Auburn jumped out to a big lead early on and managed to hold on for a 76-70 victory over MTSU.
The Tigers forced 24 turnovers and knocked down 20 of 26 attempts from the free-throw line to seal the win.
Mustapha Heron and Jared Harper each scored 16 points for Auburn, while Chuma Okeke added 14 off the bench.
Giddy Potts led the way for the Blue Raiders with 19 points.
MTSU forward Nick King, who came in scoring 20 points or more in his last seven games, was held to 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting.
Lovell’s Analysis
While Bruce Pearl won’t be happy with the sloppy finish to the game, it’s still a great win for the Tigers.
Auburn has scored back-to-back wins over quality opponents in Conference USA, and this one will look good on the NCAA Tournament resume come March.
And yes, this team can still make the tournament without Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy on the court.
Depth was the strength of the Tigers heading into the season, and even without arguably two of their top three players, there’s enough talent here to be a top half team in the SEC.
The emergence of players like Anfernee McLemore and Chuma Okeke has made a huge difference in Auburn’s outlook after the off-the-court news shook the foundation of the program.
Now, the Tigers will turn around and hit the road for a clash at Murray State on Tuesday.
And while that’s a tough place to play, Auburn is playing so well that it should be ready for the challenge.