ESPN college basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla took to Twitter to announce he would be calling the Auburn basketball game against No. 2 Baylor and declared today Sharife Cooper day.
It’s @CooperSharife Day for me because @BoogSciambi & I will call @AuburnMBB at No. 2 @BaylorMBB tomorrow at 4 EST in @Big12Conference-SEC Challenge. Most intriguing game of game. (Oh, and Cooper averages 22 points a game, too.) pic.twitter.com/2kslxd6Ded
— Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) January 29, 2021
Fraschilla, a former head coach at Manhattan, St. John’s, and New Mexico called the Big 12/SEC Challenge the most intriguing game–noting Sharife Cooper’s sky-high scoring average.
The Tigers will face the top-ranked Baylor Bears in the Lone Star State this afternoon, and Bruce Pearl spoke highly of Auburn basketball’s opponent, per Oanow.com:
"“There’s a chance they’re the best team I’ve played against – like, period. I’ve been doing this a long time. They’re really good, and yet we’re working really hard to try and have a chance to beat them.”"
The Auburn Tigers last played such a top ranked team two months ago when they lost to No. 1 Gonzaga. Of course, this Auburn basketball team has progressed to be very different from the one that faced the Zags–and now includes Sharife Cooper when it previously hadn’t–so we can expect to see a higher level of play for the Tigers today.
Earlier this week Auburn basketball defeated No. 12 Missouri, and before that took down the South Carolina Gamecocks in historical fashion.
Pearl stressed that the Tigers need a hot start against Baylor, and that lockdown defense is going to be key in beating the Bears. The Montgomery Advertiser reports that Baylor leads the country in 3-point attempts, ranks second in forcing turnovers, and finishes at fourth in offensive rebounding.
No big deal, right?
Auburn basketball will be seeing a familiar face in Waco in Davion Mitchell, who played back up point guard for Jared Harper in 2017-18. Mitchell has risen to become the Bears’ third leading scorer and leads the Big-12 in assists.
To compete against this No. 2 Baylor team, the Tigers will need to limit turnovers and play strong defense from the arc. Baylor loves to shoot the 3-ball, but if Cooper can read the floor well and move the ball, Auburn should be able to get into the lane and head to the line to slow down the pace and stop the Bears from letting loose from beyond the arc.
Auburn basketball and the Baylor Bears will tip off at 3pm from Waco, Texas.