Here we discuss Auburn basketball’s position in the NIT, where the Tigers are presumably projected to be, on average, a No. 5 seed.
Auburn basketball was once on the precipice of reaching the NCAA Tournament, but at this point in the season it is more likely to see the Tigers in the NIT. The once great tournament is now a place for rejuvenating basketball programs to make a name and bring in some national attention.
The Tigers are tied in the SEC with a conference record of 6-9 with Texas A&M. Although it has seemed at times that Auburn had the capacity to go on a roll offensively, it has struggled as of late to maintain consistency. This has been a product of both inexperience and youth, as Auburn has four of their top five scorers being freshmen.
Mustapha Heron, Jared Harper, Danjel Purifoy and Austin Wiley round off the top four, with fellow freshman Anfernee McLemore leading the team in field goal percentage at 70.1 percent. McLemore’s contribution to the team following Horace Spencer‘s surgery has been phenomenal, and if it weren’t for T.J. Dunans being so valuable, he would probably start.
Even as McLemore has been a key player off the bench for the Tigers, Bryce Brown and Ronnie Johnson have been essential down the stretch. Brown has returned to be an effective shooter beyond the 3-point line, with Johnson being the veteran required to settle down the youth.
Looking Ahead to the NIT
Looking forward to this season’s NIT, Auburn has been projected by various sites to be a No. 6 seed all the way to a No. 4 seed. Whatever the position may be for these Auburn Tigers, it’s likely the competition will be relatively similar to Auburn’s schedule this season. Auburn has, on a weekly basis, tested against teams that have both struggled and shown to be good, which is what the NIT is built upon.
The NIT has never been an easy road to travel down — reminding everyone of Robert Morris’ defeat of Kentucky — and Auburn isn’t exactly favored to win. What is valuable from this experience, as well as being placed within the midrange area of seeding, is that the youth will have exposure to tournament play. Certainly with regular season invitationals being entertaining in their own right, winning the NIT or even getting through the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament is a milestone for any program — especially this one.
I personally do not favor this Auburn team to win it all in the NIT, as offense continually flirts with consistency and defense hasn’t offered an opportunity to improve. Playing against teams like BYU, Clemson, Seton Hall and Colorado appear to be games that Auburn could win. If Auburn is going to get anywhere in the tournament, it will need to see some improvement entering the SEC Tournament. If the Tigers could get rolling with outside shooting — cue the Warriors — then maybe they could get down to the final four.
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But Auburn isn’t going to win anything if they can’t beat Arkansas, Georgia or Missouri. This is a talented team with potential to be great, they just don’t seem to grasp that yet. I predict Auburn will get through the first two rounds before falling to a power conference team.