Thoughts thus far on the team

[BHDAU1 240]

WOW, what a difference one game can make!  Two of the three things that Auburn needed to improve upon desperately were LIGHT YEARS better today! They shot almost 50% from BOTH the field AND the 3 point line.  AND, they shot a spectacular 87% from the FT line making 20 of 23!  FROM 11% one week to 87% the next at the free throw line!  That's really just a totally crazy 180 degree change in one week.  I'm really not sure how a team that is even capable of shooting 87% at the FT line can shoot 11% against any opponent.  I think you could run me to the point of exhaustion and I could still make more than 11% of my FT attempts, even if I had to shot them "Granny style", swinging it up there from between my legs!  LOL  I'm thinking that Bruce probably had them do nothing but shoot free throws for two entire practices.  I'm also guessing that during those two practices, any missed free throws resulted in whoever missed them running a complete lap around the arena going up and down all of the stairs, or maybe he made them run gassers.  Regardless of how he got them there, you can tell that it was a focal point leading up to this game. 

     The other BIG change, really was Jaylin Williams with 24 big points.  While his mins increased by about 30% over last game from 22 to 29 mins, his shot attempts increased by nearly 300%!  He also grabbed double the rebounds from last week with 6 instead of 3, and took 9 TIMES MORE FT's than last game (9 ft's vs. 1 ft).  Broome had a crap game but that's OK, we know what he can do.  It sucks that his double-double streak is over, but honestly I'll take some of the other guys stepping up and playing well and scoring over his streak.  Every single time I am ready to write Williams off as someone that the team just cannot count on to score points, he has a big game.  Then I get excited thinking he has finally turned the corner and he will be much more aggressive on offense going forward, so much so that he will be someone that the opponent has to plan for!   The week passes and the next game will be a total stinker for him.  Hopefully, this game really did do it for him as far as confidence goes.  I have always thought he had a lot of offensive talent, he just doesn't have the solid confidence in himself that you have to have to play at this level.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this really will be the year that J.W. separates himself from the pack.      

     Finally, the team play was better as well.  It wasn't such a massive improvement that it stuck out at first, but after watching some of the game again for a second time I started seeing some things that give me a lot of optimism that they are gelling faster than I thought they would.  The number of assists shot up from 17 to 25 I believe, that's f-ing impressive.  What makes it A LOT MORE IMPRESSIVE is that 3/4 or 1/2 of the assists were not to Broome.  He only made like 1 out of 6 shots he attempted, so at least 24 of the 25 went to some other player besides him.  That is a phenomenal sign that the team is playing more as a team, and that guys are not being as selfish as they have been at times in prior games.  25 assists is the most Auburn has had in a game thus far this season, 4 more than the next closest game total which was against a bad SE La. team that AU beat by 15 points.  

All in all, Auburn played a REALLY solid game, and quite frankly, it was a very impressive win away from home against a 7-1 Indiana team that has a lot of history, tradition, and pride.  They aren't a roll-over kind of team, and Auburn kinda-sorta humiliated them on national TV....  Their only loss prior to this one was against a top 5 ranked UConn team, and they had just won 4 straight, having beaten Louisville, Harvard, Maryland, and Michigan prior to playing AU.  It is also noteworthy that 3 of those 4 wins were away or at a neutral site.  I have a lot of optimism going forward.  Can you imagine what kind of beat-down it would have been for Indiana had Broome gotten his normal double-double that he is averaging? Auburn would have won by 40.   

[GwillMac6 20,683]

Broome and cardwell didn’t attempt 1 free throw. That was the biggest reason our FT percentage was so high. Most games Broome will have by far the highest number of Free throw attempts and it will greatly hurt our percentages.

[gr82be 14,425]

Yesterday was a perfect storm. The team isn’t suddenly fixed of FT%. The shots fell and it was fun to watch. As GwillMac said, Broome didn’t affect the FT % like he usually does. Aden was on fire and KD was a clean freak yesterday. When he’s messy he can be a liability as well. Things came together and let’s hope we see more of it. I think we’ll have more games similar to this but the frustrating games will still be sprinkled in as well. You can’t run a player until they start making free throws. If that worked everyone would make them. It’s muscle memory and concentration. It was great beating Indiana. They aren’t great but they are a name brand and I’m happy for the team. They were ready to play and it was contagious. 

