3/7/23 Auburn Basketball Articles

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247sports.com

 

Assist-to-turnover ratio vital to Auburn's success this season

Mark Murphy

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AUBURN, Alabama–Following the regular season finale vs. Tennessee with the Tigers posting an outstanding three-to-one assist to turnover ratio against college basketball’s top-rated defensive team, Coach Bruce Pearl wants to see the trend continue into postseason. For Auburn that begins on Thursday at 6 p.m. CST at Bridgestone Arena in round two of the SEC Tournament.

In Saturday’s 79-70 victory over the Volunteers, Auburn improved its overall record to 20-11 and finished 10-8 in the regular season to set up a game vs. the Arkansas Razorbacks, who are 19-12 overall and 8-10 in the league.

Auburn is 2-1 in neutral site contests this season with wins over Bradley (25-9) and Northwestern (21-10) to go with a loss to Memphis (23-8). Arkansas is 4-1 in neutral site contests with wins over Louisville, San Diego State, Oklahoma and Bradley and a loss to Creighton in Maui.

Pearl said he would like to see the Tigers continue to do a good job of avoiding turnovers and keeping the assist numbers high. Against the Volunteers the Tigers finished the game with 18 assists and just six turnovers.

“This team has been one of the best at taking care of the ball that I have had,” Pearl pointed out. “I have had some pretty good teams. This is one of the best at taking care of the basketball and valuing possessions.”

In SEC play the Tigers have a 1.24-1 assist to turnover ratio, which ranks third behind Tennessee (1.55-1) and Missouri (1.31-1).

The strong assist to turnover performance helped Auburn score 79 points against Tennessee, which is allowing just 59.8 points per contest against SEC competition and 57.45 points per outing for all games. “A good offensive performance doesn’t necessarily translate into the next game because everyone is so different,” Pearl said. “It will give our guys a little bit of confidence and feel-good. They should feel good about their looks and making shots.”

In Auburn’s 72-59 victory over Arkansas on January 7th at Neville Arena the Tigers outscored the Razorbacks 25-6 on points off of turnovers. Arkansas finished the contest with nine assists and 14 turnovers. Auburn produced 13 assists and turned the ball over eight times.

Johni Broome and his teammates walked off the court at Neville Arena aswinners on Saturday vs. the Tennessee Volunteers. (Photo: Jason Caldwell, 247Sports) 11COMMENTS

Auburn Notes: In the regular season game vs. Arkansas the Tigers were led by 19 points from Wendell Green, who hit 5-8 field goals, 7-9 free throws while adding five assists with three turnovers and three steals. Johni Broome was a major factor as well with 10 points, 10 rebounds and six blocked shots. Arkansas got 23 points and seven rebounds from guard Anthony Black and Ricky Council added 14 points...The Auburn vs. Arkansas game will be televised on the SEC Network...In SEC games Broome finished as the league leader in blocked shots at 2.17 per game. His 8.61 rebounds per game is No. 2 in the league, his 53.6 percent field goal shooting ranks third. He is tied with teammate Green in scoring at 15.1 points per game in league play. Green is ranked second in steals at 2.17 per game, tied for third in assists per game at 4.44 and is fourth in free throw percentage at 83.8.

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247sports.com

 

Bracketology: Signature win over Tennessee helps Auburn work off the bubble

Nathan King

 

In all likelihood, Auburn punched its NCAA Tournament ticket on Saturday. But the Tigers can certainly stand to improve not only their comfort level in receiving an at-large bid, but also possibly move up a seed line with another Quadrant 1 victory, or multiple, in Nashville this week.

The consensus is that Auburn is in the field after downing Tennessee, the NET No. 3 team in the country, adding a much-needed signature win to its resume after failing to do so against many of its quality opponents this season. Auburn now owns three Quad 1 wins, in addition to reaching the all-important landmark of 20 wins on the year, plus another season of double-digit wins in SEC play (10-8).

Thanks to a crucial victory on the last day of the regular season — its first Quad 1 win since January — Auburn can improve its resume at the SEC Tournament this week, while a loss won’t be very damaging, if at all. That’s especially the case since Auburn is opening the postseason Thursday against Arkansas, currently No. 18 in the NET. A win would be even more assurance for the Tigers as a single-digit seed in the big dance. 

CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm updated his bracket Monday morning, with Auburn comfortably off the bubble. The Tigers are an 8-seed by Palm, facing off against No. 9 Iowa in Birmingham, with No. 1 Houston likely standing in the way of a trip to the Sweet Sixteen.

Updated Sunday night after the conclusion of all the weekend’s games, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi isn’t so bullish on Auburn’s seeding, still with the Tigers as a bubble team and one of his “last four byes.” Auburn is an 11-seed by Lunardi, slated against No. 6 Michigan State in Albany, New York.

