Auburn Basketball

Auburn has suspended assistant basketball coach Ira Bowman indefinitely due to his alleged involvement with a bribery scandal during his time at Penn, according to Brandon Marcello of 247Sports. 

"As we continue to gather information regarding a situation that recently arose, it is important that we be thorough and proactive, yet prudent and cautious," Auburn athletics said in a statement Wednesday. "Therefore, Ira Bowman will not coach or participate in any responsibilities with the men’s basketball program until we fully assess all the issues."

Auburn is set to begin its run in the SEC tournament Thursday, but Bowman will not be on the bench.

The decision follows the testimony of former Penn head coach Jerome Allen, who admitted that he took about $300,000 in bribes to help a Florida businessman get his son into the school using a priority basketball slot, according to Mike Jensen of Philly.com.

The former coach also said that Bowman had been made aware of the scheme and became more involved after Allen was let go.

Bowman remained with the Quakers until he was hired by the Tigers last summer.

"We are aware of the reports that are out there and currently were and our administration are gathering facts, and until we know more it would be premature for me to comment further, so therefore I will not be answering questions regarding this," head coach Bruce Pearl said of the situation Tuesday.

Although Auburn has not been implicated in this scandal, it is more negative news for its coaching staff after former assistant Chuck Person was arrested for allegedly taking bribes from a financial adviser.

In November, it looked like Bruce Pearl could be fired as Auburn's basketball coach.

On Monday, they decided to extend the relationship a few more years.

Pearl and Auburn agreed to a contract extension that will keep him with the program through the 2022-2023 season.

"Our coaches and student-athletes believe in Auburn and we love it," Pearl said. "We came here to work hard, make a positive difference on the campus and in the community and bring credibility and championships back to Auburn basketball. I'm grateful to President Dr. Steven Leath and Director of Athletics Allen Greene for their commitment and support. My family is blessed to be a part of the Auburn Family."

Auburn went 26-8 during the 2017-18 season, bowing out in the second round of the NCAA tournament. It was the program's first tournament appearance since 2003. The Tigers have only made the Big Dance three times since the turn of the century.

"We take great pride in providing our student-athletes with an abundance of resources to help with their overall development," Director of Athletics Allen Greene said. "Coach Pearl shares my commitment to ensuring the holistic development of our student-athletes and adhering to the mission of Auburn University as an institution of higher learning."

Pearl's job security came into question following the arrest of former assistant coach Chuck Person, who was linked to the FBI's corruption investigation into college basketball. Auburn launched an internal investigation into the matter, which Pearl initially refused to comply with. Pearl later told ESPN that he cooperated with the investigation enough to keep his job. 

"We have complied enough to still be here," Pearl said in February (h/t 247Sports). "I think so many times when you have an internal investigation it should be internal. I wouldn't be here coaching if there were greater problems."

It seems both sides are more than willing to let the investigation go and move into the future. 

There's no getting around it, the SEC tournament was built on Kentucky basketball.

But this year's tournament is exciting because there are other teams looking to change that.

The SEC doesn't have a team in the top 10 of the AP Top 25 this year, and that includes the Wildcats.

However, with Auburn ranked 14th, Tennessee ranked 16th and Kentucky ranked 23rd in the nation, the SEC tournament will be worth a watch.

The big change this year is that the tournament is leaving Nashville, Tennessee for St. Louis Missouri.

Fourteen teams will converge on the Scottrade Center from Wednesday to battle for the SEC title.

The Wildcats normally rule the SEC—they recorded their third successive triumph last year, beating Arkansas 82-65 in the final.

But 2018 is all about Auburn.

The Tigers clawed their way to their first regular-season SEC title since 1999 on Saturday with a 79-70 comeback win over South Carolina.

Auburn will have to share the title with Tennessee, but it is rolling and is set to enter the NCAA tournament after a 15-year drought.

SEC Tournament Schedule

All times ET.

1st Round—Wednesday

Game 1 | Georgia (12) vs. Vanderbilt (13) | 7 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Game 2 | South Carolina (11) vs. Ole Miss (14) | 25 minutes after Game 1, SEC Network

2nd Round—Thursday

Game 3 | Texas A&M (8) vs. Alabama (9) | 1 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Game 4 | Missouri (5) vs. Game 1 winner | 25 minutes after Game 3, SEC Network

Game 5 | Mississippi State (7) vs. LSU (10) | 7 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Game 6 | Arkansas (6) vs. Game 2 winner | 25 minutes after Game 5, SEC Network

Quarterfinals—Friday

Game 7 | Auburn (1) vs. Game 3 winner | 1 p.m. ET, ESPN

Game 8 | Kentucky (4) vs. Game 4 winner | 25 minutes after Game 7, ESPN

Game 9 | Tennessee (2) vs. Game 5 winner | 7 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Game 10 | Florida (3) vs. Game 6 winner | 25 minutes after Game 9, SEC Network

Semifinals—Saturday

Game 11 | Semifinal 1 | 1 p.m. ET, ESPN

Game 12 | Semifinal 2 | 25 minutes after Game 11, ESPN

Championship—Sunday

Game 13 | Championship Game | 1 p.m. ET, ESPN

SEC Championship Odds

Odds according to OddsShark.

