Auburn Tigers: 25-7, 13-5 in the SEC
Head coach: Bruce Pearl (4th season)
Players to watch: Mustapha Heron (16.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG); Bryce Brown (16.2 PPG, 38.7 3PT%); Desean Murray (10.3 PPG, 6.8 RPG)
Season recap: Five months ago, the thought of Auburn topping the SEC and being a guaranteed lock for the Big Dance would at best have been a pipe dream. Yet here we are, with the Tigers the regular-season kings of the south thanks to a rollicking 14-game run through conference and nonconference play with minimal missteps.
Although Auburn enters the NCAA tournament with a solid early and midseason resume of wins against Arkansas and Tennessee, the Tigers recently hit a wall when they needed consistency most, dropping four of their last six games. Exiting the SEC tournament in the quarterfinals due to an 81-63 blowout courtesy of Alabama, Auburn needs to make a statement heading into the heart of March.
In their recent string of losses, disjointed play has been the Tigers’ Achilles' heel, with foul trouble, turnovers, and almost no production from the perimeter haunting an offense that basketball statistician Ken Pomeroy has among the nation's 20 best. Even in their 79-70 victory against South Carolina to secure the conference regular-season title, the Tigers had to lean heavily on junior guard Bryce Brown to make up the difference from long range—the Stone Mountain, Ga., native shot 8-of-12 from beyond the arc, yet his teammates contributed just three more triples off 19 shots from long range.
While Brown has become undoubtedly Auburn’s go-to man at the perimeter, the Tigers have a few more offensive weapons at their disposal that can make or break their chances in March. Sophomore guard and leading scorer Mustapha Heron has proven to be a real presence when he gets to the rim, coupled with the quick feet of sophomore guard Jared Harper running the point, The Tigers have a relentlessly high-tempo offense that can widen the floor and make unexpected runs if opposing teams aren’t careful.
How they make a run: Heron steps up his defense and the Tigers get back in sync on all positions of the court. With Auburn’s offense firing on all cylinders, the Tigers’ high energy style can’t be stopped. Auburn makes it deep in the tournament, proving it is much more than just a football school.
How they falter: The Tigers’ downward spiral continues and Auburn struggles to build momentum. Despite individual plays from Brown and Heron, Harper can’t get his offense under control and the Tigers never find a rhythm.
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