South Carolina vs. Auburn: Three things to watch for, scouting the opponent and injury report

After two rough losses to open SEC play, South Carolina’s next opponent happens to be what many consider is the best team in college basketball this season.

The Gamecocks (10-5, 0-2 SEC) will look to shock the world and take down mighty No. 2 Auburn on Saturday. Tip-off is at 1 p.m. on SEC Network.

Here are three things to watch for, an opponent scouting report on the Tigers, plus the latest injury report.

Expect more minutes for other players

With Myles Stute out of action for the time being, other players who don’t usually play too much are going to see more time on the floor. South Carolina needs to fill out those 25 minutes Stute normally plays somehow, right?

Jordan Butler saw a little increase in his minutes, playing 11 against Alabama on Wednesday. Morris Ugusuk, who usually plays a decent amount coming off the bench, was out there for 23 minutes but racked up more personal fouls than points. But the one player who hadn’t played much at all who saw a significant increase in game action was Arden Conyers.

Before the Alabama game, Conyers had only played a combined 16 minutes in five games this season, but then he saw 19 minutes of floor time against the Crimson Tide. The redshirt freshman guard went for two points on 1-of-6 shooting and 0-for-3 from behind the arc.

As Stute recovers from his unfortunate blood clot, guys like Conyers are going to be playing a lot more often. That’s why these games are going to be so valuable to him and others who wouldn’t have played much otherwise.

Can this team bring the energy and aggressiveness for a full 40?

Despite losing by 20 to the Tide, the Gamecocks actually got off to a decent start and led in the opening minutes. That was partially due to the aggression they came out with, especially on defense. They were all over the floor and did their best to make every possession tough for Alabama.

As the game wore on, South Carolina fell behind by double digits and never made it a close game again. It also seemed the team didn’t have the same fire it once did from when the game began. It’s such a little thing, but playing with that energy for a full game could be beneficial. Competitiveness should never be something in question. It should already be a given.

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If CMB can get going, it would make a big difference

This will always be a talking point as long as Collin Murray-Boyles’ struggles continue. It’s only been two games, but he hasn’t looked good at all to open SEC play. In that time, the sophomore forward has combined for 11 points on 3-of-15 shooting with eight turnovers.

When asked about those struggles, head coach Lamont Paris basically boiled it down to him facing double teams as well as being “sped up a little bit.” It’s not going to get any easier from here as the Gamecocks host Auburn, a team that Murray-Boyles struggled against the last time they met.

It’s not so much of an “if” but more so “when” he gets going, it would help out with a lot of the issues that the Gamecocks are having right now. He’s obviously the focal point of the offense, and when he isn’t at his best, the team suffers as a result. He should come around at some point and get back on track, but it will be a tough task against this Auburn squad.

Scouting the opponent

After winning the SEC Tournament last season, Auburn is off to a tremendous start in Bruce Pearl’s 11th season as the head coach. The Tigers are 14-1 (2-0 SEC) and are viewed by many as the best team in college basketball right now.

It’s been a dominant season for this group so far, with their only blemish on the schedule being a six-point loss to No. 4 Duke back on Dec. 4. In fairness, that loss came at Cameron Indoor Stadium, one of the most hostile environments in the sport. Even then, that game still went down to the wire with the Blue Devils prevailing in the end.

Otherwise, it’s all been smooth sailing for the Tigers, with wins over No. 3 Iowa State, No. 12 Houston, No. 19 Memphis and No. 20 Purdue. They’ve also beaten North Carolina and blew out former Gamecock Meechie Johnson and Ohio State by 38 points last month.

Everything for Auburn starts and ends with star forward Johni Broome, arguably one of the best players in the country. He’s averaging a career-best 18.7 points and 11.2 rebounds this season. But he also leads the team in assists (3.4) and blocks (2.7).

Much like he has against every team, he was solid in the two games Auburn played South Carolina in last year. He scored 21 points in a 101-61 win on Valentine’s Day, then went a double-double in the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals.

While Broome is the main attraction with this bunch, he’s far from the only talented player the Gamecocks need to watch for. Senior guard Chad Baker-Mazara is averaging 13 points per game on 52.8 percent shooting. As if that weren’t enough, Auburn has four other players currently putting up more than 10 points per game.

This is a team that ranks No. 1 in effective offensive efficiency, No. 4 in effective field goal percentage, No. 6 in turnover percentage, No. 4 in two-point percentage, No. 6 in block percentage, and No. 1 in non-steal turnover percentage. So in short, the Tigers are really good.

Injury report

The SEC student-athlete availability report has not come out yet, though it will later Friday evening. This story will be updated once more information becomes available.

Game details

Who: South Carolina (10-5, 0-2 SEC) vs. No. 2 Auburn (14-1, 2-0 SEC)

When: Saturday, Jan. 11 at 1 p.m.

Where: Colonial Life Arena (18,000)

How to watch/listen: SEC Network/107.5 The Game

ESPN gives South Carolina a 10.5 percent chance to win

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