3/6/23 Basketball Articles

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Dylan Cardwell returns to practice for Auburn ahead of SEC Tournament

Published: Mar. 07, 2023, 3:41 p.m.

 

By

Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

Auburn could have its rotation back to full strength when it opens play in the SEC Tournament on Thursday evening.

Backup center Dylan Cardwell, who has been dealing with a right ankle injury, returned to practice this week ahead of Auburn’s matchup with 10th-seeded Arkansas in Nashville, Tenn., according to coach Bruce Pearl. Cardwell missed Auburn’s regular-season finale against then-No. 12 Tennessee on Saturday after injuring his ankle late in the Tigers’ overtime loss at Alabama last Wednesday.

Read more Auburn basketball: Can Auburn improve its NCAA Tournament seeding in the SEC Tournament? Here’s the latest projections

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

A look at Auburn’s SEC Tournament draw and path to a potential title

Cardwell’s injury occurred with just more than two minutes left in the extra period of Auburn’s 90-85 loss to Alabama, when the Tide’s Mark Spears fell into Cardwell’s legs while both attempted to grab a rebound. Cardwell corralled the ball and passed it away before tumbling to the ground, where he remained down on the baseline under the Alabama basket holding his right ankle while officials had to stop play.

Cardwell eventually limped off the court but did not return to the game. He then missed practice ahead of the regular-season finale and was sidelined for the Tigers’ 79-70 win against the Vols on Saturday. In his place, freshman Yohan Traore saw a return to the rotation, playing eight minutes off the bench.

“Dylan practice today,” Pearl said Tuesday afternoon. “He wasn’t in there a lot, but he was in there enough to think he is possible.”

The 6-foot-11, 256-pound Cardwell has averaged 3.7 points, four rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.1 assists per game in 29 appearances this season, including one start. He’s shooting 73.9 percent from the field, including a 75 percent clip on 2-point attempts while playing 13.7 minutes per game for Auburn, which earned the No. 7 seed in the SEC Tournament.

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

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Auburn bracketology: Can Tigers improve NCAA seeding at the SEC Tournament?

Published: Mar. 07, 2023, 9:29 a.m.

6–7 minutes

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Auburn finally put its stamp on the 2022-23 season on Saturday, when Bruce Pearl’s team picked up a signature win in its final regular-season outing. Auburn defeated Tennessee — the No. 3 team in NET rankings — at Neville Arena to move the Tigers off the bubble and shore up their NCAA Tournament bid.

Come Selection Sunday, Pearl’s program will officially go dancing for the fourth time in the last five postseasons (there was no NCAA Tournament in 2020, and Auburn served a self-imposed postseason ban in 2021). Before the full bracket is unveiled, there’s the matter of the SEC Tournament this week in Nashville, Tenn. The Tigers are the No. 7 seed in the SEC Tournament and will face 10th-seeded Arkansas on Thursday evening at Bridgestone Arena on SEC Network.

Read more Auburn basketball: Wendell Green Jr., Johni Broome make coaches All-SEC team

A look at Auburn’s SEC Tournament draw and path to a potential title

The full schedule and bracket for the 2023 SEC Tournament

For Auburn, the conference tournament won’t hurt its NCAA outlook, but it could help the Tigers improve their seeding for March Madness considering their draw, even though the selection committee doesn’t historically put a lot of emphasis on the conference tournaments (see: Texas A&M last season). The opening game against the Razorbacks (NET No. 18) is a Quad 1 opportunity, as would be the quarterfinals meeting with second-seeded Texas A&M (NET No. 23) and a potential semifinal showdown with third-seeded Kentucky (NET No. 23), should the Tigers make it to the weekend. If Auburn makes it all the way to Sunday’s championship game, it would have likely faced four top-25 NET teams on its way to the SEC Tournament title (top-seeded Alabama likely awaits on the other side of the bracket).

While that would certainly be a tall order for Pearl’s team, it’s also quite the opportunity for the Tigers to improve their seeding for the NCAA Tournament — and one not many teams across the country will have this week.

