Takeaways from Auburn basketball's SEC-clinching win over South Carolina

Party like it's 1998.

The Auburn Tigers defeated South Carolina 82-71, clinching the SEC Regular Season Title outright for the first time since the 1998-99 season.

It was an all-around effort from the Tigers (27-4, 15-3 SEC) who are now looking ahead to the SEC Tournament. Auburn has locked up the one seed in the bracket and will await their matchup next Friday.

Take a look at some of the takeaways from the game.

Yet another impressive year for Bruce Pearl

Auburn overhauled a roster that was predicted to finish fifth in the SEC. The Tigers lost NBA Draft picks Sharife Cooper and JT Thor, but rebounded with some incredible additions in the transfer portal (Wendell Green, KD Johnson, Zep Jasper, Walker Kessler).

If Bruce Pearl isn't SEC Coach of the Year (and potentially National Coach of the Year) something is very wrong. Pearl has done a phenomenal job building an incredibly solid squad with depth and talent that the Tigers have not seen in quite some time.

Bench production was key for Auburn

The Tigers have really struggled to get scoring out of their bench over the past several games, but got 19 points tonight. The Gamecocks only had 9 bench points.

In order for Auburn to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, getting more out of their bench down the stretch will be key. Wendell Green will be the focal point. Jaylin Williams, Dylan Cardwell, and Devan Cambridge will also need to contribute.

The guard play was excellent

Zep Jasper and Wendell Green had 10 assists and only one turnover. Jasper, Green, and KD Johnson also combined for 35 points.

Getting Zep Jasper to become more aggressive with the basketball in his hands gives this offense another dynamic. Consistent shooting from both Jasper and Johnson makes the pick and pop Auburn runs with Jabari Smith extremely effective.

Another great day for Jabari Smith

Jabari Smith had 21 points on 5-of-12 shooting to go along with six rebounds, two assists, a block, and a steal. The star freshman has certainly earned himself the SEC Freshman of the Year title.

He's also in contention for the Wooden Award (annual award handed out to the best player in college basketball). Now that his final game in Neville Arena has wrapped up, I'm excited to see how he finishes as a Tiger.

Both teams capitalized on turnovers

Coach Pearl noted in the postgame press conference that while the bench was productive, they turned the ball over a little too much.

Auburn collectively had 14 turnovers on the night, with the Gamecocks scoring 19 points off the mistakes. South Carolina had 16 turnovers and the Tigers had 20 points.

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