re: Bruce Pearl 18-2

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Bryce Brown, Auburn Tigers
When it became clear Auburn coach Bruce Pearl and the school were going to hold Austin Wiley and Danjel Purifoy out of competition, the Tigers needed another scorer besides Mustapha Heron to step up. Brown had shown the ability before, averaging 10.1 points as a freshman -- but he took a back seat as a sophomore, dipping to 7.5 points.

"Even this spring and summer, when those guys were playing, you could see Bryce was beginning to assert himself more," Pearl told ESPN on Tuesday. "I always had faith and trust in his ability, so I don't think it was just the fact we lost those guys. He's taking advantage of what he can do."

Brown has become arguably Auburn's most consistent offensive player, averaging 16.6 points and making better than 40 percent of his 3-pointers. He has also become more efficient offensively, even with much higher usage and more attempts. Brown has made at least three 3-pointers in each of Auburn's past 10 games.

The biggest jump Brown has made, though, is on the defensive end. Pearl called him one of the best on-ball defenders in the country.

"He's gone from being a shooter to a winner," Pearl said. "He can shoot with anybody, but now he's making plays on both sides of the ball. He always gets the other team's best scorer. Bryce has that matchup every game. He'll look at me, 'I've got him, don't switch.' OK, you've got him, he's all yours.

"Guys that can shoot and guard can play at the next level."

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