Men vs Baylor

[aubiefifty 16,761]

 

Quote

 

Auburn gets 15-0 Baylor...in SEC/Big 12 Challenge

By Charles Hollis

6-8 minutes

---

AUBURN

How has Cooper made an impact, other than with his playmaking?

Fellow freshman JT Thor, averaging 9.1, is getting his 3-point confidence going because of Cooper. Then we get to the team’s balance. Sophomore Devan Cambridge is hitting 8.2 points a game. Sophomore Allen Flanigan, who has big-game scoring in his DNA, is second to Cooper, averaging 14.2. Freshman Justin Powell is averaging 11.7 and 6.1 rebounds. Sophomore Jaylin Williams is hitting 10.1 points. Go down the list. Just don’t look only at the scoring average. Example: Dylan Cardwell, a freshman, seems to live by easy dunks.

Notice the youth. Cooper, freshman; Flanigan, sophomore; Powell, freshman; Thor, freshnman; Williams, freshman; Cardwell, freshman.

The shame of it is the Tigers, should they continue to reload under Cooper, have imposed a postseason ban and will not play in the SEC Tournament or the NCAA tourney as part of an investigation into bribery charges brought against former player and assistant coach Chuck Person.

In November, the Tigers lost to No. 1 Gonzaga, 90-67. The Zags may very well be the national champs before it’s all over. Now Auburn gets Baylor and the Bears, so far, are significantly better than everybody else in the Big 12. Cooper is going to be Cooper against Baylor, but Auburn’s challenge is how to handle the Bears’ three-headed guard lineup led by Jared Butler (16.8 ppg), Macio Teague (15.0) and Davion Mitchell (12.8).

Baylor may not be Gonzaga, but it may have ownership as easily the second best team in the country.

Next game: Saturday at No. 2 Baylor at 3 p.m.

TV: ESPN

 

 

[aubiefifty 16,761]

Auburn to play best team Bruce Pearl has faced

By Giana Han

4-5 minutes

---

Auburn Tigers forward JT Thor (10) drives the ball during the game between Auburn and Missouri at Auburn Arena on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021. Mandatory Credit: Shanna Lockwood/AU AthleticsShanna Lockwood/AU Athletics

This year’s Baylor team has so many veterans on it, it’s older than the Chicago Bulls.

“For real — like, for real,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said.

The average age of the Bulls’ starting lineup is 21.8. The average age of Baylor’s starting lineup is 22.8. And the average age of Auburn’s starting lineup? 19.8 years old.

The differences between Auburn and its next opponent are staggering. While Auburn’s young team (10-7, 4-5) is still trying to smooth wrinkles and figure out what works, Baylor (15-0, 8-0) is at the stage where everything is clicking for its veterans. And Auburn has to play the Bears on their turf, where they’re 21-1, Saturday at 3 p.m.

“There’s a chance they’re the best team I’ve played against,” Pearl said. “Like, period. I’ve been doing this a long time … I wish any one of my best teams could resemble the way these guys play.”

Auburn has played good teams this season, including Gonzaga, who is currently ranked above Baylor in the AP Top 25. But it played Gonzaga back in November when teams were still getting into the swing of things. This Baylor team has played — and won — 15 games already, so Pearl thinks it’s better than the November Gonzaga team the Tigers faced.

“It will be as big a challenge as Gonzaga,” Pearl said. “But maybe even more so just because they can beat you with their offense and their defense. Gonzaga can’t beat you with their defense.”

The Tigers have been working really hard so that they have even the slightest chance of beating the Bears. As Pearl has prepared, he’s come up with a whole list of words to describe the team they’re going up against: powerful, strong, athletic, bouncy, physically intimidating, quick, experienced, efficient and, quite possibly, the best.

These qualities translate onto the court in many different areas. The Bears are “so gifted” from the three and average 11 three-pointers a game. They run their offense efficiently, which has led to an average of 19 assists a game. They are also fierce defenders and turn opponents over 19 times a game, which is the fifth best in the country.

“They don’t have a lot of weaknesses,” Pearl said.

Auburn won’t be able to apply many of its strengths to the contest, either.

The Tigers are currently the best shot-blocking team in the nation. They average 6.2 blocks a game, ahead of VCU and Kentucky who block 6.1 shots a game. The Tigers’ 106 blocks this season are well ahead of VCU’s 92. But Baylor shoots threes. When it gets shots down low, they’re usually from offensive rebounds or easy, open feeds, so there aren’t many opportunities for opponents to get a hand on the shot.

