AUBURN, Ala. – Uninterested in sharing the Southeastern Conference championship, No. 5 Auburn won the title outright Saturday by beating South Carolina 82-71 in the first game in newly renamed Neville Arena.
Fans chanted "S-E-C, S-E-C!" as the confetti flew and Auburn players and coaches cut down the nets in celebration.
"It's all about the players. To be 15-3 in this league says they came to play every night," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. "We took no team for granted. They locked in, they grinded. The lessons these guys learned because of their own discipline are going to serve them well for the rest of their lives.
"They know how to win, they know how to compete, they know how to train, they know how to prepare. The coaching staff did a phenomenal job as well. I've got the best staff in the country."
The Tigers (27-4, 15-3) completed a perfect 16-0 home season, Auburn's first since 1998-99, winning their 18th straight home game while setting the program season record with 15 SEC wins.
"That's the best part of our team," Pearl said. "Our chemistry and our character."
Auburn celebrated its third SEC championship in the past five season under Pearl, to go along with the 2018 season championship and the 2019 SEC Tournament title.
Jabari Smith led Auburn with 21 points and six rebounds.
"That's why I came here, to win," Smith said. "I felt like this school was going to put me in the best position to win a national championship. I'm not surprised at all that we won. It feels good. I just want to keep going."
K.D. Johnson added 18 points while Walker Kessler scored 11 and grabbed six rebounds. Wendell Green Jr. scored 10 points and distributed a game-high seven assists.
Allen Flanigan and Kessler hit 3-pointers for an early 8-0 start to a game in which Auburn never trailed.
Smith scored 15 first-half points to help the Tigers take a 48-31 halftime lead.
"Jabari Smith is going to win his matchup every night," Pearl said. "When we play the best teams on our schedule, we count on him more, because he will win his matchup."
Auburn led by 19 with 8:36 to play in the second half after Smith's 4-point play and Johnson's 3-pointer before the Gamecocks narrowed the gap in the closing minutes.
The No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament, the Tigers will play Friday at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN in the quarterfinals against Thursday's Florida-Texas A&M winner.
"That chapter is closed, the regular season. Now it's postseason and it's also March," Pearl said. "This is when the stakes are higher and the reward is even greater. Can we get hot? Our defense will carry us, but to win another championship, we're going to have to pick it up offensively."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer
