By Brant Daughtry
1-0 is always a good start. Auburn got basically the easiest reasonable start to SEC play, and looked dominant over a Missouri team that’s better than that game showed. Auburn didn’t quite cover the spread, but that was largely because the game got out of hand and they started playing street ball. It felt like the freshman had some moments where the game got too fast for them, but they’ll keep learning and adjusting. Overall, Auburn took care of business, and that’s the best you can ask for. The next matchup means you have to go on the road, and that’s an appropriate difficulty spike.
Texas is coached by Rodney Terry, who’s in his third year as head coach after taking over after the dismissal of Chris Beard. They’ve been a constant in the Tournament in the last few years, and have made at least the Round of 32 the last three seasons. This is a solid program, and Terry is expected to continue that.
It’s early, but man Texas looked bad in their first SEC game. Texas A&M in College Station isn’t an easy game by any means, but it was a 20-point win for the Aggies and honestly it wasn’t that close. The game was tied 37-all at halftime before A&M absolutely blasted them in the second half. Texas shot just 34% for the game, and 27% from three. This was a really bad game. Unfortunately, this makes me think we may be in for a bounce back game, especially at home. They believe they’re better than they played on Saturday, and they’ll want to prove it against Auburn. That arena will be full.
Players to Watch For:
Guard Tre Johnson, #20- Johnson was the number-5 ranked player in this past class, and he’s lived up to the billing. The McDonald’s All-American leads the team in points per game with 19, and second place isn’t close. His strength is his outside shooting, as he’s hitting just shy of 42% of his attempts. He’s an effective passer as well, tied for third on the team in assists. He’s a big body at 6-6 and he uses that length well defensively. He had an abysmal game against A&M, going 2-of-13 from the field and missing all five of his three point attempts. He’ll be eager to get back on the right track Tuesday night.
Center Kadin Shedrick, #5- Shedrick is the big man for Texas, and he does big man things. His rebounding numbers aren’t super impressive for a player who’s 6-11, only 5.8 per, but he’s an excellent post defender with 26 blocks to his name on the season. He gets his offensively as well, averaging about nine points per game. He’s effective close to the rim, and he’ll be the guy they rely on to defend Johni Broome.
I think Texas and Missouri are kind of similar in some ways. Neither team is expected to compete for the league this year, but they want to finish over .500 and make a run in the tournament. The big difference is Texas has more raw talent and has made those runs before.
Auburn is traveling to Austin as maybe the best team in the country and the home team is coming off an embarrassing loss to a hated rival. The storylines are there for this one to get weird. Bruce Pearl has made it a point to make sure Auburn respects every opponent, and to this point it’s worked. This will be just the second true road game Auburn has played, and it’s against a good team.