SEC Tournament Odds (BetOnline):

Auburn +400
Tennessee +400
Kentucky +450
Florida +500
Mississippi State +800
Texas A&M +1000
Alabama +1200
Arkansas+1200
Missouri +1400
LSU +2500
South Carolina+3300
Georgia+5000
Ole Miss +10000
Vanderbilt +10000

— Odds Shark (@OddsShark) March 5, 2018

Favorite: Auburn

Head coach Bruce Pearl is making Charles Barkley proud.

It's only been four years since Pearl took over the reins at Auburn (25-6, 13-5 in the SEC), but he's brought the program back to respectability and is taking time to celebrate with all of the Tiger alumni.

"There are guys like Charles Barkley right now ... who is celebrating this victory," Pearl said, per ESPN. "That was for you, Charles, and a lot of those guys who wore this uniform."

TFW you clinch a share of the #SECMBB regular season title 🙌#WarEagle @AuburnMBB pic.twitter.com/LHzKUNBaWU

— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) March 3, 2018

Another famous alumnus who wore the uniform was associate head coach Chuck Person, who was let go in November after being indicted in a federal grand jury. But despite that adversity, which included losing Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy, the Tigers have persevered.

With signature wins over Middle Tennessee, Tennessee and Arkansas, they are poised to continue surprising everyone until they hoist that SEC tournament trophy.

"It's unreal," said Bryce Brown, who scored 29 points, including eight three-pointers, to beat the Gamecocks, per ESPN. "It's unbelievable, knowing where the program came from. When I signed here, of course our goal was to win a championship. But I don't know if I really, truly felt like we were going to be able to. Three years later, here it goes."

                 

Sleeper: Kentucky

No matter where it stands in the rankings, Kentucky (21-10, 10-8 in the SEC) just can't be counted out.

It is the No. 4 seed in the tournament, but don't let that fool you. The Wildcats are loaded with talent, and they could easily turn it on and run a team off the court.

Some other facts about the #SECMBB Tournament:

🔵 We've advanced to the championship game in seven of @UKCoachCalipari's eight seasons
🔵 We've won five SEC Tournament titles under Coach Cal
🔵 We've won three straight
🔵 We own a league-best 30 SEC Tournament titles

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) March 4, 2018

Kentucky's offense could use a lot of work, but its defense is improving. The Wildcats have a 96.3 adjusted defensive ranking on KenPom.com.

The Wildcats' inability to pass the ball was their Achilles' heel in their 80-67 loss to Florida on Saturday, during which they committed 13 turnovers and only dished out six assists.

But Kentucky has won 30 SEC championships, five under head coach John Calipari. With that much of a winning tradition, the Wildcats always have a chance.

               

Winner: Auburn

Tennessee and Florida are no jokes, but this is Auburn's year.

Led by Brown, the Tigers are poised to make their mark.

They are ranked 15th in adjusted offensive efficiency on KenPom and hold their own on the defensive end with a 97.5.

When all that hard work pays off. ✂️#WarEagle | #NetcuttinSZN pic.twitter.com/O25UyncExF

— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) March 4, 2018

Auburn has posted its second-most wins since 1999 and is not done etching its name into the history books.

Look for the Tigers to cut down the nets Sunday.

The Auburn Tigers clinched a share of their first SEC title since 1999 on Saturday with a 79-70 victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks, and while the current players are the reason for the success, those who came before them were not lost in the mix.

Coach Bruce Pearl made a point to shout out to Charles Barkley, who played for Auburn from 1981 to 1984, and other Tigers greats for helping the program be what it is today.

"There's guys like Charles Barkley right now ... who is celebrating this victory," Pearl said, per ESPN.com. That was for you, Charles, and a lot of those guys who wore this uniform."

Auburn's basketball program does not have the history of a Kentucky or North Carolina. And that's exactly what makes this team special. This team won just the program's third regular-season conference title and is going to make the NCAA tournament for just the ninth time.

