11/11/22 Auburn Basketball Articles

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No. 15 Auburn hoops bracing for low-scoring affair against South Florida

Published: Nov. 11, 2022, 7:01 a.m.

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Bruce Pearl remembers all too well last season’s game against USF.

It’s tough to forget a performance that was one of Auburn’s worst offensively during what was an otherwise historic season. Auburn shot just 34.4 percent from the field, 19.2 percent from beyond the arc, fell behind by 15 points in the first half and scored just 58 points total during last season’s visit to Tampa.

And still gutted out a win, 58-52, in a game that could only be described as a rock fight at Amalie Arena.

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“It was a tough matchup for us,” Pearl said. “…The things they did defensively really bothered us.”

Just how good was the Bulls’ defensive effort against the Tigers last season?

It was Auburn’s second-worst shooting performance of the regular season, as the team only shot worse from the field (30.4 percent) in its 55-54 win against Missouri. The Tigers matched that clip in two of their postseason games, losses to Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament (also in Amalie Arena) and then in their season-ending loss to Miami in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Auburn’s 19.2 percent clip — 5-of-26 — from beyond the arc against South Florida was its worst 3-point effort of the regular season. It matched the team’s 3-point shooting in that season-ending loss to Miami. The only game that was worse from deep for Auburn was the SEC Tournament loss to Texas A&M (12 percent; 3-of-25). Auburn’s 58 points were also its second fewest of the season, only scoring fewer in that aforementioned win against Missouri.

“They were as prepared for us as any team we played against,” Pearl said. “And it was obviously a real struggle.”

Pearl expects more of the same Friday night, when No. 15 Auburn (1-0) hosts USF (0-1) at 7 p.m. in Neville Arena.

“They’ll guard us the same way, so we’ll have to do a better job executing ourselves offensively, but at the same time, continue to guard them because it’s not going to be a high-scoring game,” Pearl said.

This time around, of course, Auburn has the advantage of playing on its home floor, where even an off night shooting the ball can yield prosperity for Pearl’s team. Just look at Auburn’s season-opener against George Mason on Monday night. The Tigers shot just 33.8 percent from the field (24-of-71) and 16 percent from beyond the arc (4-of-25), yet still led the Patriots wire-to-wire — and by double-digits for much of the first half, as well as by as many as 20 down the stretch — and won, 70-52.

It wasn’t that Auburn didn’t play well offensively against George Mason; quality shots just weren’t falling. The poor shooting wasn’t a concern for Pearl afterward, but if it persists, it could become an issue to address.

Auburn knows it will rely plenty on its defense to carry it, particularly early in the season as players settle into still-evolving roles. Still, Auburn wants to do a better job of knocking down good looks, particularly from 3-point range. Pearl noted that Auburn shot decently on rhythm 3-pointers but struggled on shots off the dribble against George Mason.

“It seemed like every time we had it and pulled it, we didn’t make any of those, so we just got to continue to do a better job of finding good 3′s to take and make,” Pearl said.

If Auburn can do that, it may have better results against a South Florida defense that, despite losing to Southeast Missouri State in its season opener, limited its opponent to 35.7 percent shooting. The Bulls will rely on their speed, athleticism and ball pressure to try to make things difficult for the Tigers on their home court, and Pearl knows coach Brian Gregory will have his team well-prepared heading into Neville Arena.

“It’s a team we struggled with last year,” Pearl said. “So, we’ll have to play better.”

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

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Auburn hoops freshman Chance Westry 'close' to returning, making debut

Published: Nov. 10, 2022, 3:05 p.m.

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Auburn freshman Chance Westry is being asked to learn three positions in Bruce Pearl's system ahead of the 2022-23 season. (Tom Green/tgreen@al.com)

Auburn is inching toward a return to full strength.

