By Brant Daughtry
That game sucked. I don’t think it was a trap game. Auburn clearly took A&M seriously, but when they got off to a bad start, they never looked right. The offense had good moments, especially in the second half, but Auburn got shoved into a locker defensively. The absence of Denver Jones was obviously massive, but my biggest takeaway was the way Auburn seemingly got out-worked on the glass. Yes, A&M rebounds on the offensive end better than anyone in the country, so Auburn losing that battle isn’t the worst thing. But the disparity was indicative of something more. That game didn’t matter, and Auburn knew it.
Now, there’s some comfort in that. Coming off an outright title, with the Alabama game looming, Auburn hasn’t played a less meaningful game all season. But there’s still room to leave doubt in the minds of the selection committee after a loss like that, and Bruce Pearl knows how important locking that spot up is. Now, according to pretty much every projection, Auburn hasn’t moved out of that top spot, and they’re unlikely to do so. Honestly, with one more win, they should have it locked up entirely.
Alabama is back, but they’ve looked like a different team lately. In the prior matchup in Tuscaloosa, Alabama was on a tear, by far the hottest team in the country. Including the prior matchup against Auburn though, they’ve lost four of their last six, and continue to give up ridiculous amounts of points. They’re still first in the country in scoring, and are still top 10 in NET and Kenpom. Their defense is still atrocious though, at 344th in the country. Before the Auburn game, Nate Oates made a point of wanting to get better on defense. In the run up to the Auburn game, they were able to climb a little, but since, outside of a dominant effort over Mississippi State, their defense is almost worse than it was at the start of the season.
The scariest thing about Alabama is this. They didn’t well against Auburn last time out, but all year, they’ve been better at shooting in away gyms. We saw what Auburn’s perimeter defense looked like in the absence of Denver Jones, and if he’s not 100%, it could be the big win Alabama needs headed into tournament season.
Players to Watch For:
Guard Mark Sears, #1- Again, duh. Sears is still the number 1 option for Alabama, and not much has changed since the last preview on him. He’s crafty, athletic, and incredibly skilled. He can shoot the lights out, and often does. He’s also frustratingly good at drawing free throws, and will get more than his fair share of whistles.
Guard Aden Holloway, #2- Switching it up a bit. Nelson hasn’t been a threat at all lately, and in fact much of their front court has disappeared. So I’m gonna focus on Aden. Auburn fans are obviously familiar. He’s coming off the bench for Alabama, but is a fantastic scorer in his own right. He’s a shoot-first point guard, who’ll be looking to quiet the crowd that’ll be more than its usual loud come tip off. He didn’t shoot well in this gym last year, but those numbers have gone up. He’ll be hunting.
Auburn was flat against A&M earlier this week. They won’t be this time. But neither will Alabama. They’re skidding a little, and looking to get back on track, kind of the same way A&M was. The difference will be in Auburn’s defense. Denver Jones is expected to go, and he’ll need to play just as well as he did in the prior matchup. This isn’t for a conference title. But that doesn’t matter.
