12/20/22

[aubiefifty 16,761]

Tigers still ranked in AP and coaches polls

Mark Murphy

~3 minutes

---

 

The Auburn basketball team has dropped four spots in the AP Top 25 poll after suffering its second loss of the season. On Sunday the Tigers lost 74-71 vs. the USC Trojans in Los Angeles.

The Tigers are ranked No. 23 in this week’s AP poll with their 9-2 record. Unbeaten Purdue held on to its No. 1 spot with unbeaten UConn at No. 2 followed by a one-loss Houston team at No. 3.

Auburn dropped six spots in this week’s USA Today Coaches Top 25 poll to 24th.

From the Southeastern Conference the highest ranked team in the AP poll is 9-2 Tennessee at No. 8, one spot ahead of 9-2 Alabama with 10-1 Arkansas checking in at No. 10.

Mississippi State, which is 11-0, is the fourth highest ranked SEC team and 7-3 Kentucky is 19th, the spot where Auburn was ranked in the previous poll.

In the coaches poll Purdue, Connecticut and Houston hold the top three spots. Arkansas is the top-ranked SEC team at No. 8 followed by No. 10 Alabama, No. 11 Tennessee, No. 15 Mississippi State and No. 16 Kentucky.

Coach Bruce Pearl’s Auburn team will play its final pre-conference game on Wednesday night in Seattle where the Tigers will take on the Washington Huskies. That game will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.

Auburn begins its conference schedule on Dec. 28th as the Florida Gators visit Neville Arena.

Against USC the Tigers led 39-35 at halftime after overcoming an eight-point deficit, but too many turnovers cost the Tigers a chance to win. Auburn pulled in 32 rebounds to 19 for the Trojans, but the home team finished the game with five more field goal attempts and three more free throw attempts. That was the result of 23 turnovers by the Tigers, a season high for the team, and just 12 turnovers for the Trojans.

Pearl said he was not happy with the way the Tigers played in their previous game, a 72-64 home victory over Georgia State that follow an 82-73 loss to the Memphis Tigers the previous Saturday in a game played at Atlanta.

The coach said he saw signs of progress on Sunday vs. the Trojans. “I am pleased with this team right now, if we can continue to grow,” he sad. “We have made a lot of progress since last week against Memphis.”

AP Top 25 Poll

[aubiefifty 16,761]

Bruce Pearl pleased with Auburn's progress 'if we can continue to grow'

Nathan King

5–6 minutes

---

 

Auburn has lost two of three games, but the last person to say the sky is falling would be Bruce Pearl.

In fact, the Tigers’ head coach saw several areas of improvement for his team Sunday night. They just weren’t able to capitalize on them, and turned the ball over 23 times in the process, eventually losing 74-71 at USC.

Auburn shot 46.8 percent from the floor, its best clip in a true road game since a win at Ole Miss last January. It bested USC by 13 in the rebounding department, the best margin for the team against a high-major foe since last February against Texas A&M. A 34.8 percent mark from 3-point range is Auburn’s fourth-best of the season so far.

It was doomed by a season-high in giveaways — and 19 fouls in the second half burned, too. But Pearl saw plenty of signs of growth for his 2022-23 squad, compared to its loss last Saturday against Memphis, and a sluggish outing Wednesday against Georgia State.

“Thought we played better tonight,” Pearl said. “We gave ourselves a chance. We talked after the Georgia State game that I felt like we needed to play better to have a chance to win these games now, and I thought we did.”

The Tigers seemed to find a groove right before halftime, when they went on a 14-2 run in the final five minutes of the first half, with zero turnovers during that stretch. Backup point guard Tre Donaldson reached a career-high 10 points in the first half alone, and center Johni Broome notched 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting, after Auburn endured a scoring blast from USC guard Boogie Ellis.

“I thought we communicated well,” Pearl said. “I thought the coaches had a real good preparation this week and a really good game plan. I thought we executed for the most part. We played a lot better.”

Then the turnovers changed from bothersome to chronic midway through the second half. Auburn’s 14 turnovers in the second half alone are more than it’s had in seven full games this season.

From the 11:15 mark in the second half, when K.D. Johnson had an errant pass for a turnover on two straight possessions, Auburn had a whopping seven giveaways in less than four minutes of ensuing game time. USC grabbed the lead back thanks to the extra possessions and never relinquished it.

Four came from Johnson, who had the most turnovers (six) of his entire career and shot 0-for-5. Two came from freshman Chance Westry in less than two minutes after checking in at point guard.

