AUBURN AUTHORITY

Illness doesn’t stop Austin Wiley from career high 25 at TCU

Matthew Stevens
Montgomery Advertiser
TCU guard Alex Robinson (25) passes to forward Vladimir Brodziansky (10) under the basket and past Auburn defenders Austin Wiley (50) and Horace Spancer (9) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Fort Worth, Texas, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017. (Paul Moseley/Star-Telegram via AP)

AUBURN – It'd be amazing to imagine what Austin Wiley could’ve done Saturday night if he was healthy.

After acquiring an undisclosed illness prior to arriving at TCU’s Schollmaier Arena Saturday, Wiley still managed to be in the starting lineup and earn a career-high 25 points in an 88-80 road win over a potential NCAA Tournament bubble team.

“I am sick a little bit, but I just tried to come out and help my team. Everybody helped me out by playing great. I am just proud of everybody,” Wiley said following his 25-point, six-rebound effort Saturday night.

After watching Auburn’s freshman center go for his first double-double in his college basketball career in the Tigers embarrassing 96-68 loss Tuesday night, South Carolina head coach Frank Martin couldn’t stop gushing about a player he knows will be a major problem in the future. The question now becomes – is the future now?

“I just told him after the game (that) he is real good. It’s scary how good he can get,” Martin said Saturday night. “Let’s not forget that six weeks ago he’s probably walking down the hallway of a school and now he’s out there competing at the highest level of college basketball. He’s trying to learn stuff that some guys have been practicing for three, four months. He’s good.”

Wiley scored nine straight points for the Tigers and 11 of their first 15 to open the second half as they dominated the paint in the final 20 minutes of a game where at one point they outscored TCU 35-16.

“The fact that we were able to get to the rim,” Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. “I thought our guards were patient in getting the ball to Austin and to Anfernee, and we finished at the rim. That was a big factor.”

Auburn coach Bruce Pearl calls to his team, TCU students in swim trunks behind him, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Fort Worth, Texas, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017. (Paul Moseley/Star-Telegram via AP)

Despite having a 6-foot-11 center in the post (Vladimir Brodziansky) who led them in scoring with 19 points, TCU (14-7) had no answer for Wiley being able to catch the ball anywhere near the lane Saturday night as the 18-year-old freshman finished 11 of 13 from the field and once again led the team with seven free throw attempts.

“It feels great,” said Wiley. “The team played phenomenal. We just have to keep picking it up and keep playing hard.”

Auburn freshman Mustapha Heron scored 15 of his 17 points in the first half but the second half where Auburn (14-7) pulled away was dominated by the interior presence of Wiley and freshman Anfernee McLemore.

Against a squad coached by Jamie Dixon, to be able to dominate the post suggests a philosophical shift in Auburn’s offense thanks to the confidence and performance of the five-star prospect from Hoover, Ala.

“They're not built like that anymore,'' coach Bruce Pearl said of his 6-foot-11, 255-pound center. ''He spreads out and he takes up the entire lane. He does a great job of sealing on ball reversal and we're just OK getting it to him.''

Pearl realizes that more wins will come in a struggling Southeastern Conference in these final two months if Auburn becomes better than ‘OK’ at getting No. 50 the basketball.

Auburn will return to Southeastern Conference play this week by hosting Tennessee (12-9, 4-4), who defeated Kansas State 70-58 for its third straight win on Saturday, on Tuesday (8 p.m., SEC Network).