NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Coming into the SEC tournament, Anfernee McLemore referred to this "drive" that No. 22 Auburn has been playing with in recent weeks. The team has been more focused knowing that they want to play their best basketball in March.
Fellow big man Horace Spencer took that "drive" to another level in Thursday's opener.
Not 30 seconds after he checked in the game, Spencer got a steal. Later in the first half, there was a sequence where he stole the ball, threw down a putback dunk and blocked a shot – which led to a lay-up on the other end – all in a span of less than 60 seconds. The senior's stat line at the end of the first half included six points, four blocks, three rebounds and two steals.
Head coach Bruce Pearl said it best after the game: Auburn doesn't beat Missouri and win its SEC tournament opener without Spencer.
"This is the one of the best games I've played with Horace," senior guard Bryce Brown said. "He made tough shots in the paint. He got rebounds and kicked it out to shooters. He had some tough And-1s, big rebounds. He played very physical with (Jeremiah) Tilmon. And that's who Horace is – a tough guy, hard-nosed. When he's like that, we're at our best."
"It's just his physicality," added fellow guard Jared Harper. "He just does a great job. He blocked a lot of shots tonight. He finished around the rim. He just played a big game for us. We couldn't get that win without his performance."
It was more of that same effort in the second half from Spencer, who recorded the second double-double of his career with 11 points and 10 rebounds. He also added four blocks and four steals. And late in the game when it mattered the most, guess who was on the floor?
McLemore, who starts at the five in front of Spencer, wasn't even upset he wasn't out there. He knew Spencer needed to be on the court at the end with the way he way was playing.
"I have complete confidence in Horace and the things that he can do," McLemore said. "He just played tremendously today. He played like a man against boys. And I think that really helped us stay in the game and eventually get the lead late in the game."
Spencer's 26 minutes in Thursday's game was third on the team behind Brown and Harper. Every time the senior big man checked out of the game, he received a big ovation from the Auburn fans who made the trip to Nashville. They know how important Spencer is to this team. They see that same energy and toughness every time he steps foot on the floor.
His teammates see it, too. They feed off it, especially this week knowing that Spencer only has a handful of games remaining in his Auburn career.
"He's just a dog," teammate Chuma Okeke said. "He's going to do whatever he's got to do to help us win. He's a senior, and he's trying to go out on top. Him playing hard? That's going to make us play harder, knowing that any game might be his last game."
The Tigers return to action Friday against South Carolina, and Spencer will have his hands full yet again with Chris Silva. The first-team All-SEC selection is averaging 14.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game this season for the Gamecocks.
Don't expect that to intimidate Spencer, though. Not with the way he's playing.
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @greg_ostendorf