# 1984–85 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team

The 1984–85 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team represented Auburn University in the 1984–85 college basketball season. The team's head coach was Sonny Smith, who was in his seventh season at Auburn.
Smith and the Tigers had to deal with the losses of center Charles Barkley (left for NBA) and forward Greg Turner (graduated). However, a stellar recruiting class of five freshman, including forward Chris Morris, centers Jeff Moore and Darren Guest, and guards Johnny Lynn and Terrence Howard joined holdovers Chuck Person, Gerald White, and Frank Ford and matured and improved as the season progressed. The team played their home games at Memorial Coliseum in Auburn, Alabama.
The Tigers finished the season 22–12, 8–10 in SEC play. They defeated Ole Miss, LSU, Florida, and Alabama to win the SEC tournament championship. They received an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Purdue and Kansas to advance to the Sweet Sixteen where they lost to North Carolina.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| Nov 24, 1984* | | Stetson | W 92-50 | 1-0 | Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum Auburn, AL |
| Nov ?, 1984* | | Columbus College | W 91-56 | 2-0 | Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum Auburn, AL |
| Nov 30, 1984* ESPN | | at No. 13 UAB | W 61-59 | 3-0 | Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Birmingham, AL |
| Dec ?, 1984* | | Armstrong State | W 80-47 | 4-0 | Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum Auburn, AL |
| Dec 8, 1984* | | Mercer | W 70-69 | 5-0 | Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum Auburn, AL |
| Dec 12, 1984* | | Radford | W 79-57 | 6-0 | Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum Auburn, AL |
| Dec 21, 1984* | | vs. VCU Krystal Classic | L 59–78 | 6-1 | McKenzie Arena Chattanooga, TN |
| Dec 22, 1984* | | vs. Delaware Krystal Classic | W 95-63 | 7-1 | McKenzie Arena Chattanooga, TN |
| Dec 29, 1984* | | at West Virginia | W 59-58 | 8-1 | WVU Coliseum Morgantown, WV |
| Jan 2, 1985 , WTBS | | at Kentucky | L 61-68 | 8-2 (0-1) | Rupp Arena Lexington, KY |
| Jan 5, 1985 | | Florida | W 80-74 | 9-2 (1-1) | Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum Auburn, AL |
| Jan 9, 1985 | | at Tennessee | L 74-86 | 9-3 (1-2) | Stokely Center Knoxville, TN |
| Jan 12, 1985 | | Mississippi State | W 62-53 | 10-3 (2-2) | Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum Auburn, AL |
| Jan 16, 1985 | | Alabama | L 55-60 | 10-4 (2-3) | Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum Auburn, AL |
| Jan 19, 1985 | | at Georgia | L 80-97 | 10-5 (2-4) | Stegeman Coliseum Athens, GA |
| Jan 24, 1985 , USA | | Mississippi | W 93-73 | 11-5 (3-4) | Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum Auburn, AL |
| Jan 26, 1985 | | at LSU | L 62-80 | 11-6 (3-5) | Maravich Assembly Center Baton Rouge, LA |
| Jan 30, 1985 | | at Vanderbilt | W 86-80 | 12-6 (4-5) | Memorial Gymnasium Nashville, TN |
| Feb 2, 1985 | | Kentucky | L 47-49 $^{OT}$ | 12-7 (4-6) | Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum Auburn, AL |
| Feb 6, 1985 | | at Florida | W 81-78 | 13-7 (5-6) | Stephen C. O'Connell Center Gainesville, FL |
| Feb 9, 1985 | | Tennessee | W 75-60 | 14-7 (6-6) | Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum Auburn, AL |
| Feb 13, 1985 | | at Mississippi State | L 65-82 | 14-8 (6-7) | Humphrey Coliseum Starkville, MS |
| Feb 16, 1985 | | at Alabama | L 72-74 | 14-9 (6-8) | Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL |
| Feb 21, 1985 , USA | | No. 18 Georgia | L 84-86 | 14-10 (6-9) | Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum Auburn, AL |
| Feb 23, 1985 | | at Mississippi | W 69-57 | 15-10 (7-9) | C.M. Tad Smith Coliseum Oxford, MS |
| Feb 27, 1985 | | LSU | L 73-78 | 15-11 (7-10) | Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum Auburn, AL |
| March 2, 1985 | | Vanderbilt | W 84-58 | 16-11 (8-10) | Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum Auburn, AL |
| SEC Tournament ||||||
| March 6, 1985 , LSN | (8) | vs. (9) Mississippi First round | W 68-60 | 17-11 | Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Birmingham, AL |
| March 7, 1985 , LSN | (8) | vs. (1) No. 19 LSU Second Round | W 58-55 | 18-11 | Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Birmingham, AL |
| March 8, 1985 , LSN | (8) | vs. (5) Florida Semifinals | W 43-42 | 19-11 | Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Birmingham, AL |
| March 9, 1985 , LSN | (8) | vs. (3) Alabama Finals | W 53-49 $^{OT}$ | 20-11 | Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Birmingham, AL |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||
| March 14, 1985* | (11 SE) | vs. (6 SE) Purdue First round | W 59-58 | 21-11 | Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center South Bend, IN |
| March 16, 1985* | (11 SE) | vs. (3 SE) No. 13 Kansas Second Round | W 66-64 | 22-11 | Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center South Bend, IN |
| Mar 22, 1985* CBS | (11 SE) | vs. (2 SE) No. 7 North Carolina Southeast Regional semifinal - Sweet 16 | L 56–62 | 22–12 | Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Birmingham, AL |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. ||||||
Sources