Quick Change, a tandem of magicians who change layers of clothing in the blink of an eye behind an array of banners, glitter and confetti, will take center stage at halftime during tonight’s Auburn-Georgia game at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum.

The title might just be a little too fitting when it pertains to Auburn and what it will need to do in the second half against a rejuvenated Bulldogs squad.
The Tigers are in the market for a quick change to their recent second-half struggles in games they, at one time, controlled.

If not, hopes of contending in an up-for-grabs SEC West will vanish faster than one of the magician’s layers of clothing.

“It’s very draining physically and emotionally because we fight all the way to the end and come up short,” senior guard Tay Waller said. “The only positive thing is that we’re still fighting.”

At times, Auburn’s play in the latter moments of the second half has resembled a fight against itself.

Waller said two weeks ago that the Tigers stray away from set offensive plays when other teams mount a rally. He reiterated the point earlier this week on the heels of Auburn’s 82-79, overtime loss at Arkansas.

The Tigers and Razorbacks battled evenly throughout the game, but Auburn held a slight advantage heading into the game’s final 2 minutes. Sloppy possessions, though, doomed Auburn, as Arkansas was able to take a 2-point lead with 14 seconds to play before a chaotic final possession resulted in Andre Malone’s game-tying tip-in.

But the same poor possessions returned in overtime, only then the resulting hole was much deeper. A frantic Auburn rally with not enough time on the clock made the margin closer, but still prevented the Tigers from earning a win after an effort that probably should have warranted one.

“Not particularly saying one player is taking over the game, but it just happens,” Waller said. “We don’t realize it until it’s too late. We try to change it toward the end of the game but it’s too late then. I really can’t explain it.”

The added focus on Auburn point guard DeWayne Reed has had something to do with throwing the Tigers offense out of whack at times, coach Jeff Lebo said. Over the past two games, Reed has been held below his 16 points-per-game average and has just five assists to his nine turnovers.

“He is playing too many minutes,” Lebo said of Reed, who is averaging 36.6 minutes per game in conference play. “The point guard position needs to rest a little bit more so we may have to put him down a little bit.

“In a game situation, we are asking him to be sharp playing almost the whole game, and that is difficult.”

The Bulldogs haven’t exactly been sharp for the bulk of this season, but it’s safe to say they’re currently feeling a lot better about their 2-6 SEC record than the Tigers are. Georgia is coming in about as hot as a 2-6 team can be, as it upset No. 18 Vanderbilt on Saturday in dominating, 72-58 fashion.

Georgia brings a massive height advantage into Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum, with two players (Trey Thompkins and Albert Jackson) standing taller than 6-foot-10 and two other 6-8 forwards coming off the bench. Brendon Knox is Auburn’s only player at 6-foot-10, with the next-tallest being forward Johnnie Lett (6-8).

“I look for Georgia to try to use that size advantage against us,” Lebo said. “That is something that concerns us coming into this game.”

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Auburn (11-12, 2-6) vs. Georgia (10-11, 2-6)
Where: Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum
When: 8 p.m.
TV/Radio: CSS (Channel 35 in Lee County)/WKKR 97.7 FM
Scouting report: Auburn seemingly can’t catch a break from the schedule-makers. Even though the Bulldogs sport the same 2-6 conference record as Auburn, they are coming off their biggest win of the season, a 72-58 upset of No. 18 Vanderbilt. Georgia is much taller than Auburn, as it starts two players (Trey Thompkins and Albert Jackson) who stand taller than 6-foot-10. That will put the onus heavily on Brendon Knox and Johnnie Lett, both of whom had strong defensive performances against Arkansas on Saturday.
Projected starters Auburn: F Lucas Hargrove (13.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg), F Johnnie Lett (2.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg), G DeWayne Reed (16.0 ppg, 4.4 apg), G Frankie Sullivan (13.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg), G Tay Waller (12.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg)
Projected starters Georgia: C Albert Jackson (3.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg), F Travis Leslie (14.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg), F Trey Thompkins (17.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg), G Dustin Ware (8.2 ppg, 3.0 apg), G Ricky McPhee (10.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg)