# 2018–19 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team

The 2018–19 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team represented Auburn University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season as a member of the Southeastern Conference. The team's head coach was Bruce Pearl in his 5th season at Auburn. The team played their home games at the Auburn Arena in Auburn, Alabama. They finished the season 30–10, 11–7 in SEC play. They defeated Missouri, South Carolina, Florida, and Tennessee to win the SEC tournament. They received an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated New Mexico State, Kansas, North Carolina, and Kentucky to advance to their first Final Four in school history where they lost to Virginia.

## Previous season

Auburn finished the 2017–18 season 26–8, 13–5 in SEC play to win a share of the SEC regular season championship. They lost to Alabama in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated College of Charleston to advance to the Second Round where they lost to Clemson.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Mustapha Heron | 5 | G | 6'5" | 218 | Sophomore | Waterbury, CT | Transferred to St. John's |
| Davion Mitchell | 10 | G | 6'1" | 200 | Freshman | Hinesville, GA | Transferred to Baylor |
| Desean Murray | 13 | F | 6'3" | 225 | Junior | Stanley, NC | Transferred to Western Kentucky |
| Patrick Keim | 21 | G | 6'0" | 186 | Senior | Birmingham, AL | Graduated |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| J'Von McCormick | 12 | G | 6'0" | 170 | Junior | Katy, TX | Lee College |
| Jamal Johnson | | G | 6'3" | 178 | Sophomore | Birmingham, AL | Memphis |

