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Auburn Basketball: Why the Tigers will win the SEC Championship

By Ty Roush

Feb 4, 2017; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers guard Jared Harper (1) goes to the basket as Alabama Crimson Tide guard Dazon Ingram (12) defends during the first half at Coleman Coliseum. The Tigers defeated the Tide 82-77. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 4, 2017; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Auburn Tigers guard Jared Harper (1) goes to the basket as Alabama Crimson Tide guard Dazon Ingram (12) defends during the first half at Coleman Coliseum. The Tigers defeated the Tide 82-77. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports /
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Here we take at Auburn Basketball’s 2016-17 season and why the Tigers will go on to winning the SEC Championship in March.

There’s plenty of reasoning to believe that this Auburn basketball team won’t go on to winning big in March Madness, but there’s also quite a bit to have Tiger fans believing otherwise. Certainly, victories over teams like Connecticut or Oklahoma last season would have put Auburn on the map and slingshot into national recognition, but this year is different.

This is the team that lost to Kentucky by 20, South Carolina by 29 and Vanderbilt by 19. Wherever people thought this team was going to be by this time last year is obviously not living up to most people’s expectations, but it’s hard to forget the successes.

Hell, this team had more wins this season through January than the entirety of last season. This team also scored the most points in a victory against an SEC opponent since 1999 — barring that collapse late in the second half.

The point is, there’s a lot to this team that most people wouldn’t have suspected in years past. There’s finally a reliable scorer in Mustapha Heron and Danjel Purifoy, coupled with an actual point guard in Jared Harper. Freshman galore exists within this roster, and each piece of the puzzle has fallen into place at one point or another this season on separate occasions.

One of the key moments for this season is the resurgence of Bryce Brown, who went 5-of-8 from the field and 4-of-5 from 3-point territory to lead the team in scoring (18) against Mississippi State. Shooting and running an offense has caught the Tigers off guard on multiple occasions this season, but it’s also the reason that it has kept them in games and regular season contenders.

Ole Miss and No. 17 Florida are up next for the tigers, and if Auburn is able to scrape away the victory against the Rebels and Gators consecutively, there’ll be plenty of talk about these Tigers come March.

Madness is created surrounding teams that haven’t quite caught that spark, but certainly have the capacity to explode at any moment. These performances are showcased by the Kemba Walker and Shabazz Napier Connecticut teams — those VCU teams that constantly break brackets. There’s an upset maker in every conference, and Auburn is built to crash the party.

What has to happen in order for Auburn to go on to taking the SEC crown is a molding process. Each player must understand their role on the team and mesh with the next player, exfoliating away the ego and inexperience. The weapons are free and able for the Tigers, they just have to use them properly and wisely.

I am a firm believer that at some point in the future, the entirety of this team will finally click and be dominant. Players like Austin Wiley, Heron, Harper, Purifoy and others coming together all at once is a recipe for destruction — they just have to figure that out.

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Yet, in order for any of this to come into consciousness, the Tigers must take down Florida and Ole Miss. Otherwise, it’s really just back up for grabs how this season is going to end.

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