The Tigers were without starting point guard Wendell Green Jr., who started the game after an ankle injury last week, for the majority of the second half. He checked out less than three minutes after halftime to have his ankle looked at and never returned. USC caused more than a few turnovers by jamming Auburn’s halfcourt sets near halfcourt, and Green Jr.s speed and slipperiness could have helped offset some of those issues, Pearl said.

“I think having a healthy Wendell would've allowed us to attack pressure and, hopefully, hurt pressure,” Pearl said. “Look, no excuses. But obviously it hurt us.”

Auburn turned the ball over on more than one-third of its possessions in the second half (39.8 percent), and for the game overall, exactly one-third (33.3 percent) of the time the Tigers had the ball, they came up completely empty by giving it away to the Trojans.

Auburn was able to buck another unsightly trend, though, by winning comfortably on the glass. The Tigers had 32 boards to USC’s 19, snapping a stretch of being outrebounded in four of their last five games.

It was, however, only the second time in the Pearl era that Auburn was plus-10 or better in rebounding in a game and still lost. Last year’s overtime loss at Arkansas was the first (plus-14).

“It's a stepping stone,” Broome said of Auburn’s rebounding. “We've been emphasizing that the whole year. We know we can do it. We've just got to be consistent with it.”

An 0-2 trip to the West Coast would be a rough segway to the start of SEC competition. But Pearl knows if Auburn can take better care of the basketball and keep the same improvements humming along, it should have a strong chance to beat Washington on the road Wednesday. The Huskies aren’t as strong as USC in several metrics on both ends of the floor.

“Look, I'm pleased with this team right now if we can continue to grow,” Pearl said. “We made a lot of progress since last week against Memphis.”

Auburn flew out to Seattle on Monday morning and will take on Washington in the return game of a home-and-home series that began on the Plains all the way back in 2018. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CST on the Pac-12 Network.

[aubiefifty 16,761]

Charles Barkley shares when admiration for Bruce Pearl began

Nathan King

4–5 minutes

---

 

Of all the fans and supporters Bruce Pearl has garnered during his successful run at Auburn, now in its ninth season, perhaps none are of higher profile than Charles Barkley, himself one of the greatest players in program history.

But Barkley’s admiration for Pearl began when the head coach was donning a different shade of orange.

On the Talking Tigers Podcast this week, Barkley explained to host Andy Burcham that his preparation for March Madness coverage on TNT and its associated networks begins every year as soon as the New Year turns. He watches at least three college basketball games a day and receives weekly written reports on the performances of every conference.

During the latter stages of Pearl’s tenure at Tennessee, Barkley remembers being impressed by the Vols’ execution and game-planning on a week-to-week basis.

“I start studying, and I’m like, ‘That damn coach at Tennessee, he’s a hell of a coach,’” Barkley said.

So Barkley one night, after studying a Tennessee game, got Pearl’s number and left him a voicemail. Barkley estimated it was seven years before Auburn hired Pearl in 2014, so around the 2008 season — when Tennessee won its third SEC regular-season championship in four years.

“I just said, ‘Coach Pearl, we’ve never met,’” Barkley said. “But I’ve been studying my tapes, getting ready for March Madness. And I just wanted to tell you, man, you’re a hell of a coach.”

Many years later, of course, Barkley's support of Pearl’s success at his alma mater has continued to swell, as he routinely highlights Pearl's teams on his TV platforms, and also mentions Auburn's handful of players in the NBA.

“One thing about Bruce Pearl: We’re never going to get out-coached,” Barkley said. “We might not have the best team. But we’re never going to get out-coached because he is one of the best at Xs and Os. You have to have a game plan, a plan B, and maybe even a plan C. The only thing I know about Coach Pearl … he might even have a plan D. That’s how good he and Steven (Pearl) and that coaching staff is.”

This past offseason, Barkley laughed at the thought of the 2021-22 campaign being anything but a massive success — though he does understand why fans were bummed Auburn didn't make it to the second weekend of the tournament.

“It was an interesting year for Auburn because it ended on a down note,” Barkley said in May. “I love Bruce Pearl. To tell you how far Auburn basketball has come: I never thought we would get to the point where we win an NCAA game, and people would be disappointed. That’s a credit to him.”

Defending a regular-season SEC crown, Auburn (9-2) has dropped two of its last three games in nonconference play to Memphis and USC, but still came in ranked at No. 23 in the AP poll Monday. The Tigers return to action Wednesday night at Washington (8 p.m. CST, Pac-12 Network) in their nonconference finale before beginning SEC competition at home Dec. 28 against Florida.

