devan Cambridge 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)190 lb (86 kg) FrHillcrest Prep Nashville, TN
      C 50 Austin Wiley 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)260 lb (118 kg) SrSpain Park Hoover, AL
      F 54 Thomas Collier (W) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)215 lb (98 kg) RS SrBriarwood 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
      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
      See also: 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
      Ranking movements
      Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
      NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.
      Week
      Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Final 
      AP 24 22 19 18 14 12 12 8 8 5 4 16 17 11 11 13 15 17 20 20 
      Coaches 23 23* 18 17 13 10 9 8 7 5 4 16 16 10 11 12 15 15-T 17 20

      *AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings

      Awards and honors

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

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

      Austin Wiley

      References
      1. "UK picked to win 2020 SEC Men's Basketball Championship". SEC Sports. October 15, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
      2. https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/2020-sec-tournament-canceled-thursday-amid-coronavirus-pandemic-concerns/live/
      3. https://auburntigers.com/schedule.aspx?schedule=437
      4. "SEC announces 2020 Men's Basketball Awards". www.secsports.com. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
      5. "Mississippi State's Perry, Arkansas' Jones share SEC honors". AP NEWS. 2020-03-10. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
      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. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
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