AUBURN — A win is a win, no doubt about it, but Auburn basketball’s latest victory came in a manner that was far from inspiring.

After a disappointing loss at Missouri, the Tigers returned to Neville Arena on Saturday, Jan. 17, and managed to secure a much-needed win against South Carolina with a final score of 71-67. This marked the program’s 10th consecutive victory over the Gamecocks, though the performance was filled with several issues.

Auburn (11-7, 2-3 SEC) struggled to dominate one of the weaker teams in the SEC in the same way many have already this season. Their offense was stagnant, which wasn’t helped by early foul trouble for leading scorer Keyshawn Hall, who ended up with just 8 points compared to 4 fouls.

The Auburn backcourt combined for only 26 points, and the team made just two of their 19 three-point attempts. However, the frontcourt stepped up, with Filip Jović being the standout performer, scoring a career-high 23 points as the Tigers outscored South Carolina (10-8, 1-4) in the paint 42-26.

KeShawn Murphy and Sebastian Williams-Adams joined Jović as the team’s top scorers, each contributing 11 points. Here’s a look at how Auburn secured its ugliest win yet.

Live Score Updates for Auburn Basketball vs. South Carolina

7:07 2H:

Make no mistake, this isn’t an ideal performance, and Auburn’s offense has struggled in multiple areas against a much lesser opponent. However, the team is firing on all cylinders near the basket. The Tigers are outscoring South Carolina 38-18 on points in the paint, and put-backs from Filip Jović, KeShawn Murphy, and Sebastian Williams-Adams in recent possessions have been momentum-shifters. It’s 56-49, Auburn.

11:53 2H:

Filip Jović set a new career-high in scoring with 21 points, helping Auburn to a nine-point advantage over the Gamecocks. Tahaad Pettiford still had nine points, and KeShawn Murphy was up to eight. It’s 47-38, Auburn.

15:45 2H:

Filip Jović and KeShawn Murphy have given the Tigers all of their offense to start the second half, but the Gamecocks are 2 for 2 from three-point range since intermission, giving them a two-point edge in the half. It’s 38-34, Auburn.

HALF: Auburn basketball 30, South Carolina 24

It’s been an abysmal performance for both teams at Neville Arena, but Auburn’s defense hasn’t flopped despite its offensive struggles. Filip Jović has shined with 13 points, but the only other Tiger in his orbit was Tahaad Pettiford.

Top Performers: Auburn vs. South Carolina

• F Filip Jović (AU): 13 PTS (5-7 FG/0-1 3P/3-5 FT); 2 REB; 1 BLK; 1 PF; 10 MIN
• G Tahaad Pettiford (AU): 9 PTS (2-6 FG/1-4 3P/4-6 FT); 2 AST; 2 REB; 1 BLK; 1 PF; 16 MIN
• F Elijah Strong (USC): 7 PTS (2-8 FG/0-3 3P/3-4 FT); 4 REB; 1 STL; 1 PF; 13 MIN

Stagnant Offense Plaguing Auburn Basketball vs. South Carolina

2:57 1H:

Tahaad Pettiford just drove and converted, drew a foul, and will head to the free throw line when we return. Neither the Tigers nor the Gamecocks have found much consistency. They’re shooting a combined 28.3% from the field and a miserable 10% from the three-point line. It’s 23-19, Auburn.

7:50 1H:

Keyshawn Hall is still on the bench, but the freshman is helping replace Hall’s usual production with a game-high nine points and a pair of rebounds in seven minutes. South Carolina hasn’t kept pace anyway, missing nine of its last 10 shots. It’s without a point in the past 4:01. It’s 17-10, Auburn.

11:29 1H:

The shots are starting to fall for Auburn, which has made three of its last four from the field, but it has piled up three turnovers in the past 1:38, including a third foul on Keyshawn Hall, who also has three of Auburn’s four turnovers. It’s 12-10, Auburn.

14:40 1H:

An Auburn basketball bucket and South Carolina turnover took us into tonight’s first stoppage, but before Tahaad Pettiford found Keyshawn Hall on a fast break for the previous make, the Tigers hadn’t scored a point in 2:17 of game time. South Carolina? It’s 4 minutes and 13 seconds into a scoring drought of its own. The Gamecocks have also had three turnovers in that span. It’s 6-4, Auburn.

