2019–20 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team
American college basketball season
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
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 .
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 : 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 : 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:
2020 Recruiting class
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 : 247Sports : ESPN : 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 : 247Sports : ESPN : 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 : 247Sports : ESPN : 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 : 247Sports : ESPN : 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 : 247Sports : ESPN : 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
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
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
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
Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking т = Tied with team above or below 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
^ "UK picked to win 2020 SEC Men's Basketball Championship" . SEC Sports. October 15, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2019 .
^ "2020 SEC Tournament canceled Thursday amid coronavirus pandemic concerns" .
^ "2019-20 Men's Basketball Schedule" .
^ a b c d "SEC announces 2020 Men's Basketball Awards" . www.secsports.com . Retrieved March 10, 2020 .
^ "Mississippi State's Perry, Arkansas' Jones share SEC honors" . AP NEWS . March 10, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020 .
^ "2020 SEC Men's Basketball Preseason Teams announced" . Southeastern Conference . November 4, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2019 .
^ "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 .
Venues Rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons NCAA Final Four appearances in italics