Of the 47 projections on Bracket Matrix that have been updated since Auburn’s win over Tennessee, Lunardi’s is one of only four with the Tigers as an 11-seed. There are 17 projections for Auburn as a 10-seed, 20 as a 9-seed and six on the 8-line, which is good for a composite of 9.58, meaning Auburn is the site’s highest-rated team on the 10-line at the moment.

Other prominent bracketologies Monday include Auburn as an 8-seed (Torvik), 9-seed (Sporting News), 10-seed (Blogging the Bracket, Heat Check) and 11-seed (FOX Sports, EvanMiya).

Here’s a rundown of where Auburn is slotted in the most updated outlets on Bracket Matrix, and a quick snapshot of Auburn's overall tournament resume. Note that not all bracketology sites attempt to predict where teams will be sent in the first weekend’s subregion locations.

Seeding

• 8-seed: 6 projections

• 9-seed: 20 projections

• 10-seed: 17 projections

• 11-seed: 4 projections

Subregions

• Birmingham: 4 projections

• Des Moines: 4 projections

• Denver: 3 projections

• Albany: 2 projections

• Sacramento: 2 projections

• Columbus: 1 projection

NET ratings

• Rating: No. 32 (6th in SEC)

• SOS: No. 20

• Average NET win: No. 127

• Average NET loss: No. 37

• Best NET wins: vs. No. 3 Tennessee, vs. No. 18 Arkansas, vs. No. 38 Northwestern (neutral site)

• Worst NET losses: at No. 153 Georgia, at No. 83 Vanderbilt, at No. 45 USC

Quadrant rundown

• Quad 1 (3-9): wins vs. Northwestern (neutral site), vs. Arkansas; vs. Tennessee; losses vs. Memphis (neutral site), at USC, vs. Texas A&M, at West Virginia, at Tennessee, at Texas A&M, vs. Alabama, at Kentucky, at Alabama

• Quad 2 (6-1): wins vs. Bradley (neutral site), at Washington, vs. Florida, at Ole Miss, vs. Mississippi State, vs. Missouri; loss at Vanderbilt

• Quad 3 (8-1): wins vs. George Mason, vs. USF, vs. Saint Louis, vs. Colgate, at LSU, at South Carolina, vs. Georgia, vs. Ole Miss; loss at Georgia

• Quad 4 (3-0): wins vs. Winthrop, vs. Texas Southern, vs. Georgia State

SEC snapshot (seeds via Bracket Matrix)

• Alabama: 1-seed, NET No. 2

• Tennessee: 3-seed, NET No. 3

• Kentucky: 6-seed, NET No. 19

• Texas A&M: 6-seed, NET No. 23

• Missouri: 8-seed, NET No. 48

• Arkansas: 8-seed, NET No. 18

• Auburn: 10-seed, NET No. 32

• Mississippi State: First Four (11-seed), NET No. 46

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Auburn’s Wendell Green Jr., Johni Broome make coaches All-SEC team

Updated: Mar. 06, 2023, 1:18 p.m.|Published: Mar. 06, 2023, 1:17 p.m.

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Auburn guard Wendell Green Jr., left, and Auburn forward Johni Broome, right, celebrate after defeating Florida during the second half of an NCAA basketball game Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)AP

Two Auburn players landed on the coaches All-SEC teams this season.

The SEC announced its annual awards Monday afternoon, when Auburn point guard Wendell Green Jr. and center Johni Broome both earned second-team All-SEC honors as voted on by the league’s coaches.

Read more Auburn basketball: A look at Auburn’s SEC Tournament draw and path to a potential title

Auburn likely secures NCAA Tournament bid with win against Tennessee

The full schedule and bracket for the 2023 SEC Tournament

Green and Broome have been Auburn’s top-two players throughout the 2022-23 regular season, which ended Saturday with a big-time win at Neville Arena against then-No. 12 Tennessee. Broome is Auburn’s leading scorer (14 points per game) and leading rebounder (8.4 per game), while Green was just behind him averaging 13.9 points per game and leading the team in assists (4.2 per game) in his first season as the Tigers’ starting point guard.

Green started all 31 games for Auburn at point guard this season after serving as the Tigers’ sixth man during his first year on the Plains last season. He helped lead Auburn to a 20-11 overall record and a 10-8 mark in SEC play, as the Tigers earned the No. 7 seed in this week’s SEC Tournament and likely locked in a fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last five postseasons. Along with finishing as Auburn’s second-leading scorer and recording his third consecutive season with at least 100 assists, Green tied for second in the SEC in assists per game and led Auburn with 1.7 steals per game (10th-best in the league).

Broome, a transfer from Morehead State and last season’s OVC Defensive Player of the Year, was a force inside for Auburn during his first season on the Plains. Along with leading the team in scoring and rebounding, Broome finished third in the SEC in blocks (2.4 per game) and ranked 10th nationally in block rate (9.8 percent).