One of Auburn’s biggest weapons has been its point guard, Sharife Cooper, with his court vision and ability to drive downhill and pick up contact. But he might be neutralized by a former Auburn guard. Davion Mitchell, Baylor’s third-leading scorer, started his college career at Auburn. He was playing behind Jared Harper and transferred to Baylor, breaking Pearl’s heart.

“I hated to see him go,” Pearl said. “We love him and we miss him, and I’m proud of him.”

One of the things that drew Pearl to Mitchell — his hard work — has paid off for Baylor, as Mitchell has developed into the Bears’ best on-ball defender and one of its dangerous three-point shooters.

“So the matchup of him guarding Sharife Cooper will be one to watch for sure,” Pearl said. “And it will be a tough matchup to officiate.”

The moment won’t be too big for Cooper, Pearl said. He knows to respect Mitchell’s skill, and he has experience handling opponents getting physical with him. Pearl isn’t as confident about how the team as a whole will handle the intense competition.

“Can we handle the moment as a team?” Pearl said. “That’s why we’re going down there to see. We’ve not experienced anything quite like it yet.”

[Maverick.AU 13,279]

Let’s get this dub!

 

[Maverick.AU 13,279]

 

[tgrogan21 6,198]

39 minutes ago, Maverick.AU said:

Let’s get this dub!

 

I'm ready to give you all of my reactions on 2-2 from the line posts.

[tgrogan21 6,198]

If we want to win this game JJ, Flan, and Williams can not disappear. Going to need them all to have good games, especially JJ with his 3 point shot.

[Maverick.AU 13,279]

7 minutes ago, tgrogan21 said:

If we want to win this game JJ, Flan, and Williams can not disappear. Going to need them all to have good games, especially JJ with his 3 point shot.

What worries me too is how to we play when Coop has to get a breather. We’ve dodged some bullets this year. This is a team that could take a tie game to a 10+ lead quick

[CR 2,442]

Besides being a great player, Cooper has more star quality than any AU player I can remember since Charles Barkley. He's been mentioned all over the airwaves today during the other games.

[Maverick.AU 13,279]

2 minutes ago, CR said:

Besides being a great player, Cooper has more star quality than any AU player I can remember since Charles Barkley. He's been mentioned all over the airwaves today during the other games.

Dakich called him the best player in the country today. I’m hoping this is not voodoo after all Dakich said previously.

[tgrogan21 6,198]

6 minutes ago, Maverick.AU said:

What worries me too is how to we play when Coop has to get a breather. We’ve dodged some bullets this year. This is a team that could take a tie game to a 10+ lead quick

Yep! This is why I think this game is going to rely on how good Flan plays. If he can play well enough when playing PG then we have a shot. If not then it could get ugly.

[CR 2,442]

2 minutes ago, Maverick.AU said:

Dakich called him the best player in the country today. I’m hoping this is not voodoo after all Dakich said previously.

I heard that comment too. It's incredible the way his name has exploded nationally after what he's went through. If he returns next year the Auburn preseason buzz will be through the roof with the team Bruce is assembling.

[Maverick.AU 13,279]

1 minute ago, CR said:

I heard that comment too. It's incredible the way his name has exploded nationally after what he's went through. If he returns next year the Auburn preseason buzz will be through the roof with the team Bruce is assembling.

I believe Rothstein said AU would be a preseason top 5-10 if coop came back and with the addition of jabari.

[Maverick.AU 13,279]

 

[Maverick.AU 13,279]

 

[AUBwins 10,075]

Oh I thought it was after LSU game. Mcclung single handedly stole the game from LSU

[WarTiger 3,901]

Really looking forward to this one.  Baylor is good.  Let's see what we can do. 

[Randman5000 4,226]

LSU fell apart and choked. Jeez. 

[Maverick.AU 13,279]

Baylor wins the tip. Sharife gets the loose ball. AU ball. Block by Baylor.

[Maverick.AU 13,279]

Davion scores the first points. 3-0 Baylor 

[tgrogan21 6,198]

Nice pass from Coop! Lets end the game.

[Maverick.AU 13,279]

Coop to cardwell slam! 3-2 Baylor 

[AUBwins 10,075]

Flan keeping that dribble was great. 

[Maverick.AU 13,279]

Flan!! And 1! 4-3 AU. Under 16 timeout flan will shoot one after the timeout.

[Randman5000 4,226]

Nice chance for And 1!

[AUBwins 10,075]

Just now, Maverick.AU said:

Coop to cardwell slam! 3-2 Baylor 

That was nasty.