Coming into this season, Auburn wasn’t expected to do much on the basketball court.
The Tigers were picked to finish ninth in the Southeastern Conference. Two of their top returning players — NBA Draft hopeful Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy — were suspended indefinitely as a result of the federal investigation into college basketball that also led to the arrest of Auburn assistant coach Chuck Person in late September.
Instead of folding early, Coach Bruce Pearl’s Tigers have fought their way to the top of the SEC standings. They go into this week — and Wednesday night’s home game against Kentucky — with a 22-3 record, a two-game lead in the conference, and they’re currently projected as a No.