Auburn Tigers
Head Coach: Bruce Pearl 484-173, 22-28 in 2nd season at Auburn
Current Record: 7-8, 5-2 home, 1-3 SEC
Schedule
11/13/15 UAB W 75-74
11/17/15 COLORADO L 84-91
11/20/15 GEORGIA SOUTHERN W 92-62
11/27/15 NORTHWESTERN STATE W 119-81
12/02/15 at Coastal Carolina W 81-78
12/12/15 at Middle Tennessee LOT 81-88
12/15/15 MERCER W 78-71
12/19/15 at Xavier L 61-85
12-22-15 vs New Mexico W 83-78
12-23-15 vs Harvard L 51-69
12-25-15 at Hawai'i L 67-79
*01/02/16 TENNESSEE W 83-77
*01/05/16 SOUTH CAROLINA L 69-81
*1-9-16 at Mizzou L 61-76
*01/12/16 at Vanderbilt L 57-75
* = Conference game
Today's game info:
01/16/16 KENTUCKY 4:00 pm EST, TV: ESPN
Probable Starters
F #25 Granger,Jordon 6-8 220 Sr, 3.5pts, 1.9reb, 36.0 3fg%
F #12 Harris,Tyler 6-10 228 Grad, 14.9pts, 8.4reb, 1.3ast, 28.6 3fg%
G #23 Lang,TJ 6-7 200 So, 4.9pts, 1.7reb, 41.5 3fg%
G #02 Brown,Bryce 6-3 195 Fr, 9.6pts, 1.9reb, 36.6 3fg%
G #01 Canty,Kareem 6-1 185 Jr, 18.5 pts, 2.5reb, 5.7ast, 39.4 3fg%
Key Reserves
F #05 Bowers,Cinmeon 6-7 250 Sr, 11.2pts, 8.8reb, 1ast, 34.6 3fg%
F #00 Spencer,Horace 6-9 220 Fr, 4.0pts, 5.1reb, no 3pt threat
Injured:
G #04 Dunans, T.J. 6-5 174 Jr, 12.4pts, 2.6reb, 2.8ast, 38.7 3fg%
Team stats
Points per game 76.1
Points allowed 77.7
Scoring margin -1.5
Field goal pct .435
FG% allowed .445
3-point FG pct .370
3fg% allowed .345
Free throw pct .627
Rebounds per game 36.1
Rebounds allowed 39.2
Rebounding margin -3.1
Assists per game 12.9
Turnovers per game 14.3
Turnover margin +0.3
Assist/turnover ratio 0.9
Steals per game 6.1
Blocks per game 4.1
Analysis:
Auburn enters Saturday's game having lost 5 of 6 and 3 in a row in the SEC. Their only win in this stretch was a home victory over Tennessee, which I'm certain was a very emotional win for Bruce Pearl, having coached the Volunteers during his heyday. The Tigers are missing a key player in TJ Dunans, a 6-4 junior guard who had started 10 straight games before being injured. Tahj Shamsid-Deen has only played 5 games this season and will have surgery next week, to officially end his season. So, Auburn's struggles are as much who they're missing as who is getting minutes.
The top scorer for Auburn this season is Kareem Canty, the 6-1 junior guard who has been playing point guard for the Tigers in Shamsid-Deen's absence this season. He's been leading the team in scoring and assists all season. They've been struggling to find another guard to contribute this season, but their best option so far has been 6-3 freshman Bryce Brown. He's been shooting the ball fairly well and he's scoring about 10 points a game. The third guard is a 6-7 wing, TJ Lang, who shoots it fairly well from distance at around 41%, but doesn't score very much.
In the frontcourt, the guy who gets the most attention is Cinmeon Bowers, an undersized power forward who stand 6-7 and weighs in at 250. He's a load in the middle but he hasn't been a playing very well this season now that he's been the focus of scouting reports. In fact, he hasn't even been starting in the last several games. He's still averaging 11pts and leading the team with 8.8 rebounds a game, though. The starters are Tyler Harris and Jordan Langford more often recently. Harris is second in points with nearly 15 pts per game and rebounding with 8.4 per game. Langford isn't in the game for his scoring. He's a good defender and rebounder, a glue guy. He does a little bit of everything.
Auburn is a team that can be dangerous at home, and with UK and ESPN in the house, the crowd will be hyped and the team will be psyched, as usual. But Auburn has struggled defensively and rebounding pretty badly this season, and they've also struggled scoring consistently without their top guards. They could struggle against UK. But, as we all know, this UK team has been very inconsistent this season. So, it's difficult to predict what might happen in this game. It should be a fairly comfortable win for the Cats, even on the road.
I expect Auburn to come out fired up and ready to play from the tip, but then to come back to earth and reality to set in late in the first half. I think Ulis will be a particularly difficult match up for Auburn since they don't have a very quick guard to stay in front of him. I also expect UK's guards to give Auburn fits trying to initiate their offense. And I also expect Auburn to struggle keeping Lee and Poythress off the glass.