Barkley's teams went 49-38 during his time on campus, but his contributions on the court will never be forgotten at Auburn. He was a part of the Tigers' first-ever NCAA tournament back in 1984. That started a string of five consecutive trips to the Big Dance, a feat that has not been matched by the team since.

Now, as the 25-6 Tigers are SEC champs and are headed to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2003, they salute the past as they look at how far the program has come.

"It's unreal. It's unbelievable, knowing where the program came from,'' Auburn junior Bryce Brown said, per ESPN.com. "When I signed here, of course our goal was to win a championship. But I don't know if I really, truly felt like we were going to be able to. Three years later, here it goes."

Barkley has continued to support his alma mater through the years and is routinely spotted at Auburn sporting events. This little shoutout is just the Tigers' way of returning the love.

The Auburn Tigers men's basketball program is reportedly taking no chances with an incident at the end of Saturday's road loss to the Florida Gators. 

According to Tom Green of AL.com, Auburn self-reported to its own compliance department the fact Florida fans threw money at the Tigers players as they were leaving the floor.

"It was real money, and I think there's $5 or $6 that are out there, and because you guys know we're compliant, we've actually turned that money over to compliance," head coach Bruce Pearl said, per Green. "Really. I don't know, it was five or six bucks, but our people have the money. I don't know what they're going to do with it, probably give it to charity, but we've already self-reported."

Green explained Florida fans threw the money to taunt the Auburn program—which is involved in the FBI's investigation into bribery and corruption in college basketball—and it didn't sit well with guard Bryce Brown.

"That was kind of different," Brown said, per Green. "I've never seen nothing like that. I'll remember that next time we play them. I didn't like that. I didn't like how they tried us like that. I didn't like that."

Green noted former Auburn associate head coach Chuck Person was arrested in September as part of the fallout from the FBI's investigation "and is alleged to have accepted $91,500 in bribes to funnel Auburn players toward a crooked financial adviser."

Person was fired and is facing federal charges, while the school held out players Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy because of potential eligibility issues.

The FBI's investigation has been a cloud over the entire college basketball season, and Pat Forde and Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports published a detailed report on Friday citing documents and bank records revealing "an underground recruiting operation that could create NCAA rules issues—both current and retroactive—for at least 20 Division I basketball programs and more than 25 players."

Despite the off-court issues, Auburn has impressed this season and is well on its way to its first NCAA tournament appearance since the 2002-03 campaign.

The Tigers are 24-5 overall and in first place in SEC play at 12-4. Mustapha Heron, Brown and Jared Harper are each averaging better than 13.5 points per game, and Auburn was a No. 3 seed in the most recent bracket prediction from ESPN's Joe Lunardi.

Basketball Hall of Famer and Auburn alum Charles Barkley expressed his support for Auburn men's basketball head coach Bruce Pearl on Thursday.

As questions regarding Pearl's future mount due to an FBI investigation into the program, Barkley told Brandon Marcello of 247Sports' Auburn Undercover that the school's decision-makers would be "idiots" to cut ties with Pearl.

The Tigers haven't reached the NCAA tournament since 2002-03, but Pearl has led them to a 24-4 record this season in his fourth campaign with the program.

Auburn fired assistant coach Chuck Person in November after he was indicted on six bribery, fraud and conspiracy charges.

It was alleged in an FBI probe that Person helped funnel money to the families of two Auburn commits, believed to be Danjel Purifoy and Austin Wiley.

Both Purifoy and Wiley have been ruled ineligible for the entire 2017-18 season.

Barkley is impressed by what Pearl has been able to do with the team despite their absence: "With losing probably their two best players, what they've accomplished this year, I'm loving it from a distance. It's been amazing."

Pearl previously coached Tennessee for six seasons, but the school fired him in 2011 after the NCAA charged him with unethical conduct due to various violations.

Auburn hired Pearl in March 2014 under a show-cause penalty, which expired in August of that year.

Per Marcello, Auburn President Steven Leath and NCAA investigators are waiting to discuss the Person situation with Pearl in the near future.

Auburn is close to winning the SEC regular-season title with a 12-3 mark in the conference, and the Tigers are trending toward a high seed in the NCAA tournament as well.

Auburn sophomore forward Anfernee McLemore was stretchered off the court after he suffered a gruesome injury to his foot or ankle during the Tigers' SEC clash at South Carolina on Saturday.

Justin Ferguson of SEC Country compared the injury to the one suffered by Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward in Boston's season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers in October.

Per Josh Vitale of the Opelika-Auburn News, McLemore was injured when he got tangled with teammate Desean Murray.