That duo will lead Auburn into the SEC Tournament this week in Nashville, where the Tigers open play Thursday against 10th-seeded Arkansas on SEC Network.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

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USA TODAY Sports puts Johni Broome on All-SEC Team

 

Johni Broome made quite an impact in his first season at Auburn and is starting to get the recognition he deserves. He was named to the USA TODAY Sports All-SEC Second Team on Monday.

He averaged a team-high 14.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game in his first season on the Plains. The sophomore has also recorded nine double-doubles.

It wasn’t the only honor Broome received on Monday, the SEC coaches named him and point guard Wendell Green Jr. to their All-SEC Second Team.

The duo and the rest of the Tigers will return to action Thursday when they take on the Arkansas Razorbacks in the SEC Tournament. The game is set to start at 6 p.m. CT and will be at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. It will be on the SEC Network.

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grins. i love this so forgive me if this is a repeat...

 

 

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yahoo.com

 

Unpacking Auburn basketball March Madness projections after beating Tennessee

Richard Silva, Montgomery Advertiser

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AUBURN — It seemed like it would never happen for Auburn basketball, but it finally did: The Tigers picked up a key win against a nationally-respected opponent to cement their NCAA Tournament resume.

Auburn topped Tennessee on Saturday in its regular-season finale. The win comes after a month of what seemed to be close loss after close loss. Prior to the win over the Vols, the Tigers were 3-8 over their last 11 games with six of those losses coming by single digits.

Even more heartbreaking, five of those defeats featured a margin that was five points or fewer.

But all of that was pushed to the side with Auburn (20-11, 10-8 SEC) taking down Tennessee in front of a lively crowd at Neville Arena. It won't be official until Selection Sunday arrives March 12, but the win likely locked the Tigers into the NCAA Tournament. It was their 20th victory of the season and their 10th in the conference. It also boosted their NET ranking to No. 32 and their slotting in KenPom to No. 26.

Here's where the latest projections from a few outlets have Auburn playing in March Madness.

POSSIBLE RETURN:What Auburn basketball's Allen Flanigan, Jaylin Williams said when asked if they're returning

KEY TO SUCCESS:How Auburn basketball defense, Wendell Green Jr. helped beat Tennessee for much-needed win

ESPN: No. 9 seed (Sacremento)

Joe Lunardi has the Tigers as a No. 9 seed set to play No. 8 Florida Atlantic in the first round. If Auburn was to beat the Owls, it would go on to play the winner between No. 1 UCLA and No. 16 Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

Lunardi, who released his updated bracketology Monday, has the Tigers playing in Sacramento, California.

CBS: No. 8 seed (Birmingham)

Jerry Palm dropped a fresh prediction Monday. He has Auburn as a No. 8 seed with a scheduled meeting versus No. 9 Iowa in Birmingham. Should the Tigers win in this scenario, they'd see either No. 1 Houston or No. 16 Youngstown State in the second round.

Fox Sports: No. 11 seed (Unspecified)

Mike DeCourcy doesn't break his projections up into locations or matchups, but he has Auburn as a No. 11 seed, ranked as the No. 41 overall team in the field of 68. Other No. 11 seeds in DeCourcy's projections, which were released Monday, include the College of Charleston, Rutgers and Mississippi State/Wisconsin, with the latter pairing facing off in the First Four to earn a spot in the first round.

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Where do analysts think Auburn basketball will play in March Madness?

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montgomeryadvertiser.com

 

What Auburn basketball's Allen Flanigan, Jaylin Williams said when asked if they're returning

Richard Silva

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AUBURN — Auburn basketball's matchup with Tennessee on Saturday isn't only important because of the potential March Madness implications. It's also Senior Day, as some players will suit up in Neville Arena for the last time.

Players like Zep Jasper are out of eligibility, but others − like Allen Flanigan and Jaylin Williams − have the option of returning for another season with the Tigers. That's due to the extra year of eligibility the NCAA granted players who participated in the 2020-21 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Asked if they've made their decisions, both Flanigan and Williams said they're locked into the task at hand.

PREVIWING TENNESSEE:Auburn basketball vs. Tennessee: Our scouting report, score prediction

THE ALABAMA LOSS:Auburn basketball fights, but comes up short in OT rivalry loss to Alabama

"Right now, I'm focused on the season and finishing this thing out the right way," Flanigan said Friday. "Once that comes to an end I will start thinking about the factors then.”

Williams agreed: "Yeah, I haven’t really been thinking about it much. We have been struggling to win games like the last five weekends. I'm just trying to get on track with my teammates and figure out how we are going to win and play through March.”

Coach Bruce Pearl addressed the possibility of some of his seniors returning, too.

"We have several COVID seniors," he said. "A lot of those guys could come back, and some will. And some will move on."

The Tigers wrap up the regular season against Tennessee (22-8, 11-6 SEC) on Saturday (1 p.m. CT, ESPN).

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.