“It’s all about tournament play now,” Pearl said after Saturday’s big win. “It’s about postseason now. What kind of seed can you get? What kind of position can you put yourself in to advance in postseason play. That’s where we’re at right now.”

According to T-Rank’s Teamcast, a win against Arkansas would move Auburn up to a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament, regardless of the result in the quarterfinals. If the Tigers could then knock off the Aggies and the Wildcats to make it to the conference final, T-Rank’s Teamcast projects Auburn moving up to a No. 5 seed in the field.

And if Pearl’s team were to win the SEC Tournament for the first time since its magical 2019 run, picking off four Quad 1 opponents in the process, T-Rank’s Teamcast has Auburn climbing all the way to a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

So, while this week’s stay in Nashville can’t harm Auburn’s chances, there is an opportunity for the Tigers to potentially improve their seeding line ahead of Selection Sunday. With Auburn’s ticket to the Big Dance essentially secured, AL.com will take another snapshot of the Tigers’ NCAA Tournament resume, with a look at the team’s record by quadrant, as well as the latest projections for the Tigers in the field of 68.

Here’s where things stand entering the SEC Tournament and with Selection Sunday just days away:

Auburn’s season at a glance:

Overall record: 20-11

SEC record: 10-8 (seventh in the league)

AP poll rank: unranked

KenPom: 26th (56th in offensive efficiency, 25th in defensive efficiency)

NET ranking: 32nd

Home record: 14-2

Road record: 4-8

Neutral-site record: 2-1

Quadrant 1 record: 3-9

Quadrant 2 record: 6-1

Quadrant 3 record: 8-1

Quadrant 4 record: 3-0

Best resume win: March 4 vs. Tennessee, 79-70, at Neville Arena (Quadrant 1 win against NET No. 3)

Worst resume loss: Jan. 3 at Georgia, 76-64 (Quadrant 3 loss)

Other notable wins: Jan. 7 vs Arkansas (NET 18) at Neville Arena; Nov. 23 vs. Northwestern (NET 38) in Cancun.

Strength of record: 30th

NET Strength of schedule: 20th

The week ahead: vs. 10th-seeded Arkansas on Thursday in the SEC Tournament.

Latest NCAA Tournament projections (as of March 7)

-- Bracket Matrix, which compiles a composite field based on bracket projections from 107 different prognosticators, has Auburn as a No. 9 seed in the tournament, with the Tigers appearing on all 107 projections.

-- ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has Auburn projected as a No. 9 seed in the West Region, with the Tigers drawing a first-round matchup against eighth-seeded Florida Atlantic in Sacramento. That would set up a potential second-round matchup against No. 1 seed UCLA. FAU would be an intriguing draw for the Tigers, as former Auburn standout K.T. Harrell is on staff with the Owls.

-- Jerry Palm at CBS Sports has Auburn as a No. 8 seed in the Midwest Region, with the Tigers facing ninth-seeded Iowa in the opening round in Birmingham. That would set up a potential second-round matchup with top-seeded Houston should Auburn advance.

-- Bracket WAG currently projects Auburn as the 10th-seeded team in the East Region, setting up a Cancun Challenge rematch with seventh-seeded Northwestern in the opening round.

-- RealTimeRPI.com has Auburn as a No. 6 seed in the Midwest Region, with an opening-round matchup against 11th-seeded Oral Roberts that could lead to a rematch of last year’s second-round matchup against Miami; the Hurricanes are projected as the No. 3 seed in this bracket.

-- Bart Torvik’s T-Rank projection has Auburn as the top No. 8 seed in the field.

-- SB Nation’s most recent projection has Auburn as a 10-seed in the West Region, with the Tigers facing seventh-seeded TCU in Sacramento, Calif., in the opening round.

-- The Athletic projects Auburn as an 11-seed in the West Region, with the Tigers squaring off against seventh-seeded San Diego State in the opening round in Greensboro, N.C.