[GwillMac6 20,683]

30 minutes ago, gr82be said:

Yesterday was a perfect storm. The team isn’t suddenly fixed of FT%. The shots fell and it was fun to watch. As GwillMac said, Broome didn’t affect the FT % like he usually does. Aden was on fire and KD was a clean freak yesterday. When he’s messy he can be a liability as well. Things came together and let’s hope we see more of it. I think we’ll have more games similar to this but the frustrating games will still be sprinkled in as well. You can’t run a player until they start making free throws. If that worked everyone would make them. It’s muscle memory and concentration. It was great beating Indiana. They aren’t great but they are a name brand and I’m happy for the team. They were ready to play and it was contagious. 

Lololol your KD clean freak line has me rolling!!!! Where did that come from!? So random but so hilarious! Love it bro!! 😆😅

 

[gr82be 14,425]

1 minute ago, GwillMac6 said:

Lololol your KD clean freak line has me rolling!!!! Where did that come from!? So random but so hilarious! Love it bro!! 😆😅

 

I’m not sure, he just seems to leave casualties lying around during some games. Don’t get me wrong, he is the spark we need a lot of times. I love him. He just seemed to play a really clean game yesterday compared to other games. 

[AURex 2,000]

hahaha Indiana was definitely flummoxed by the KD. hahaha

 

[KansasTiger 3,248]

I've seen comments in the past two games ranging all the way from the 'sky is falling', 'we might not make the tourney', and 'BP will never make it past the Sweet 16 again' to 'we are final four bound' and drawing national title comparisons. Everyone take a deep breath 🤣

[fishepa 1,904]

I don't put much stock into the Indiana game.  It was the first time we played two complete halves in what seems like forever which was nice.  Would love to see some consistency, especially on true road games.

[GwillMac6 20,683]

3 hours ago, fishepa said:

I don't put much stock into the Indiana game.  It was the first time we played two complete halves in what seems like forever which was nice.  Would love to see some consistency, especially on true road games.

That’s just not going to happen in true road games. Not just for us but for any team in college basketball.

[SumterAubie 3,031]

On 12/10/2023 at 2:06 AM, BHDAU1 said:

     The other BIG change, really was Jaylin Williams with 24 big points.  While his mins increased by about 30% over last game from 22 to 29 mins, his shot attempts increased by nearly 300%!  He also grabbed double the rebounds from last week with 6 instead of 3, and took 9 TIMES MORE FT's than last game (9 ft's vs. 1 ft).  Broome had a crap game but that's OK, we know what he can do.  It sucks that his double-double streak is over, but honestly I'll take some of the other guys stepping up and playing well and scoring over his streak.  Every single time I am ready to write Williams off as someone that the team just cannot count on to score points, he has a big game.  Then I get excited thinking he has finally turned the corner and he will be much more aggressive on offense going forward, so much so that he will be someone that the opponent has to plan for!   The week passes and the next game will be a total stinker for him.  Hopefully, this game really did do it for him as far as confidence goes.  I have always thought he had a lot of offensive talent, he just doesn't have the solid confidence in himself that you have to have to play at this level.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this really will be the year that J.W. separates himself from the pack.      

       

If only he was as selfish about shooting the ball as KD is.

Edited December 12, 2023 by SumterAubie

[AUloggerhead 2,234]

One thing I liked seeing was the tight man-to-man defense, and especially pressuring the in-bounds pass -- thought that got IU out of sync & contributed to the turn around.  With 8-10 players getting minutes, AU can play that kind of defense all game long.    

[gravejd 3,270]

Its been really fun watching this Auburn team the last few games. And i'm getting a little heady on how good this team could end up being. Feels like we've kind of started to gel and the players are finding their roles and understanding what to expect playing with each other. Denver is looking more confident out there and that is absolutely huge for this team. Aden and Tre have both answered the call and both have played well enough to be the starting PG. Very impressed with both of those guys. Jaylin is playing with confidence. Cardwell man....the light has come on for him. He is just playing so smart and with that same energy. Not fouling....great defense...rebounding....wow biggest surprise of the year for me. Broome has been great to solid all season. And CBM is one of the better all around players we've had at AU with Pearl in charge. And more than anything i think the depth and balance of this team is whats going to set it apart. Truly a team where there is no #1 guy. I think that fact was a bit of a struggle early in the season but its going to be a strength going forward. No one is waiting for the #1 to make a play. All our guys are looking to make the play. Great team attitude out there. No way Moore should be starting over CBM but if that bothers CBM i can't tell that it does. We'll lose some more games to be sure but i expect this team to be right there with Kentucky and Tenn competing for the SEC championship. Great job by the coaches putting these pieces together. Gonna be a fun season!

