No. 5 Auburn Tops South Carolina 82-71 to Win SEC Outright

Auburn players celebrates winning the Southeastern Conference regular season championship after an NCAA college basketball game against South Carolina, Saturday, March 5, 2022, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Jabari Smith scored 21 points, K.D. Johnson had 18 and No. 5 Auburn won the Southeastern Conference title with an 82-71 victory over South Carolina.

The Tigers secured the No. 1 seed for next week’s league tournament in Tampa, Florida, after entering the day one game up on No. 7 Kentucky, No. 13 Tennessee and No. 14 Arkansas.

No tiebreakers needed, though the Gameocks did rally after trailing by 19 early in the second half.

Auburn players celebrated on the court amid a flurry of orange and blue confetti. Jermaine Couisnard led South Carolina with 22 points.

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