On Wednesday night against the Mississippi State Bulldogs, Auburn Tigers big man Walker Kessler didn’t have a game we have grown accustomed to seeing.
The North Carolina transfer played 29 minutes and took just four shots in the game. He was also 0-2 from the charity stripe. He would finish the game with four points, 10 rebounds, one assist, and three blocks. His impact just wasn’t up to the standard. Head coach Bruce Pearl discussed Kessler following the overtime victory over the Bulldogs.
“He got clipped in the Tennessee game pretty good,” Pearl said. “He got fouled, it was a common foul on the play, and he got hit twice. It was chippy, at best. He suffered an injury to his shoulder, but he’s got the brace on it and working through it.”
Pearl didn’t elaborate on the injury as far as how much of a hindrance it will be for Kessler. Nor did he give a timetable for when he could be back to 100% healthy. For now, Auburn’s center will just have to fight through it as the Tigers look to lock down their SEC regular-season title on Saturday.
While he was well under his season average for points per game, the team received contributions from Zep Jasper. The point man hasn’t been much of a scorer since transferring into the program. He had 11 points to go with three rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
Auburn will host South Carolina on Saturday in the season finale. Tip-off is set for 12:00 p.m. CT.
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