No. 10 Auburn defeated Kentucky by 10 points on Valentine's Day, making Tigers coach Bruce Pearl love leading scorer Bryce Brown even more heading into Saturday's game at South Carolina.
Brown, suffering from a strained shoulder, went from a no-go in the morning shootaround to informing Auburn's medical staff before game-time that he felt ready to play against the Wildcats.
He finished with 18 points, matching his scoring average, in the Tigers' win. They improved to 23-3 overall and 11-2 in the SEC, two games ahead of Tennessee.
Brown, who played 29 minutes, made 4 of 7 attempts from 3-point range, including two in the last seven minutes.