[mustache eagle 2,406]

This usc game we didn’t have particularly impressive stats but won comfortably against a team with individual talent.  We went 11 deep and for the most part everyone contributed and filled up the box sheet.  When we shoot decently from the floor, 3 and FT, share the ball, play sound (which we really haven’t done consistently) tenacious defense, limit our fouling (KD and Chaney I’m looking at yall) we can beat just about anyone.  
the whole our 10 will beat yours may truly get us places this year if we continue to improve.

[ArgoEagle 1,788]

I have seen several improvements in our team since the App State loss.  Our team seems to be Super Aggressive on D just smothering our opponents in their half court offense & inbounds plays.

We have a great advantage in 2 areas specifically that I have seen over most teams in the country:  Athleticism: At times it appears our guys are going 100 miles per hour & the other team is just standing

still, watching us go by them.  Depth is the 2nd advantage: Our guys have gotten use to going out there for just a few minutes at a time & playing balls to the wall all out, without having to worry about conserving their energy bc there is no one to take their place if they get too tired.

The 1 concern I have is we leave teams wide open for 3 pointers. So far we have not played a team that has lit it up from 3, but we will eventually have to play teams like Bama that live & die by the 3 and need to have

an alternative defensive plan to switch to when that does happen.

I feel like if we keep up the pace we are playing at now, hit around 5-7 3 pointers per game, and shoot at least 70% or better from the free throw line, we will definitely compete with the big boys all year & into the Big Dance.

War Eagle!

[AuburnNTexas 7,149]

I love this team and I see a lot of potential to improve. The balance of this team both offensivly and defensively will keeps us in most games. I am still not completly sold on this team as teams will have bad games like against App State. When that occurs to steal a line from Cole you need that Alpha Dog player who can take over.  At this time we don't have that player.  I think we will win a lot of games with this team and maybe they will do better than I think, but when it comes to crunch time in big games you need an Alpha Dog  or a pair of them who can take over the game and win it.

[WillMunny 1,378]

The past couple games have been better and offer hope.  I'm withholding excitement until we have enough data to support some conclusions.  That won't be until about mid-January, IMO.

[BHDAU1 240]

I decided to wait until after the USC game to make another post here, really for thew sake of more actual stats/data.  I said "What a difference a week makes!" after we beat Indiana easily, well, I guess what a difference 9 more days makes!  We went from just a total stinker and embarrassment of a game in multiple areas to THREE games in a row where Auburn really dominated the opponent.  It has also been a really solid stretch for Jaylin Williams as well, who is averaging just over 15 points per game on .58% shooting, was 8 for 12 at the FT line for 67%, made 4 of 8 3-point shots for 50%, and has averaged 4.3 rebounds and 4 assists per game.  That is a very good sign that he may have a very good remainder of the season.  If he was able to improve his free throw shooting and grab just one more rebound per game on average, I think most people would call that a superb season for him.     

      Looking at the USC game, Auburn's team stats were really good, just a hair under the percentages that I listed as where they need to be to beat just about anyone.  Having watched the game a couple of times, Auburn really throttled USC!  It was a little surprising really, I thought AU would win but I didn't think they would crush them.  It looks like this team has the potential to go far in the tourney, so I hope they stay focused and continue to improve.  

Oh, the fact that Auburn is not ranked in the top 25 at this point is just laughable, and a perfect example of the lack of respect that the press and pollsters (including some of the coaches) have for Auburn.  