Starting Lineups: Auburn Basketball vs. South Carolina

Auburn

– G Tahaad Pettiford

– G Kevin Overton

– F Keyshawn Hall

– F Sebastian Williams-Adams

– F KeShawn Murphy

South Carolina

– G Kobe Knox

– G Meechie Johnson

– G Mike Sharavjamts

– F Myles Stute

– F Elijah Strong

Officials:

Jeb Hartness, Mike Nance, Garrick Shannon

What Channel Is Auburn Basketball vs. South Carolina On Tonight?

TV:

SEC Network

Streaming:

Fubo

Stream Auburn Basketball vs. South Carolina Here

Mike Morgan and former Arkansas Razorback Pat Bradley will be on the call for SEC Network, handling play-by-play and color commentator duties, respectively.

Listen Live to Auburn Basketball vs. South Carolina on the Radio

Saturday’s game will be broadcast live on WLWI FM (92.3) in Montgomery and WGZZ FM (94.3) in Auburn. The radio call can also be streamed online. Here are the announcers:

• Play-by-play: Andy Burcham
• Analysis/Color: Randall Dickey

What Time Do Auburn Basketball and South Carolina Play?

• Time: 5 p.m. CT
• Date: Saturday, Jan. 17
• Place: Neville Arena (Auburn)

While Auburn has turned Neville Arena into a bonafide home-court advantage, it has already lost one SEC game on its home court this season. Another defeat against South Carolina would mark the earliest Auburn has had multiple SEC home losses since the 2020-21 campaign.

Auburn Basketball’s 2025-26 Schedule

• Record: 10-7 (1-3 SEC)
• Nov. 3: No. 22 Auburn 95 Bethune-Cookman 90 (OT)
• Nov. 6: No. 22 Auburn 95, Merrimack 57
• Nov. 11: No. 25 Auburn 93, Wofford 62
• Nov. 16*: No. 2 Houston 73, No. 25 Auburn 72
• Nov. 19: Auburn 112, Jackson State 66
• Nov. 24*: No. 25 Auburn 84, Oregon 73
• Nov. 25*: No. 6 Michigan 102, No. 25 Auburn 72
• Nov. 26: No. 25 Auburn 85, No. 15 St. John’s 74
• Dec. 3: No. 24 Auburn 83, North Carolina State 73
• Dec. 6: No. 3 Arizona 97, No. 24 Auburn 68
• Dec. 13*: No. 24 Auburn 92, Chattanooga 78
• Dec. 20*: No. 6 Purdue 88, No. 24 Auburn 60
• Dec. 29: Auburn 106, Queens 65
• Jan. 3: No. 24 Georgia 104, Auburn 100 (OT)
• Jan. 6: Texas A&M 90, Auburn 88
• Jan. 10: Auburn 95, No. 15 Arkansas 73
• Jan. 14: Missouri 84, Auburn 74
• Jan. 17: Auburn vs. South Carolina (5 p.m., SECN)
• Jan. 20: Auburn at Ole Miss (8 p.m., ESPNU)
• Jan. 24: Auburn at No. 20 Florida (3/3:30 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2)
• Jan. 28: Auburn vs. Texas (6 p.m., ESPN2)
• Jan. 31: Auburn at Tennessee (7:30 p.m., ESPN)
• Feb. 7: Auburn vs. No. 18 Alabama (3/3:30 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2)
• Feb. 10: Auburn vs. No. 8 Vanderbilt (6 p.m., SECN)
• Feb. 14: Auburn at No. 17 Arkansas (7:30 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2)
• Feb. 18: Auburn at Mississippi State (8 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU)
• Feb. 21: Auburn vs. Kentucky (7:30 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2)
• Feb. 24: Auburn at Oklahoma (8 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU)
• Feb. 28: Auburn vs. Ole Miss (7:30 p.m., SECN)
• March 3: Auburn vs. LSU (9 p.m., SECN)
• March 7: Auburn at No. 18 Alabama (7:30 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2)

All times central. Asterisks denote neutral site.

Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at acole@gannett.com or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter. To support Adam’s work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.