12/9/22 Articles

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Edited December 9, 2022 by aubiefifty

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Memphis point guard presents elite challenge for Auburn in Atlanta

Nathan King

4–5 minutes

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Here’s hoping the popcorn is cheap in State Farm Arena.

In what Bruce Pearl called No. 11 Auburn’s toughest test to date this season, Memphis (7-2) presents an elite point-guard challenge for Wendell Green Jr. and the rest of his backcourt Saturday afternoon in Atlanta (4 p.m. CST, ESPN2).

The dynamic play of Kendric Davis has helped Memphis get off to a strong start in 2022-23. Last year’s American Conference Player of the Year and a three-time all-conference selection during his time at SMU, Davis leads Memphis at 17.4 points per game.

“He’s just a great scorer,” Pearl said Thursday. “And you add him to a veteran backcourt with (Alex) Lomax, and it's a talented team.”

It’s another anticipated showdown for Green Jr., who two games ago bested another high-level point guard in Auburn’s home win over Saint Louis. Yuri Collins, the top assists man in college basketball (11.1 per game) had 10 points and nine assists, but Green Jr. poured in a season-high 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting — including 4 points in the last minute of the game to help Auburn rally from a late deficit and complete the comeback win.

“It’s something you look forward to,” Green Jr. said Thursday. “Playing against guys that are up there with me and I’m up there with them, you know, same level, you just want to go out there and show who’s better. But at the end of the day, it’s not really about that matchup. It’s about which team wins and hopefully we can do that Saturday.”

Davis is going through a rough stretch, though, in his past few games, and Auburn obviously hopes that continues. The Texas native has shot less than 30 percent from the floor in three of his last four games, including a 7-of-33 stretch in the past two outings — wins over Ole Miss and Arkansas Little Rock.

“I’m not worried about him at all,” Memphis coach Penny Hardaway said this week. “He has a huge heart and he’s gonna figure it out.”

Like Auburn, Memphis is elite defensively, currently top 20 nationally in defensive efficiency, per KenPom. Hardaway’s team has given up more than 70 points just twice all season through nine games, helped by one of the most experienced lineups in college basketball. Of Memphis’ nine-man rotation, eight players are seniors.

“Wendell being able to pass out of double teams will be important — because they're going to double him,” Pearl said. “We've got great spacing in our offense, so we should be able to handle it, and the plan is always to attack pressure when you can."

ESPN BPI gives Auburn a 62.6% chance to win in front of what figures to be a pseudo home environment for the orange and blue. An Auburn media rep told reporters Thursday that the Tigers have sold approximately 2,800 tickets for their session alone — one of three matchups back-to-back-to-back Saturday afternoon. Auburn is the last game of the day.

It’s the home stretch for Auburn’s nonconference play, with only three games remaining after Memphis before the Tigers take on Florida at the end of the month to open their SEC slate. Memphis happens to have two SEC wins this season already — on the road against Vanderbilt and at home over Ole Miss.

In last year’s Holiday Hoopsgiving matchup, Auburn obliterated a short-handed Nebraska team, 99-68 while Pearl was serving a two-game suspension.

“You know, it’s fun — it’s a different environment, gives you a different feel,” Green Jr. said. “But at the end of the day, it’s just Auburn vs. Memphis and see who can win.”

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Pearl predicts defensive battle vs. veteran Memphis team

Mark Murphy

5–7 minutes

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AUBURN, Alabama–Following an eight-day break from competition for fall semester final exams, the Auburn basketball team will return to action on Saturday in Atlanta vs. the Memphis Tigers. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. CST at State Farm Arena and the game will be televised on ESPN2.

Coach Bruce Pearl said that his team’s opponent, which brings a 7-2 record into the matchup, will challenge his 8-0 Tigers.

“Memphis is probably the toughest (opponent) so far,” he said about his team’s early season schedule. However, Pearl added that Saint Louis and Northwestern, which gave Auburn challenging games, are also strong opponents.