According to Tom Green of AL.com, McLemore's foot bent in the wrong direction, and he screamed in pain.

SEC Country's Hale McGranahan tweeted video of McLemore's teammates huddling around him as he was loaded onto a stretcher:

Auburn players surround Anfernee McLemore moments before he’s carted into the tunnel. @LShute13 @JFergusonAU @SECcountry pic.twitter.com/yFtk5kKzor

— Hale McGranahan (@HaleMcGranahan) February 17, 2018

Prior to the injury, McLemore registered one point, five rebounds, two blocks and one steal in 13 minutes.

Auburn entered the game as the No. 10-ranked team in the nation with an overall record of 23-3 and an 11-2 conference mark—tops in the SEC.

McLemore's play has been a big reason for Auburn's success, as he was averaging 7.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and a team-high 2.7 blocks per game. The last figure is tied for 12th in the country.

If McLemore misses significant time for the undersize Tigers, freshman forward Chuma Okeke and junior forward Horace Spencer will likely be tasked with stepping into bigger roles.

Bruce Pearl got a liiiiiiittle carried away 😂 #SCNotTop10 pic.twitter.com/ukCGbUvr2A

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 28, 2018

The Auburn Tigers got a better fight from head coach Bruce Pearl on Saturday night than they did from their opponent. 

During the conference contest between Auburn and the LSU Tigers, Pearl got a little too fired up while signaling to someone on the court. He didn't realize sophomore guard Jared Harper was next to him when he reached out and accidentally smacked Harper right in the face. 

Fortunately, Harper appeared to be OK, and Auburn cruised to a 95-70 win over LSU to improve to 19-2 (7-1 SEC) on the year. 

[Twitter]

Auburn is reportedly considering firing head basketball coach Bruce Pearl as he continues to refuse to cooperate with an internal investigation into the program. 

Mark Schlabach and Paula Lavigne of ESPN.com reported Pearl has not spoken with attorneys retained by the university to investigate the actions of former assistant coach Chuck Person. The Department of Justice arrested Person in September as one of 10 people charged with crimes associated with college basketball corruption.

University investigators have not been able to determine whether Pearl committed any NCAA infractions or was apart of any illegal activity. FBI agents seized Pearl's cell phones and computers as part of their investigation.

"This is an ongoing investigation and everyone is working to try to get our players certified and eligible, and it's a process," Pearl said Wednesday after practice, per Tom Green of AL.com. "You guys know from the very beginning I'm not allowed to comment on the process. We are definitely working through this."

Pearl, 57, is 44-54 in three seasons at Auburn. The Tigers are coming off an 18-14 campaign, their first winning season under Pearl. 

Tennessee fired Pearl in 2011 for lying to NCAA investigators about infractions related to his recruitment of Aaron Craft. He was punished with a three-year show cause that did not allow him to contact recruits. Auburn hired him in March 2014.

Person allegedly received and illegally gave cash to two different recruits during his time at Auburn. Danjel Purifoy and Austin Wiley are being held out of games for the time being while the school investigates their eligibility. 

No timetable has been set for Pearl to cooperate with investigators. The Tigers open their season Friday against Norfolk State. 

Suspended Auburn Tigers assistant coach Chuck Person and Rashan Michel have been indicted after they were arrested in September as part of the FBI's investigation into corruption and bribery in college basketball.

ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman relayed word from Department of Justice spokesman Nicholas Baise on Tuesday confirming the two had been indicted. Citing a source, Goodman added indictments for the eight other individuals arrested as part of the probe are forthcoming.

Yahoo Sports' Dan Wetzel first reported Nov. 3 that all 10 men arrested as part of the investigation would be indicted this week. 

According to Wetzel, "the charges are but a formality but would negate the need for a Nov. 9 preliminary hearing in New York scheduled last month by Judge Katherine Parker."

Person—who has been suspended indefinitely without pay by Auburn—was charged with six federal crimes following a three-year investigation by the FBI. 

According to the Montgomery Advertiser's Matthew Stevens, Person allegedly "received $91,500 in bribery payments in a scheme to steer two unnamed Auburn players to certain agents and financial advisers," while Michel "agreed to accept approximately $50,000 in bribe payments from an undercover federal agent."

Since leaving his post as an NBA referee, Michel has become well-known for his custom clothing company that often works with professional athletes. 

The other men named in the FBI's investigation are Oklahoma State assistant Lamont Evans, Arizona assistant Emanuel Richardson, USC assistant Tony Bland, Adidas executives Merl Code and James Gatto, financial adviser Munish Sood, AAU coach Jonathan Brad Augustine and athlete adviser Christian Dawkins.