# 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.

## 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.
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Cole Blackstock | 41 | C | 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: 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: "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 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: "Auburn 2020 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 10, 2020. "2020 Auburn Tigers Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 10, 2020. "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 10, 2020. |||||||

## Preseason
### SEC media poll

The SEC media poll was released on October 15, 2019.
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 |

## 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 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | Bridgestone Arena Nashville, TN |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking т = Tied with team above or below :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | 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
* AP Second Team All-SEC

### Isaac Okoro

* Coaches' Second Team All-SEC
* Coaches' SEC All-Freshman Team
* Coaches' SEC All-Defensive Team

### Austin Wiley

* Preseason Coaches' Second Team All-SEC
* Legends Classic MVP