[BHDAU1 240]

It has been a superb stretch for the Auburn Tigers these last 4 weeks, as they have piled up not just 4 wins, but 4 DOMINANT wins!  During this span we have seen the team play much better together.  Regardless of the player rotations Bruce has been using, the guys really have been working together and have played unselfishly.  We have also witnessed the emergence of Jaylin Williams as a key piece of the team.  Williams appears to have turned the corner, he is attacking the basket on both ends to score and get rebounds, he is shooting better from everywhere, and he looks to me like he is playing with a much higher energy level when on the floor.  That effort has resulted in averaging 16.5 points per game over the last 4 games along with 4 rebounds, 3.25 assists, 1 steal, and made 14 for 18 free throw attempts for a FT shooting percentage of 78%. 

     Also quite surprising, Jaylin averaged only 2 fouls and 1 turnover per game during that stretch, this DESPITE Williams being 3 times more aggressive on offense and playing very tight defense with very active hands.  If he can keep this up, the sky is the limit for him.  Opposing teams will have to spend a LOT more time game planning for him if he continues to prove that this is his "normal" and not just a small hot streak that will end any minute.  Sorry to spend so much time on Williams, but I have always thought him capable of being a real talent that had the capacity to take over games for small stretches of time, but I have also called him out for what I thought was lack of belief in himself.  I was about ready to write him off after so many chances, so it's only fair that I point out how amazingly well he has played AND that he proved me right and wrong.  I was right that he has all the talent to do it, I was wrong to think it was never going to happen for him.  Watching him fly thru the air to do some amazing dunks and finish alley-oops was a ton of fun in A-State game!

     There are some others that deserve mention for stepping up too, but Ill leave that for later.  This team is playing really well, and I am very optimistic on their chances of winning the SEC and making a great run in the SEC and NCAA tourney.  I DO have to comment about the AP and Coaches top 25 rankings this week (week 8).  Are you kidding me? We are still not ranked?? Has anyone been watching our games besides us?  LOL  Auburn has been crushing teams very decidedly, and I think Auburn is better than Illinois, Gonzaga, Creighton, and probably Duke, just to name a few of the ranked teams ahead of AU.  I know some of you could care less and I understand why, but these rankings are VERY important in how the season and tournament plays out.  Besides the fact it is very important in determining your seeding, these rankings also contribute to WHERE you play in the NCAA tourney.  If you want to play near home so fans can come, you have be ranked /seeded highly.  The alternative is playing the first two rounds on the other side of the United States!  

Thanks to everyone who has posted and participated in this thread, it's been a lot of fun so far.

     

[all4AU 379]

17 hours ago, BHDAU1 said:

It has been a superb stretch for the Auburn Tigers these last 4 weeks, as they have piled up not just 4 wins, but 4 DOMINANT wins!  During this span we have seen the team play much better together.  Regardless of the player rotations Bruce has been using, the guys really have been working together and have played unselfishly.  We have also witnessed the emergence of Jaylin Williams as a key piece of the team.  Williams appears to have turned the corner, he is attacking the basket on both ends to score and get rebounds, he is shooting better from everywhere, and he looks to me like he is playing with a much higher energy level when on the floor.  That effort has resulted in averaging 16.5 points per game over the last 4 games along with 4 rebounds, 3.25 assists, 1 steal, and made 14 for 18 free throw attempts for a FT shooting percentage of 78%. 

     Also quite surprising, Jaylin averaged only 2 fouls and 1 turnover per game during that stretch, this DESPITE Williams being 3 times more aggressive on offense and playing very tight defense with very active hands.  If he can keep this up, the sky is the limit for him.  Opposing teams will have to spend a LOT more time game planning for him if he continues to prove that this is his "normal" and not just a small hot streak that will end any minute.  Sorry to spend so much time on Williams, but I have always thought him capable of being a real talent that had the capacity to take over games for small stretches of time, but I have also called him out for what I thought was lack of belief in himself.  I was about ready to write him off after so many chances, so it's only fair that I point out how amazingly well he has played AND that he proved me right and wrong.  I was right that he has all the talent to do it, I was wrong to think it was never going to happen for him.  Watching him fly thru the air to do some amazing dunks and finish alley-oops was a ton of fun in A-State game!

