< Previous 9 MEN’S B ASKETB ALL S T AFF IRA BOWMAN Assistant Coach STEVEN PEARL Assistant Coach WES FLANIGAN Assistant Coach DAMON DAVIS Strength & Conditioning Coach RANDY ROBERTS Chaplain CLARK PEARSON Athletic Trainer IAN BORDERS Video Coordinator MADDUX JEFFREYS Graduate Assistant KT HARRELL Graduate Assistant CHAD PREWETT Director of Operations MARQUIS DANIELS Director of Player Development MIKE BURGOMASTER Assistant Director of Operations TRA’CEE TANNER Equipment Manager HOLLY MCKEE Sports Dietitian CLICK EACH PHOTO FOR FULL BIO10 FEA TURE: OFFENSIVE EXPL OSION THE 1-3-1: TIGERS TAKE OFFENSE TO SCORCHING HEIGHTS 1 BIG THING: OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION Just how good was Auburn on Saturday? The Tigers shot 51.9 percent (40 of 77) from the field, 51.9 percent (14 of 27) from beyond the arc and 93.8 percent (15 of 16) from the free throw line. Since the start of the 2010-11 season, only one other time has an Auburn team shot better than 50 percent from the field, 50 percent from 3 and 90 percent from the line. With 109 points, it was not only a program record for an SEC road game – it was also the first time the Tigers hit the century mark in any SEC game since beating Alabama, 102-61, in 1999. Five different players scored in double figures for Auburn, led by Allen Flanigan’s 24 points, but it’s no secret who the catalyst is behind this offense – point guard Sharife Cooper. In five games since Cooper made his debut, the Tigers are second in the SEC in points per game (86.6), third in scoring margin (+8.4) and second in field-goal percentage (47.6 percent). The freshman leads the league with nine assists per game in that stretch and is second with 21.2 points per game. “There’s a reason why he was the No. 1 recruit that Auburn has ever signed,” Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. “Expectations were high. “We didn’t complain a lot when he wasn’t available because he wasn’t available. We had to coach the guys we had, and I was proud of those guys for going 6-2 in the non-conference – knowing what he does to us, what he does to everybody else.” 3 QUESTIONS WITH DYLAN CARDWELL What has stood out the most from your first year playing college? Cardwell: Really just how blessed I am to be at Auburn. I turn around from day to day so thankful I ended up here because I could’ve gone anywhere in the nation, but things would not have worked out if I had chosen a different school. That’s what has stood out the most to me – how God brought me here and how my journey has led me to Auburn. You definitely bring the energy. Where does that come from? Cardwell: It just comes from the passion, the love for the game. I’ve always loved basketball. Just being able to play at one of the highest levels, it just seems unreal sometimes. So it’s just the excitement of being D-1 basketball. The excitement of playing basketball in general gets me hyped. Just going out there and competing, it’s just fun. What do you think that energy does for your teammates? Cardwell: I feel like it gets them going. Sometimes we might go stale where we don’t score for a certain amount of minutes. The energy, it’s like putting a battery on our back. It allows us to go on a run sometimes, and it gives our team a confidence boost. The fans get into it. I feel like what always gets me going is when Devan (Cambridge) get a dunk from Sharife (Cooper). Devan’s lobs get me hyped. So I think we all feed off each other’s energy. But overall, I just feel like we’re a fun team to watch and a fun team to play with. 1 KEY STAT: CASHING IN THE FREEBIES Ask Bruce Pearl about Auburn’s recent success from the free throw line, and he’ll put it on you if the Tigers struggle from the line their next game. But good luck jinxing this group. After making 15 of 16 free throws at South Carolina on Saturday, Auburn is tops in the SEC since the first of the year at 78.2 percent (104 of 133). The only other team shooting above 75 percent in that span is Kentucky (75.2). The Tigers are also going to the line more in 2021. They rank second in the conference with 104 free throws made since Jan. 1. Flanigan, in particular, has been money from the charity stripe. The sophomore is shooting 80.7 percent on the season, seventh-best in the SEC, but over his last seven games, he’s missed a total of two free throws (23 of 25). 15 A UTLIVE The Bruce Pearl Family Foundation is once again continuing the fight against cancer with the sixth year of AUTLIVE, Auburn basketball’s fight against cancer. The best way to beat cancer is to detect it early and be able to fight it on your home court. This year’s AUTLIVE game will take place in Auburn Arena on Saturday, February 27, 2021 vs. Tennessee. You can support the cause by purchasing a t-shirt for $25 beginning early January. AUTLIVE raises the awareness of cancer prevention and detection while t-shirt sales and donations raise money to benefit cancer patients at these locations: Russell Medical Foundation, Smile-A-Mile, Coosa Valley Medical Center, Children’s of Alabama, East Alabama Medical Center, Joy to Life, aTeam Ministries, Cancer Wellness Foundation and Russell Hill. Pearl and his coaching staff initiated the OUTLIVE program in 2009 at Tennessee in recognition of former Vol Chris Lofton, who beat testicular cancer through early diagnosis and local #ThinkSunSouth WHETHER YOU’RE CUTTING, MOWING, MULCHING, TILLING, LOADING, DIGGING, PLANTING, HAULING OR OFF-ROADING... QUALITY JOHN DEERE EQUIPMENT, AFFORDABLY PRICED. 21 LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE SOUTHEAST. >> FIND YOURS << SUNSOUTH.COMNext >