By Brant Daughtry
It was bound to happen eventually. Auburn went up against a really good team, and didn’t bring its best. It looked like the effort wasn’t quite there, and like Bruce Pearl has said over and over again, if you get out worked playing the way Auburn does, you’re going to get beat.
I mentioned that Todd Golden is a Bruce Pearl apprentice, and had constructed his team very similarly to Auburn’s. I think on Saturday, that showed. Florida beat Auburn at its own game by being cleaner and giving better effort. Auburn’s defense wasn’t there, and Florida’s shooters made them pay.
The good news is, this doesn’t set Auburn back much at all. They’re still number 1 in the AP, KenPom and NET with Duke also taking a loss on Saturday, and have far and away the best resume in college basketball either way. This is nothing to panic about as far as the long-term outlook of this team. They’re still firmly the number 1 overall seed if it started today.
It’s also possible this is for the good of the team long term. They’ve seen what can happen when they don’t bring it. They’re not invulnerable at home and they have a lot of issues they need to work through. There’s a chance to refocus and get ready for a home stretch where they can pull away from the pack in the SEC. There’s a massive matchup coming on Saturday, and we’ll get to that, but there’s something else to take care of first.
Vanderbilt is a basketball program that somewhat emulates its football side. They’re less talented than most of their competition and pretty undersized, but that hasn’t held them back from having a decent year. Mark Byington has done a great job of taking some misfit parts and making them work together. He did the same thing at James Madison the past few years and that led to them making the round of 32 last year.
In their rotation, the tallest player is 6-8, and he comes off the bench. In their starting five, the tallest guys are both 6-7. And somehow, they make it work. They can get beaten up down low and they lose the rebounding battle a decent bit, but they play with an extraordinary effort that has them 12-1 at home, including a win over Tennessee.
They also play in an arena that makes things very weird. Raised floor, coaching from the baseline, even the views behind the backboards are weird. Auburn hasn’t played well in that venue historically, and they need to avoid the trap game this week with the Saturday matchup looming.
Players to Watch For:
Guard Jason Edwards, #1- Far and away the leading scorer for Vandy, Edwards is the guy that should scare Auburn the most. He’s a fantastic shooter, hitting 38% from three and scoring over 17 points a game. Auburn struggled with a shot maker against Florida, and they’ll have to be better against Edwards to escape.
Forward Devin McGlockton, #99- I respect any basketball player with the confidence to wear a number like 99. McGlockton is only 6-7, but he uses athleticism and effort to make up the difference. He pulls in eight rebounds a game and is the team’s second leading scorer with 11 points per. He plays well in the paint, finishing at a high rate and getting over a block per game. He’s undersized, but he more than holds his own down low.