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 2, 2018* 7:00 pm | No. 11 | Lincoln Memorial | W 76–62 | – | 22 – Harper | 11 – Okeke | 5 – Okeke | Auburn Arena (8,121) Auburn, AL |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2018* 8:00 pm, SECN | No. 11 | South Alabama | W 101–58 | 1–0 | 20 – Tied | 9 – Okeke | 13 – Harper | Auburn Arena (7,754) Auburn, AL |
| November 9, 2018* 8:30 pm, SECN | No. 11 | No. 25 Washington | W 88–66 | 2–0 | 19 – Okeke | 10 – Okeke | 5 – Harper | Auburn Arena (9,121) Auburn, AL |
| November 14, 2018* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | No. 9 | Mississippi College | W 103–52 | 3–0 | 18 – Wiley | 17 – Spencer | 4 – Harper | Auburn Arena (6,959) Auburn, AL |
| November 19, 2018* 1:30 pm, ESPN2 | No. 8 | vs. Xavier Maui Invitational tournament quarterfinals | W 88–79 $^{OT}$ | 4–0 | 26 – Brown | 7 – Okeke | 8 – Harper | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Lahaina, HI |
| November 20, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 8 | vs. No. 1 Duke Maui Invitational Tournament semifinals | L 72–78 | 4–1 | 22 – Harper | 12 – McLemore | 6 – Harper | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Lahaina, HI |
| November 21, 2018* 10:30 pm, ESPN2 | No. 8 | vs. Arizona Maui Invitational Tournament 3rd place game | W 73–57 | 5–1 | 19 – Brown | 6 – Okeke | 5 – Harper | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Lahaina, HI |
| November 28, 2018* 7:00 pm, SECN+ | No. 8 | Saint Peter's | W 99–49 | 6–1 | 19 – Tied | 6 – Tied | 8 – Harper | Auburn Arena (7,162) Auburn, AL |
| December 4, 2018* 7:00 pm, SECN | No. 8 | UNC Asheville | W 67–41 | 7–1 | 14 – Wiley | 7 – Tied | 5 – Okeke | Auburn Arena (7,121) Auburn, AL |
| December 8, 2018* 7:30 pm, SECN | No. 8 | Dayton | W 82–72 | 8–1 | 34 – Brown | 10 – Doughty | 7 – Harper | Auburn Arena (8,365) Auburn, AL |
| December 15, 2018* 6:30 pm, CBSSN | No. 8 | at UAB Rivalry/Mike Slive Invitational | W 75–71 $^{OT}$ | 9–1 | 31 – Harper | 6 – Tied | 3 – Harper | Legacy Arena (15,856) Birmingham, AL |
| December 19, 2018* 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 7 | at NC State | L 71–78 | 9–2 | 14 – McCormick | 6 – Tied | 5 – Harper | PNC Arena (17,793) Raleigh, NC |
| December 22, 2018* 3:30 pm, SECN | No. 7 | Murray State | W 93–88 | 10–2 | 20 – Doughty | 10 – Wiley | 10 – Harper | Auburn Arena (8,356) Auburn, AL |
| December 29, 2018* 4:00 pm, SECN+ | No. 12 | North Florida | W 95–49 | 11–2 | 18 – Brown | 7 – Wiley | 10 – Harper | Auburn Arena (8,450) Auburn, AL |
| SEC regular season |||||||||
| January 9, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 11 | at Ole Miss | L 67–82 | 11–3 (0–1) | 23 – Brown | 7 – Tied | 5 – Harper | The Pavilion at Ole Miss (8,241) Oxford, MS |
| January 12, 2019 3:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 11 | Georgia | W 93–78 | 12–3 (1–1) | 22 – Harper | 6 – Spencer | 7 – Harper | Auburn Arena (9,121) Auburn, AL |
| January 16, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 14 | at Texas A&M | W 85–66 | 13–3 (2–1) | 22 – Brown | 12 – Wiley | 6 – Harper | Reed Arena (8,730) College Station, TX |
| January 19, 2019 3:00 pm, ESPN | No. 14 | No. 12 Kentucky | L 80–82 | 13–4 (2–2) | 28 – Brown | 8 – Spencer | 6 – Harper | Auburn Arena (9,121) Auburn, AL |
| January 22, 2019 5:30 pm, SECN | No. 16 | at South Carolina | L 77–80 | 13–5 (2–3) | 17 – Tied | 7 – Okeke | 5 – Harper | Colonial Life Arena (13,857) Columbia, SC |
| January 26, 2019 7:30 pm, SECN | No. 16 | at No. 22 Mississippi State | L 84–92 | 13–6 (2–4) | 18 – Brown | 5 – Doughty | 7 – Harper | Humphrey Coliseum (10,063) Starkville, MS |
| January 30, 2019 7:30 pm, SECN | | Missouri | W 92–58 | 14–6 (3–4) | 16 – Harper | 12 – Okeke | 5 – Harper | Auburn Arena (7,213) Auburn, AL |
| February 2, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Alabama Iron Bowl of Basketball | W 84–63 | 15–6 (4–4) | 23 – Brown | 5 – Tied | 5 – Harper | Auburn Arena (9,121) Auburn, AL |
| February 5, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPNU | | Florida | W 76–62 | 16–6 (5–4) | 14 – Brown | 8 – Okeke | 3 – Harper | Auburn Arena (7,714) Auburn, AL |
| February 9, 2019 1:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at No. 21 LSU | L 78–83 | 16–7 (5–5) | 25 – Harper | 14 – Okeke | 7 – Harper | Pete Maravich Assembly Center (12,004) Baton Rouge, LA |