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

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Game Info

 

AUBURN, Alabama–Auburn will open postseason play with a Thursday contest at Bridgestone Arena where the Tigers will play the Arkansas Razorbacks in round two of the Southeastern Conference Basketball Tournament. The game, which is scheduled for a 6 p.m. CST start, will be televised on the SEC Network.

Auburn brings a 20-11 record into the contest after finishing 10-8 in league play. Arkansas, which is 19-12, finished 8-10 in the SEC standings and is the No. 10 seed for the tournament. Auburn is the No. 7 seed.

The teams played just once during the regular season with the Tigers winning 72-59 in January. "Arkansas is really talented, really deep, really athletic," said Auburn coach Bruce Pearl, who noted that his team played "great" in the win over the Razorbacks.

2COMMENTS

Auburn's coach noted that the Razorbacks will be in the NCAA Tournament with their very high net ranking, which is No 18 nationally. "I would say it'll be a tough matchup, but one we want."

Bruce Pearl's Full Press Conference, Pre-SEC Tournament

 

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yahoo.com

 

Auburn basketball's Bruce Pearl, Wendell Green Jr. talk rivalry with Arkansas

Richard Silva, Montgomery Advertiser

~4 minutes

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AUBURN — Auburn basketball ended its regular season with a win over Tennessee on Saturday and is heading into the SEC Tournament as the No. 7 seed. The Tigers, who have now won at least 20 games in five of the past six seasons, are tasked with playing Arkansas on Thursday.

The Razorbacks, despite holding the No. 10 seed in the conference, are slotted as the 18th-best team in the country, according to the NET rankings. Auburn is rated No. 32.

"What a great reward," coach Bruce Pearl joked Tuesday.

INJURY UPDATES:Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl gives update on Dylan Cardwell

BEATING TENNESSEE:How Auburn basketball defense, Wendell Green Jr. helped beat Tennessee for much-needed win

The Tigers (20-11, 10-8 SEC) defeated Arkansas (19-12, 8-10) in Neville Arena in January, 72-59, for one of their most impressive wins of the season. Wendell Green Jr. scored a team-high 19 points and added five assists.

“It was a fun game," Green said. "We don’t like Arkansas, so it’s a lot of intensity between us and Arkansas, so going into it we know that. We've just got to come ready. We beat them this year. Played them one time, so we know they’re trying to get that get-back on us. It’s going to be a lot going into that game. We just want to try to find a way to win.”

The budding rivalry between the two programs began last season when Auburn, which was the No. 1 team in the country at the time, went into Fayetteville and fell in overtime to the Razorbacks. Tempers flared after Arkansas' Davonte Davis dunked as the overtime clock expired. At the time, the Razorbacks were up by four points.

Green ran from mid-court to confront Davis, but was interrupted as the fans stormed the court.

 

Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl and Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Eric Musselman shake hands before the game as Auburn Tigers take on Arkansas Razorbacks at Neville Arena in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023.

 

"(Arkansas fans) probably hate me more than 'Bama fans," Green said. "Their fans are crazy, and then only playing them one time last year, that kind of sucked to me because I didn't get a chance to play them again. So, playing them this year, just one time so far, I was thinking about that the whole time. I couldn't wait to play that game. And now I get another chance to play against them. ... It's a lot that goes into it, but it should be fun."

Despite the back-and-forth, Green expressed respect for the talent Arkansas has: "We can’t overlook Arkansas and be like, ‘Oh, Texas A&M is next.’ We’re not doing that at all. We’re going to respect every team that we have to play."

Asked if he cared to comment on the rivalry, Pearl declined, but did give a tongue-in-cheek comment.

“No, I'm not going to jump into that," Pearl said. "If it's a rivalry it's because we played them and they've beaten us and (we) lost some close games. We lost the No. 1 ranking and almost got killed in a court-storm. ... But I'm already half crippled so what's the next step?

"I might just start limping all of the time.”

The Tigers take on Arkansas in the conference tournament in Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee on Thursday (1 p.m. CT, SEC Network).

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.

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i never knew these teams hate each other. it will just make it more fun to watch.

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