1COMMENTS

Barkley also mentioned his correspondence with Auburn’s new football coach, Hugh Freeze, shortly after he was hired earlier this month.

“I said, ‘Coach, you’re the leader of our family now,’” Barkley said. “‘I’m going to support you publicly 110 percent. We welcome you to the Auburn family. There’s a lot of noise out there. But I want you to know you’re our coach, and anybody coaches at Auburn, I’m going to support them 110 percent.’”

">247Sports

[aubiefifty 16,761]

Turnovers plague Auburn in loss to USC - The Auburn Plainsman

 

5–6 minutes

---

Despite improving in a number of key areas: turnovers, foul trouble and injuries were too much for No. 19 Auburn to overcome in a 74-71 loss in the Galin Center to the USC Trojans in its first of two games on the West Coast.

"I thought we played better tonight. We gave ourselves a chance," said head coach Bruce Pearl. "We talked after the Georgia State game that I felt like we needed to play better to have a chance to win these games now, and I thought we did. Obviously, turnovers killed us."

The Tigers started strong in Los Angeles with a first half that included a 14-2 scoring run into the halftime locker room – one that had a large Auburn crowd on its feet. Tre Donaldson had a career high 10 points in the first half alone, and Johni Broome had 11 first half points on 5-of-6 makes from the field.

But, in the second half USC, was able to take advantage of the Auburn mistakes and injuries. 

“In the first half, there was a lot of freedom. Both teams playing hard. And in the second half, we had like eight fouls in the first four or five minutes, and it just took the aggressiveness out,” Pearl said.

In the second half alone, Auburn had 14 turnovers and a season-high total of 23 in the game, which turned into 17 USC points off turnovers. Auburn was also without starting point guard, Wendell Green Jr., for the majority of the second half, exiting the game with 17:44 to play. Jaylin Williams also had to leave the floor with 3:39 to play after a hard fall that kept him out of the remainder of the game. 

"I think a couple things were factors out here,” Pearl said. “One obviously being Wendell Green not being able to really play. He tried. He got about 12 minutes in there. And it just it just wasn't effective. You know, Tre Donaldson really stepped up and did a terrific job, but then Tre got in foul trouble.”

Tre Donaldson had a career high 12 points in Green’s absence, along with shooting 2-for-8 from the field, 2-for-4 from downtown, and grabbing two rebounds and four steals. Donaldson, however, got into foul trouble late,  committing his second and third by 16:28 left in the second half. 

With Donaldson limited due to foul trouble and Wendell out with injury, Zep Jasper and KD Johnson were called upon to play predominantly down the stretch at the one and two positions. The two combined for a total of 12 points, 2-for-10 from the field, 2-of-7 from the 3-point line and four assists. 

Still, none of Auburn’s guards were able to shine as bright at USC’s senior guard Boogie Ellis.

“Boogie had 28 points and two steals, but Boogie was incredible in all aspects of the game and he defended and he was physical,” said USC head coach Andy Enfield. “He was quick, he was aggressive on offense, he was aggressive on defense. I thought he played his best game of the year. He made the right decisions on offense. He didn't force a lot of things, he made some shots and he just shot. I just thought he played a great game.”

Ellis went 9-for-15 from the field, 2-of-5 from deep, and was 8-for-10 on free throws, some of which helped seal the win in the final minute of action. His 28 points was a career high after having 27 points in three prior occasions during his career. 

“We needed this big win especially after the Bahamas,” Ellis said. “You know, we came up short there. We needed a big resume game for March, so it gives us a lot of confidence knowing that we can play with one of the best teams in the country. Now we just had to build off of it and trust one another and just keep getting better."

Kobe Johnson and Joshua Morgan were the only other Trojans in double figures, both with 10 points. Johnson also led the team with five rebounds, four assists and six steals.

"Bottom line is just turnovers,” Pearl said. “If we just can take a little bit better care of the ball and we don't turn the ball over, we win the game."

At 9-2, Auburn will look to clean up its' play in Seattle, Washington, against another Pac-12 foe in the Washington Huskies on Wednesday. The game will tip off at 8 p.m. CST from Alaska Airlines Arena and will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network. 

Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Auburn Plainsman delivered to your inbox

Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.

---

Share and discuss “Turnovers plague Auburn in loss to USC” on social media.

[aubiefifty 16,761]