Four-star freshman Chance Westry is nearing a return to the fold for Auburn, coach Bruce Pearl announced Thursday. Westry has been sidelined since early October after undergoing an arthroscopic knee procedure on the same day Pearl underwent a similar procedure.

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Westry underwent surgery Oct. 6, and a timeline of three to four weeks was given at the time for his return. It has taken a little bit longer for the freshman to make his way back, but Wednesday marked the first time he was able to go full-speed with the team during practice, though Pearl noted Westry did not go “live” during practice.

The ninth-year head coach added that Westry “probably won’t do much more” when the team practices Thursday afternoon, as the team works to not rush his return. While Westry is “close” to returning, he’s not quite there yet. Pearl said he doesn’t think the versatile 6-foot-6 guard/wing will play Friday when No. 15 Auburn hosts USF at 7 p.m. in Neville Arena.

His Auburn debut could come soon, though.

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

If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.

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Auburn basketball team looks for more offensive punch as USF visits

Mark Murphy

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AUBURN, Alabama–The Auburn basketball team will look to improve to 2-0 as its plays host to the University of South Florida, an opponent that nearly upset the Tigers last year at Tampa. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CST on Friday at Neville Arena.

“We were down 25-10 in the first half,” Coach Bruce Pearl said of last year’s low-scoring affair won by the Tigers 58-52. “We were down at halftime. We were down most of the game. It was a tough matchup for us.”

Friday’s contest will be streamed on SEC+ as the Tigers face an opponent that dropped its home opener on Monday by a score of 64-61 to Southeast Missouri. Auburn is 6-1 all-time in games vs. the Bulls.

“South Florida is a really good defensive team,” Pearl said. “Brian Gregory, the coach there, was a Tom Izzo disciple among several others. They do a great job defensively. They guard you, they scout you, they take away things that you are good at.

“They were as prepared for us as any team we played against and it was obviously a real struggle,” Pearl said. “The things they did defensively really bothered us, and we had a hard time scoring. We had, I think, 10 points in about 15 minutes of basketball, something like that.

“They will guard us the same way so we will have to do a better job executing ourselves offensively, but at the same time continue to guard them because it’s not going to be a high-scoring game,” Auburn’s coach predicted. “They have got a lot of transfers.

“The kid, Harris, from Memphis, the kid, Bryant, from South Carolina we have played for a million years now, and play him again this year, and several others.”

Keyshawn Bryant, a 6-6, 190 graduate transfer, scored 19 points in the opener. He averaged 8.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game last season for the Gamecocks.

Tyler Harris is a 5-9, 150 graduate student guard who scored nine points and dished out two assists in the opener. He averaged 8.9 points per game last season at Memphis.

“It is a talented roster from the American league, a good league,” Pearl said. “It’s a team we struggled with last year so we’ll have to play better.”

Wendell Green drives to the basket on Monday night vs. George Mason University. (Photo: Jason Caldwell, 247Sports)

Auburn opened the season with 70-52 home victory over George Mason University on Monday night despite a poor shooting performance. The Tigers made just 33.8 percent of their field goals and were just 4-25 on three-pointers.

Pearl also wasn’t thrilled with the free throw shooting as the Tigers connected on 18-29. “We have got to shoot it better from the free and three,” the coach said.

The 15th-ranked Tigers weren’t seriously threatened as they held the Patriots to 37.5 percent shooting from the field and took a 48-37 rebounding advantage. Auburn also enjoyed a 21-9 edge in points off of turnovers.

Eleven players scored for the Tigers led by 16 from junior point Wendell Green, who reached double figures for points for the 43rd time as a collegian.

Johni Broome, a first-year Tiger who played two seasons at Morehead State, scored 12 points and pulled in six rebounds vs. George Mason University. He is four shy of reaching 1,000 points as a college player.

Another junior guard, K.D. Johnson, added 12 points and a team-high four steals.

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Junior center Dylan Cardwell led the Tigers in rebounds with a career-best total of nine and he was the blocked shots leader with four.

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