2013–14 Auburn Tigers men's basketball team

Departures

Recruits

More information Name, Hometown ...

College recruiting

Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Tahj Shamsid-Deen PG	Decatur, Georgia	Columbia	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	Sep 13, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (70)
Matthew Atewe C	Toronto, ON	Notre Dame Prep (MA)	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	Mar 31, 2013
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (66)
Ronald Delph C	Winter Haven, Florida	IMG Academy	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	Nov 11, 2012
	Recruit ratings: (65)
Dion Wade SF	Antwerp	Findlay Prep (NV)	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Feb 1, 2013
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (NR)
Benas Griciunas PF	Henderson, Nevada	Findlay Prep (Nevada)	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Nov 12, 2012
	Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    (NR)
Overall recruit ranking:   Scout: Not Ranked    Rivals: Not Ranked    ESPN: Not Ranked
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Auburn 2013 Basketball Commitments". Rivals. Retrieved October 20, 2013. "2013 Auburn Basketball Commits". Scout. Retrieved October 20, 2013. "ESPN". ESPN. Retrieved October 20, 2013. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout. Retrieved October 20, 2013. "2013 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved October 20, 2013.

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Preseason

Head coach Tony Barbee announced the team's complete season schedule on August 30, 2013.^[2] The Tigers schedule to play three participants from the 2013 NCAA tournament, Northwestern State, Iowa State, and Illinois. The Tigers also scheduled to play host to ACC teams Clemson and Boston College. The SEC schedule was highlighted by the Tigers playing host to Florida, Kentucky, and Tennessee, while visiting LSU and Alabama.

The Tigers opened their season on October 28 with an exhibition game against NAIA opponent Victory. The fast-paced Tigers offense pulled out an easy victory, winning 109–67.^[3] Chris Denson led the Tigers with 21 points and highly touted freshman Tahj Shamsid-Deen scored 16 points in his first collegiate action. The Tigers finished off the preseason on November 1 by defeating Division II Paine College by a score of 99–64.^[4]

November

Auburn opened the regular season on November 8, hosting Nicholls State from the Southland Conference. KT Harrell, playing his first game as a Tiger after transferring from Virginia, led Auburn with 21 points to lead a 76–54 victory. The win snapped Auburn's ten game losing streak, dating back to the 2012–13 season.^[5][6] The Tigers welcomed their second straight Southland Conference opponent to Auburn Arena on November 15 as they hosted Northwestern State, a 2013 NCAA tournament participant. Auburn, led by Chris Denson's 29 points, jumped out to a nine-point halftime lead before the Demons exploded for 72 second-half points, leading to a 111–92 victory. Northwestern State, after going 0–17 in three point attempts in their season opener, shot 14–27 from beyond the arc.^[7][8]

Auburn closed out their five-game homestand by hosting three mid-major opponents in Jacksonville State, Murray State, and Tennessee State. The Gamecocks were the first to visit on November 19, falling to Auburn by a final score of 78–54.^[9][10] The Racers visited Auburn Arena on November 23 and fell to the Tigers by a score of 75–67 behind 23 points from Chris Denson.^[11][12] Lastly, Auburn faced the Tigers of Tennessee State, who entered the game winless at 0–6. Due to leading scorers KT Harrell and Chris Denson being in foul trouble, the Tigers struggled to pull away, but won thanks to the strength of freshman Tahj Shamsid-Deen, who had a career high 16 points in the 78–73 win.^[13][14]

December

The Tigers visited Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa, on December 2 to take on the #17 Iowa State Cyclones as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Despite 27 points from Denson, Auburn's cold-shooting from the field (35%) and a career game from Iowa State's Dustin Hogue (22 points, 16 rebounds), allowed the Cyclones to improve to 6–0 with a 99–70 win.^[15][16] Following the loss, Auburn traveled to Atlanta to take on Illinois on a neutral court. The Tigers once again struggled to shoot and were down 41–17 at halftime, but mounted a small comeback and lost by a final score of 81–62.^[17][18]