Last week, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl told his team he’d have a decision on his starting lineup by now.

Turns out, he still hasn’t made up his mind.

It’s a product of competition and parity on Auburn roster, the team’s head coach said at SEC Basketball Tipoff on Wednesday just outside Birmingham.

Pearl said no players have asked him about his starting five just yet. Forward Jaylin Williams said he doesn’t have an idea of what the lineup will be yet.

“I don’t think no one really cares about that,” center Johni Broome said. “This team is so together. They want to see the next man win. They want to see the next man go out there and do good. Like I said, we’re 10 deep. So when one comes out, another one goes in, it’s no drop off at all.”

And while Bruce isn’t sure who is best five may be yet, it at least gives him confidence in his depth.

“The bad thing is when the ball gets tossed, our five guys may not be that much better than anybody else’s five guys,” Pearl said. “But when I go to the bench, I’m not dropping off. I’m different, but I’m not dropping off.”

Auburn has its star in Broome, but it has much to figure out around him.

Both Broome and Pearl said Auburn is 10-deep. That 10 would appear to include Broome, Williams, Aden Holloway, Trey Donaldson, Denver Jones, Chris Moore, Chad Baker-Mazara, K.D. Johnson, Dylan Cardwell and Chaney Johnson.

The point guard position will be a battle between Holloway and Donaldson. Pearl said there is no leader between the two. It comes down to who can play better defense, an area where Auburn has struggled.

“I think quarterback play is pretty important in the SEC, right,” Pearl said of his point guards. “They can both really shoot it. They can both shoot it as well as any of the point guards I’ve had. The question is, whether they play make as well? Will they defend as well? Will they lead a team as well? That’s a lot of stuff to be determined.”

Jones seemed penciled into the shooting guard spot. When asked about Jones at media day, Pearl did nothing but smile. Jones was brought to Auburn because he scored 20 points per game last year at FIU and has the potential to be Auburn’s best shooter. But Williams said Jones has surprised him with how well he’s played defensively.

Baker-Mazara, Williams and Chaney Johnson would be competing for the final two starting spots. But they all will play.

“I’ve got some tough decisions to make because literally I literally have I would say almost nine guys out of the 10 that would really anticipate that they’re going to be the starter,” Pearl said.

The decisions on who will start may come down to defense. Pearl and Williams have. each said its been tough to tell if Auburn is very good offensively, or just very bad defensively. It could be both.

“It’s very hard to tell right now,” Williams said. “We’ve been going at it all summer, all fall. Everyone knows each other’s moves and everything. It’s really hard to tell right now. I feel like we just have to tell throughout the game and throughout the season. Offensively, we’re very skilled. It’s going to be a problem to guard all five guys on the court.”

Both Broome and Williams talked about how close the team has been. Competition has helped improve the team, they believe.

But decisions have to be made and playtime will not be equal. Of the 10 candidates for Auburn’s rotation, four were not on the team last year. It’s seemed to gel well so far — Baker-Mazara and K.D. Johnson are good friends already — but Pearl’s concern over not having a clear starting 5 is indicative of the growth the team still needs.

Williams believes it’s going to all fit together in time.

“At each position, it’s really close,” Williams said. “You don’t necessarily know the starting five. I have no clue what the starting five will be. Everybody is very competitive. Everybody is in the gym. Once we put it all together, playing 10 or 11 guys, I don’t see anyone that can beat us. The only way I feel like we lose is if we beat ourselves.”

Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at [email protected]