As the regular season draws to a close, the Auburn women’s basketball team faces plenty of questions.

Will the Tigers make the NCAA Tournament? Can junior DeWanna Bonner keep up her remarkable scoring pace?

And the most pressing question of all: When will AU find an answer at point guard?

Since junior starter Whitney Boddie was declared academically ineligible in late December, the Tigers have had a glaring need at the point guard spot.

Freshman Alli Smalley started the SEC season as AU’s top point guard, but struggled with the demands of running the offense. Smalley averaged more than four turnovers per game in the SEC schedule, and her shooting slipped below 35 percent.

So head coach Nell Fortner turned to senior Tamela McCorvey, who spent most of the season as the shooting guard. McCorvey and Bonner handled point guard duties in AU’s Feb. 17 win against South Carolina.

Fortner liked the results, which allowed Smalley to focus on her shooting. The freshman responded with 18 points.

“She is such a good shooter and we need to get her more shots,” Fortner said. “I liked the way it looked against South Carolina.”

But last Thursday against Ole Miss, the experiment hit a snag. AU had 24 turnovers, including 10 by Bonner and six by junior Sherell Hobbs.

“The 24 turnovers really killed us, and they came in flurries,” Fortner said. “We just didn’t handle the ball well.”

Smalley spent long stretches at point guard and finished with seven assists, but also committed five turnovers.

Auburn’s search for a reliable option at the position continues today at Georgia. The search is increasingly important, as time is running out on AU’s NCAA Tournament hopes.

With three games remaining, the Tigers’ chances of making the NCAA tourney are up in the air.

Fortner has said several times that a 7-7 finish in SEC play leaves AU on the NCAA Tournament bubble, while an 8-6 record assures the Tigers of a spot in the 64-team field.

A win today assures AU of at least a .500 record in SEC play — a mark the Tigers have achieved twice before under Fortner. A loss means Auburn must win both of its final two games — home games against Vanderbilt and Arkansas — to clinch a winning record.

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