The No. 12 Auburn Tigers take on the No. 15 South Carolina Gamecocks in the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament quarterfinals this afternoon.
Auburn earned the No. 4 seed in the SEC Tournament, which earned it a double-bye, meaning this game will be its first of the tournament.
The Gamecocks are the No. 5 seed and beat the No. 12 seed Arkansas Razorbacks 80-66 yesterday in the second round.
What are the biggest things to watch for during the game?
Can Auburn get over its first-round jitters?
Auburn has gone home after the first round of the SEC Tournament in back-to-back years, including 2022 when it was the No. 1 seed.
Not going one-and-done in the SEC Tournament for the third year in a row will help the Tigers secure a better seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Who will step up for South Carolina?
South Carolina is led by Meechie Johnson, B.J. Mack and Collin Murray-Boyles.
Johnson, a 6-foot-2 junior guard, leads the Gamecocks in scoring with 14.4 points per game. He also averages 4.2 rebounds and three assists per game and shoots 40.3% from the field.
Mack, a 6-foot-8 senior forward, is South Carolina's second-highest scorer with 13.5 points per game. He also averages 4.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game and shoots 41.8% from the field.
Murray-Boyles, a 6-foot-7 freshman forward, is the Gamecocks' leading rebounder, averaging 5.7 per game. He also averages 10.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 61.7% from the field.
Each of these players is capable of taking over a game. Auburn will need to contain all of them.
Which Auburn guard will step up?
The Tigers have a five-deep guard rotation.
They have taken turns stepping up for the Tigers this season and are each capable of making a difference.
Chad Baker-Mazara has been the most impactful lately and will be looking to have another big performance today.
How will Auburn shoot the ball?
Auburn has had every possible outcome this season when it comes to shooting performance.
It has tended to struggle at neutral site venues but will need a solid performance in that category tomorrow.
Tipoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT. The television broadcast can be found on ESPN, and the Auburn Sports Network broadcast can be streamed anywhere on the Auburn Athletics app.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email daniel.locke@1819news.com.
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