No. 2 Auburn narrowly avoids upset loss to South Carolina, 66–63

No. 2 Auburn will likely take the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press men's basketball poll after escaping with a win over South Carolina in Columbia on Saturday afternoon, 66–63.

Nick Pringle missed two free throws with 9.8 seconds that could have given the Gamecocks the lead. But he hustled for the rebound on his second miss, forcing a jump ball with Chaney Johnson. Auburn gained possession and South Carolina fouled. Tahaad Pettiford made both free throws to give the Tigers a three-point cushion at 66–63.

South Carolina had an opportunity to tie the game with 4.4 seconds remaining in regulation, but Morris Ugusuk missed a long 3-point attempt at the buzzer.

The Tigers' win comes days after No. 1 Tennessee fell to No. 6 Florida on Wednesday in Gainesville. South Carolina's last victory over a top-two team in the AP poll was in January 2010 over then-No. 1 Kentucky, whose roster featured John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins.

Collin Murray-Boyles scored 25 points with seven rebounds to lead the unranked Gamecocks. Arden Conyers added 13 points off the bench, shooting 3-of-6 on 3-pointers. Nick Pringle followed with 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Gamecocks, who improved to 11–5 overall.

Auburn played most of the second half without leading scorer Johni Broome, who rolled his ankle when he landed on Collin Murray-Boyles' foot while going for a rebound.

Auburn had no players score in double figures as the Gamecocks went into halftime with a 40–34 lead. Broome, who came into Saturday averaging 18.7 points per game, had four points on 2-of-8 shooting. Meanwhile, Murray-Boyles led all first-half scorers with 18 points for South Carolina.

The Gamecocks have now lost their first three games in SEC play to begin the season, previously going down to No. 17 Mississippi State and No. 5 Alabama.