Prediction: Kentucky 74 Auburn 60
Head Coach: Bruce Pearl 484-173, 22-28 in 2nd season at Auburn
Current Record: 7-8, 5-2 home, 1-3 SEC
Schedule
11/13/15 UAB W 75-74
11/17/15 COLORADO L 84-91
11/20/15 GEORGIA SOUTHERN W 92-62
11/27/15 NORTHWESTERN STATE W 119-81
12/02/15 at Coastal Carolina W 81-78
12/12/15 at Middle Tennessee LOT 81-88
12/15/15 MERCER W 78-71
12/19/15 at Xavier L 61-85
12-22-15 vs New Mexico W 83-78
12-23-15 vs Harvard L 51-69
12-25-15 at Hawai'i L 67-79
*01/02/16 TENNESSEE W 83-77
*01/05/16 SOUTH CAROLINA L 69-81
*1-9-16 at Mizzou L 61-76
*01/12/16 at Vanderbilt L 57-75
* = Conference game
Today's game info:
01/16/16 KENTUCKY 4:00 pm EST, TV: ESPN
Probable Starters
F #25 Granger,Jordon 6-8 220 Sr, 3.5pts, 1.9reb, 36.0 3fg%
F #12 Harris,Tyler 6-10 228 Grad, 14.9pts, 8.4reb, 1.3ast, 28.6 3fg%
G #23 Lang,TJ 6-7 200 So, 4.9pts, 1.7reb, 41.5 3fg%
G #02 Brown,Bryce 6-3 195 Fr, 9.6pts, 1.9reb, 36.6 3fg%
G #01 Canty,Kareem 6-1 185 Jr, 18.5 pts, 2.5reb, 5.7ast, 39.4 3fg%
Key Reserves
F #05 Bowers,Cinmeon 6-7 250 Sr, 11.2pts, 8.8reb, 1ast, 34.6 3fg%
F #00 Spencer,Horace 6-9 220 Fr, 4.0pts, 5.1reb, no 3pt threat
Injured:
G #04 Dunans, T.J. 6-5 174 Jr, 12.4pts, 2.6reb, 2.8ast, 38.7 3fg%
Team stats
Points per game 76.1
Points allowed 77.7
Scoring margin -1.5
Field goal pct .435
FG% allowed .445
3-point FG pct .370
3fg% allowed .345
Free throw pct .627
Rebounds per game 36.1
Rebounds allowed 39.2
Rebounding margin -3.1
Assists per game 12.9
Turnovers per game 14.3
Turnover margin +0.3
Assist/turnover ratio 0.9
Steals per game 6.1
Blocks per game 4.1
Analysis:
Auburn enters Saturday's game having lost 5 of 6 and 3 in a row in the SEC. Their only win in this stretch was a home victory over Tennessee, which I'm certain was a very emotional win for Bruce Pearl, having coached the Volunteers during his heyday. The Tigers are missing a key player in TJ Dunans, a 6-4 junior guard who had started 10 straight games before being injured. Tahj Shamsid-Deen has only played 5 games this season and will have surgery next week, to officially end his season. So, Auburn's struggles are as much who they're missing as who is getting minutes.
The top scorer for Auburn this season is Kareem Canty, the 6-1 junior guard who has been playing point guard for the Tigers in Shamsid-Deen's absence this season. He's been leading the team in scoring and assists all season. They've been struggling to find another guard to contribute this season, but their best option so far has been 6-3 freshman Bryce Brown. He's been shooting the ball fairly well and he's scoring about 10 points a game. The third guard is a 6-7 wing, TJ Lang, who shoots it fairly well from distance at around 41%, but doesn't score very much.
In the frontcourt, the guy who gets the most attention is Cinmeon Bowers, an undersized power forward who stand 6-7 and weighs in at 250. He's a load in the middle but he hasn't been a playing very well this season now that he's been the focus of scouting reports. In fact, he hasn't even been starting in the last several games. He's still averaging 11pts and leading the team with 8.8 rebounds a game, though. The starters are Tyler Harris and Jordan Langford more often recently. Harris is second in points with nearly 15 pts per game and rebounding with 8.4 per game. Langford isn't in the game for his scoring. He's a good defender and rebounder, a glue guy. He does a little bit of everything.
Auburn is a team that can be dangerous at home, and with UK and ESPN in the house, the crowd will be hyped and the team will be psyched, as usual. But Auburn has struggled defensively and rebounding pretty badly this season, and they've also struggled scoring consistently without their top guards. They could struggle against UK. But, as we all know, this UK team has been very inconsistent this season. So, it's difficult to predict what might happen in this game. It should be a fairly comfortable win for the Cats, even on the road.
I expect Auburn to come out fired up and ready to play from the tip, but then to come back to earth and reality to set in late in the first half. I think Ulis will be a particularly difficult match up for Auburn since they don't have a very quick guard to stay in front of him. I also expect UK's guards to give Auburn fits trying to initiate their offense. And I also expect Auburn to struggle keeping Lee and Poythress off the glass.
Prediction: Kentucky 74 Auburn 60
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