| February 13, 2019 7:30 pm, SECN | | Ole Miss | L 55–60 | 16–8 (5–6) | 23 – Okeke | 11 – Okeke | 2 – Tied | Auburn Arena (7,337) Auburn, AL |
| February 16, 2019 11:00 am, ESPNU | | at Vanderbilt | W 64–53 | 17–8 (6–6) | 16 – Harper | 6 – Okeke | 8 – Harper | Memorial Gymnasium (11,287) Nashville, TN |
| February 20, 2019 7:30 pm, SECN | | Arkansas | W 79–56 | 18–8 (7–6) | 18 – Brown | 6 – McLemore | 5 – Okeke | Auburn Arena (7,493) Auburn, AL |
| February 23, 2019 12:30 pm, CBS | | at No. 4 Kentucky | L 53–80 | 18–9 (7–7) | 14 – Okeke | 8 – McLemore | 2 – Tied | Rupp Arena (23,427) Lexington, KY |
| February 27, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Georgia | W 78–75 | 19–9 (8–7) | 22 – Harper | 6 – Okeke | 5 – Harper | Stegeman Coliseum (7,837) Athens, GA |
| March 2, 2019 3:00 pm, ESPNU | | Mississippi State | W 80–75 | 20–9 (9–7) | 24 – Brown | 7 – Okeke | 9 – Harper | Auburn Arena (9,121) Auburn, AL |
| March 5, 2019 8:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Alabama Iron Bowl of Basketball | W 66–60 | 21–9 (10–7) | 17 – Okeke | 14 – Okeke | 3 – Okeke | Coleman Coliseum (11,865) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| March 9, 2019 11:00 am, ESPN | | No. 5 Tennessee | W 84–80 | 22–9 (11–7) | 22 – Okeke | 5 – Tied | 8 – Harper | Auburn Arena (9,121) Auburn, AL |
| SEC Tournament |||||||||
| March 14, 2019 2:30 pm, SECN | (5) No. 22 | vs. (12) Missouri Second Round | W 81–71 | 23–9 | 17 – Brown | 10 – Spencer | 5 – Harper | Bridgestone Arena (12,720) Nashville, TN |
| March 15, 2019 2:30 pm, ESPN | (5) No. 22 | vs. (4) South Carolina Quarterfinals | W 73–64 | 24–9 | 27 – Harper | 6 – Harper | 6 – Harper | Bridgestone Arena (16,490) Nashville, TN |
| March 16, 2019 12:00 pm, ESPN | (5) No. 22 | vs. (8) Florida Semifinals | W 65–62 | 25–9 | 20 – Harper | 7 – Okeke | 4 – Doughty | Bridgestone Arena (20,933) Nashville, TN |
| March 17, 2019 12:00 pm, ESPN | (5) No. 22 | vs. (3) No. 8 Tennessee Championship | W 84–64 | 26–9 | 19 – Brown | 13 – Okeke | 6 – Harper | Bridgestone Arena (19,452) Nashville, TN |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 21, 2019* 12:30 pm, TNT | (5 MW) No. 14 | vs. (12 MW) New Mexico State First Round | W 78–77 | 27–9 | 17 – Harper | 5 – Okeke | 5 – Brown | Vivint Smart Home Arena (16,576) Salt Lake City, UT |
| March 23, 2019* 8:40 pm, TBS | (5 MW) No. 14 | vs. (4 MW) No. 17 Kansas Second Round | W 89–75 | 28–9 | 25 – Brown | 5 – Okeke | 6 – Harper | Vivint Smart Home Arena (17,792) Salt Lake City, UT |
| March 29, 2019* 6:29 pm, TBS | (5 MW) No. 14 | vs. (1 MW) No. 3 North Carolina Sweet Sixteen | W 97–80 | 29–9 | 20 – Okeke | 11 – Okeke | 11 – Harper | Sprint Center (17,385) Kansas City, MO |
| March 31, 2019* 1:20 pm, CBS | (5 MW) No. 14 | vs. (2 MW) No. 7 Kentucky Elite Eight | W 77–71 $^{OT}$ | 30–9 | 26 – Harper | 7 – Tied | 5 – Harper | Sprint Center (17,174) Kansas City, MO |
| April 6, 2019* 5:09 pm, CBS | (5 MW) No. 14 | vs. (1 S) No. 2 Virginia Final Four | L 62–63 | 30–10 | 13 – Doughty | 12 – McLemore | 3 – Tied | U.S. Bank Stadium (72,711) Minneapolis, MN |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. MW=Midwest S=South. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking RV = Received votes 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 | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | 11 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 16 | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 22 | 14 | Not released |
| Coaches | 12 | 12^ | 9 | 8 | 10–T | 9 | 8 | 7 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 10 | 12 | 15 | RV | RV | RV | RV | 24 | 18 | 5 |
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings ^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll.

## Awards and honors
### Bryce Brown

* Jerry West Award Preseason Watch List
* Preseason Media Second Team All-SEC
* Preseason Coaches' Second Team All-SEC
* Coaches' Second Team All-SEC
* SEC All-Tournament Team
* SEC Tournament MVP

### Jared Harper

* Bob Cousy Award Preseason Watch List
* Preseason Media Second Team All-SEC
* Preseason Coaches' Second Team All-SEC
* Maui Jim Maui Invitational All-Tournament Team
* AP Second Team All-SEC
* Coaches' Second Team All-SEC
* SEC All-Tournament Team
* NCAA Midwest Regional All-Tournament Team
* NCAA Midwest Regional MVP

### Chuma Okeke

* SEC All-Tournament Team
* NCAA Midwest Regional All-Tournament Team

### Austin Wiley

* Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Preseason Watch List