The solution, if there is one, to remedying Auburn’s offensive struggles during crunch time might require a little bit of less from one senior, and a little bit of more from another.

Forward Lucas Hargrove, after some early-season apprehension, has found a rhythm over the past few games and has been a steady force inside and outside the paint for Auburn, no matter the matchup.

Point guard DeWayne Reed, meanwhile, has been trying to shoot his way out of a slump. Based on Auburn’s record when he’s shooting more than the players around him, that isn’t necessarily beneficial to the Tigers’ chances of snapping out of this season-long slumber.

Auburn, when it heads to Florida tonight, is hoping to figure out the right balance before it’s too late. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at the O’Connell Center and the game can be seen on ESPN (Charter Cable Channel 31 in Lee County).

“We’ve played our best here at this time of year in conference play besides two halves. We’ve been in it on the road, we’ve been up on the road late in games, very late in games, two minutes to go, one minute to go, we’re up,” coach Jeff Lebo said.

“I think that gives you confidence, but you also have to finish out the games on the road.”

Hargrove certainly hasn’t been part of the problem recently.

After a slow start to conference play, the athletic senior forward is playing with increased confidence. His past two games have ended in double-doubles, and he’s averaging more than 17 points per game — 3 higher than his season average — over the past six.

Lebo said Hargrove is playing with less apprehension. Earlier in the season, Hargrove, the most likely player on Auburn’s roster to land on SportsCenter because of one of his highlight-reel dunks, was out-thinking himself whenever the ball came his way, Lebo said, which often
resulted in unnecessary pump-fakes and wasted possessions.

“He is much better when he makes an immediate decision with the ball,” Lebo said. “He has been making the right decisions for the most part with the ball.”

Hargrove said his increased production has come because some of the players around him are struggling. Reed, who still remains Auburn’s top scorer, has been at the forefront.

His 5-for-21 effort Saturday in Auburn’s heartbreaking, overtime loss at Mississippi State was merely the most recent example of his slump. Over the past four games, Reed is 15-of-52 (29 percent) from the field with 12 assists and 12 turnovers.

“He’s had trouble finishing in the league in (the paint),” Lebo said. “That’s hurt us.”

Reed attempted just nine shots in each of Auburn’s past two wins and 13 and 21, respectively, in the two losses.

That’s not exactly a coincidence.

Auburn is 9-1 when Reed attempts fewer than 12 shots and just 3-12 when he attempts more than 12.

Reed’s frustration has been noticeable. A number of his unrewarded drives to the paint have left him on his back and looking to the referees for a foul, which, in turn, leaves his team one man short on defense.

“It is hard enough in transition to get picked up when you are five-on-five trying to get your own guy because you don’t know where he is going to be. When you have one down, and you are trying to get them, it is very difficult and almost impossible,” Lebo said. “At our level, they are going to find the open guy with spacing on one or two passes, and it is going to be an open look.

“That’s not a good thing.”

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AU (12-13, 3-7) at UF (17-8, 6-4)
Where: O’Connell Center; Gainesville, Fla.
When: 6 p.m.
TV/Radio: ESPN (Charter Channel 31)/WKKR 97.7 FM
Scouting report: While their record might be par for the course under Billy Donovan, the Gators are picking up points and wins in a completely different style from years’ past. Typically one of the conference’s — and nation’s — most lethal teams from beyond the arc, Florida ranks next-to-last in the SEC in 3-point field goal percentage and has attempted more than 150 fewer than the Tigers.
Projected starters Auburn: F Lucas Hargrove (14.0 ppg, 7.4 rpg), F Johnnie Lett (2.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg), G DeWayne Reed (15.7 ppg, 4.3 apg), G Frankie Sullivan (13.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg), G Tay Waller (13.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg)
Projected starters Florida: C Vernon Macklin (10.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg), F Chandler Parsons (11.2 ppg, 7.0 rpg), F Alex Tyus (12.6 ppg, 7.1 rpg), G Kenny Boynton (14.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg), G Erving Walker (13.1 ppg, 5.2 apg)