     There are some others that deserve mention for stepping up too, but Ill leave that for later.  This team is playing really well, and I am very optimistic on their chances of winning the SEC and making a great run in the SEC and NCAA tourney.  I DO have to comment about the AP and Coaches top 25 rankings this week (week 8).  Are you kidding me? We are still not ranked?? Has anyone been watching our games besides us?  LOL  Auburn has been crushing teams very decidedly, and I think Auburn is better than Illinois, Gonzaga, Creighton, and probably Duke, just to name a few of the ranked teams ahead of AU.  I know some of you could care less and I understand why, but these rankings are VERY important in how the season and tournament plays out.  Besides the fact it is very important in determining your seeding, these rankings also contribute to WHERE you play in the NCAA tourney.  If you want to play near home so fans can come, you have be ranked /seeded highly.  The alternative is playing the first two rounds on the other side of the United States!  

Thanks to everyone who has posted and participated in this thread, it's been a lot of fun so far.

     

Good post, but I'm glad we aren't ranked. Auburn always seems to do so much better when flying under the radar. I definitely think we are better than Gonzaga, but Duke has a win over one of our common opponents, Baylor.

There is so much basketball left to be played, but it would be great if this team spent the opening NCAA weekend in either Charlotte or Memphis. I'm sure Charlotte would probably mean being bracketed with UNC or Duke, possibly Clemson. 

[LPTiger 5,166]

@BHDAU1 on Jaylin I would add that against Indiana he was asked to guard their 7'1" big for most of the game that some are saying will go in the first round.   Jaylin shut him down without getting in foul trouble and IIRC scored over 20 points himself.

[OfficiatingExpert 126]

It’s nice to see us actually giving Jaylin the ball. He’s a great passer as well as a scorer from the elbow and it seems like we didn’t do it enough last year. We’re top 15 nationally in assists. That passing from our new guards is helping JWill as much as anything. 

[AUtigers2324 42]

It’s been a great stretch of wins here lately. I wouldn’t worry about the rankings just yet. Our schedule offers us ample opportunity to prove it to the voters. Our first two conference games are at Arkansas and home against A&M. If we win both of those there is no doubt we’ll be into the top 15, maybe even top 10.

[BHDAU1 240]

On 12/28/2023 at 12:26 PM, AUtigers2324 said:

It’s been a great stretch of wins here lately. I wouldn’t worry about the rankings just yet. Our schedule offers us ample opportunity to prove it to the voters. Our first two conference games are at Arkansas and home against A&M. If we win both of those there is no doubt we’ll be into the top 15, maybe even top 10.

Well, another good win against Penn at home that could easily have been a "trap" type game.  This Penn team will definitely beat some teams they are not supposed to this season, and they likely will be a contender in their conference if they keep improving and shooting the 3 well.  Auburn keeps impressing me, particularly when the opponent starts to make a run and Auburn responds by turning up the defensive intensity which translates to the offensive side of the ball too.  There never seems to be any panic, rather their focus gets better.  At one point Penn got within 9 points after being down by 20 or more, and for a couple seconds you know they were feeling good and had hope that they could win. Auburn immediately responds with a 3 of their own, then AU goes on a 12 or 14 to 1 point run to crush their hopes and dreams.  Very impressive.  Broome also deserves a special mention for the game he had, how fun was it to see him make some 3's? We all have seen him bury them one after another another warming up, then in the games his shot has been way off.  MAYBE this was all he needed to get going.  It was obviously a mental thing, and if he has shaken that he could be like Kessler where the opposing big man has to guard him all the way out to the 3 point line.  If that is the case, his season is about to get even better and his NBA value will go WAY up.

     I have not thought about this much this year, but can you imagine the pressure the team feels to keep the non-conference home win streak alive? That has to be a LOT of extra pressure added to the normal pressure to win that always is there.  I dont think the players talk about it much to the media, but I guarantee they don't want to be the team that loses and ends the streak.  

[JwgreDeux 1,279]

11-2 is a solid non-conference and the computer rankings have us in great position entering SEC play. We don't have any big time wins but our margins are really good with the computers. So far the new players have all played pretty well. We need more for Jones if we want to contend for the league. While the production at the 1 has been good, and the assist to turnovers has been great, we still need more from Aden if we want to make a deep run this season. He has been very streaky at times and Donaldson the stabling presence. 

One area of concern that remains is closing out halves and games. We have not had to do it much, due to scoring margins, but I haven't seen enough to feel like we have it figured out. That is an area to watch as we go on the road to start SEC play. 

[autigeremt 6,635]

The season truly begins now. Time to build a resume.