Auburn rode a wave of Senior Night emotion to a hot-shooting start and a 20-point first-half lead Saturday in the regular-season finale against Missouri.
But the emotional tide may have turned ahead of the rematch in the opening round of the SEC men’s basketball tournament on Wednesday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., with the recent firing of MU coach Kim Anderson.
“I know Missouri will be ready to go, obviously, with the emotion of playing for coach Anderson,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said Monday on the SEC men’s basketball teleconference.
Mizzou announced Sunday that Anderson, who is 26-67 overall with an 8-46 SEC record in three seasons, had been asked to step down and wouldn’t return next season.