Auburn takes the court for its season opener against South Alabama on Tuesday with hopes of competing for another SEC title.
The Tigers captured a share of the conference crown last season after jumping out to a 21-2 start.
Bruce Pearl will welcome back several contributors from that team while adding other impact players who either sat out or transferred into the program.
Meanwhile, South Alabama basketball enters a new era with the arrival of Richie Riley, who comes over from Nicholls State.
Let’s look at what to watch for heading into the opener for both teams.
Game Details
- South Alabama at Auburn
- Location: Auburn Arena – Auburn, AL
- Game Date: Nov. 6
- Game Time: 9 p.m. EST
- Watch: SEC Network
Players to Watch
Bryce Brown (Auburn)
Brown enters his senior season with plenty of momentum after making 107 3-pointers last year.
He will certainly have plenty of attention on him as one of the top scorers in the SEC (15.9 ppg last year), but that doesn’t mean that it’ll be any easier to stop him.
Brown thrives in Auburn’s high-tempo attack in terms of finding open spots in transition, and point guard Jared Harper should continue to find him on the break.
Anfernee McLemore (Auburn)
McLemore suffered a dislocated ankle towards the end of last season, and there were unknowns as to if he’d be back on the court anytime soon.
After a successful rehab, the junior is ready to return to action and should once again be a huge reason for the Tigers’ success this season.
He was one of the most prolific shot blockers in college basketball last season (73 blocks in 27 games) and helped Auburn completely transform its defense after struggling mightily the previous year.
With McLemore’s ability to knock down shots as well, he’ll be an invaluable piece of the puzzle for Pearl and company.
Rodrick Sikes (South Alabama)
Sikes is the Jaguars’ top returning scorer at 18.7 points per game, and the 6-2 senior was tough to handle from beyond the arc in making 88 3-pointers.
He had five 30-point games last season, which included a 38-point performance against UL Monroe.
Riley had Nicholls playing extremely fast last year on offense (13th nationally in average offensive possession length at 15.4 seconds), and he’ll likely try to implement the same approach with South Alabama.
If that happens right away, Sikes figures to benefit even more as the team’s best scoring threat.
Key Stats
The Jaguars simply were not good offensively for the majority of the ’17-18 season, finishing 273rd nationally in scoring offense (69.6 ppg) and 304th in 3-point field-goal percentage (32.3 percent).
Those trends aren’t ideal heading into a matchup with a skilled offensive team like Auburn, who finished 26th in adjusted offensive efficiency.
Another potential problem for South Alabama? Turnovers. The Jaguars finished 324th in the country last season with 15.0 turnovers per contest.
Game Outlook
- Spread: Auburn -20
- Over/Under: 157
- KenPom Projection: Auburn, 96 percent chance to win
- ESPN BPI: Auburn, 89.9 percent chance to win
Even with injuries to key rotation players like Austin Wiley (knee) and Samir Doughty (ankle), one of the strengths of this Auburn team is depth.
The Tigers should may be able to lean on an excellent group of returners in this one, with Chuma Okeke and Horace Spencer presenting even more challenges for Riley’s group.
Auburn is the better team, and even with four starters returning for the Jaguars, the tempo will be a big advantage for the home team.
Game Pick: Auburn
For more SEC basketball coverage, follow me on Twitter @theblakelovell.