“Memphis is just older–seven or eight seniors out there,” Pearl said. “Seven of them are fifth-year guys. Many have been at Memphis for a long time and have kind of paid their dues and are now getting opportunities to star.

“They are picked second in their league behind Houston,” Pearl pointed out about a team that will arrive in Atlanta on a five-game winning streak after defeating Arkansas-Little Rock 87-71 on Tuesday.

“Houston is the No. 1 team in the country,” Pearl said. “Memphis looks at Houston as their benchmark. That is who they compete with. Those are the two elite programs in the American Conference.”

Auburn and Memphis have one common opponent, the Saint Louis Billikens, a team Auburn defeated 65-60 at Neville Arena. Memphis lost 90-84 in a road game vs. Saint Louis.

One of the fifth-year seniors for Memphis, 6-0, 177 point guard Kendric Davis, is his team’s top scorer at 17.1 points per game. He leads Memphis in three-pointers made (14-45) and assists (43 with 29 turnovers).

DeAndre Williams, a 6-9, 205 fifth-year senior transfer from Evansville, is the other Memphis player scoring in double figures with 14.1 points per game. He is the top rebounder at 7.3 per game. As a team Memphis is plus 2.1 per game in rebounding margin. Auburn is plus 6.5.

Auburn, which is ranked 11th nationally in this week’s AP Top 25, features three players scoring in double figures led by junior point guard Wendell Green at 13.4 points per game.

“It is something you look forward to,” Green said of the challenge of matching up with a highly-regarded point guard, something he won praise for from Pearl with how he performed against Saint Louis star Yuri Collins.

Green said he wants to out-play Davis, or whoever he is guarding and whoever is defending him, but added, “At the end of the day it is not really about that matchup. It is about whose team wins.”

Auburn is allowing just 58 points per game and Memphis is allowing 64.3 while holding opponents to 37.8 percent shooting. Pearl predicted that both teams will get after each other defensively on Saturday. He noted that that Memphis like to pressure the ball-handler and a big part of the game will be how Green handles double-teams. "We have great spacing in our offense and should be able to handle it," Pearl said. "The plan is always attack pressure when you can."

Wendell Green is in his second season with the Tigers. (Photo: Adam Sparks / Inside the Auburn Tigers, 247Sports)

Auburn comes into the contest after defeating Colgate 93-66 last Friday at Neville Arena. That is the most points the Tigers have allowed an opponent this season.

“Our kids have been excited about playing defense,” the Auburn coach said. “I think they recognize that defense has got to carry us. They have not taken many possessions off. We spend a lot of time on the defense, and on game plans and preparation.”

Pearl said the challenge moving forward is how the Tigers respond against talent individuals and offensive teams they will be facing.

Auburn’s second-leading scorer, 6-10, 235 center Johni Broome, is averaging 10.9 points and a team-best 8.7 rebounds. He also has contributed to the good start on defense with 24 of the team’s 66 blocked shots, a category Auburn is ranked No. 1 nationally in through eight games.

K.D. Johnson, a junior guard, averages 10.5 points per game for the Tigers.

Pearl Press Conference

2COMMENTS

Auburn Basketball Notes: In previous trips to Atlanta to participate in the Hoopsgiving event, the Tigers defeated Memphis 74-71 two seasons ago and cruised past Nebraska last year winning 99-68. Pearl said the Tigers will likely play a “big time opponent” in next year’s event. “It is an opportunity for our fans in Atlanta to come over there and see us play,” the coach said. Auburn received 2,200 tickets for the game and sold those, but tickets are available on line from Ticketmaster...With the Tigers finishing fall semester final exams, Pearl said the players are in good shape on the academic front. “Auburn has done a phenomenal job helping our guys make progress towards their degrees and graduate. We have graduated more than anybody in our league over the last eight years.”...The other games taking place at State Farm Arena on Saturday are Tulane vs. Buffalo at 10:30 a.m. (CST), Wake Forest vs. LSU at 1 p.m. (CST) on ESPNU and Clemson vs. Loyola Chicago at 6:30 p.m. (CST) on ACC Network.