Auburn basketball is back, and after just two games people are already doubting the 2021-22 Tigers. With an almost completely new starting five, Bruce Pearl is expecting this team to do great things this season, and they’re already up 2-0.
True freshman Jabari Smith has been a star for the Tigers and leads the team with 8 rebounds and 3.5 steals. Seven-footer Walker Kessler is a blocking machine while Auburn basketball’s newest point guard Wendell Green Jr. is the Tigers’ leading scorer.
However, some people aren’t as confident in Auburn’s point guard situation, and apparently, it was enough for basketball analyst Jeff Goodman to drop the Tigers from his latest Top 25. Auburn basketball fans were quick to laugh at the underestimation of Pearl’s squad, but Goodman stood firm in his belief:
Pretty sure you said the same thing a year ago about my take on your Auburn Tigers … and how’d that turn out?
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) November 16, 2021
And they will be better this season than 13-14, but not sold they will be Top 25 with PG situation. https://t.co/a4cYMZbF2V
The Tigers landed at #23 in Goodman’s final preseason top 25 rankings, but after their first two games, he believes that Auburn’s “point guard situation” will keep them from being great. Auburn fans disagreed and went in to defend the Tigers:
— Get off my wave shoobie (@jknapp13) November 15, 2021
Crazy to leave auburn off this list, classic Goodman move 🤡
— Opelika (@Opelikaa) November 15, 2021
@icyywen @Swdkd10 @Rip_quan5 Bulletin Board material🤐
— Pain. (@easethepainn) November 16, 2021
Citing 13-14 like a bogus suspension and injuries didn’t torpedo Auburn’s season before it could get off the ground😂😂 https://t.co/kBkyuxSSaC
— Carter Byrd (@CarterByrd13) November 16, 2021
Fans were also quick to defend Green, but instead of letting it make him angry, the point guard is taking notes from the haters :
Wendell Green Jr. liked this tweet ✍️ https://t.co/zwNFgPbMx2
— Nathan King (@NathanKing247) November 16, 2021
Buddy, our “PG situation” (@icyywen) is one of the reasons our fans think so highly of this team 🤔 https://t.co/IpKXTE7MCR
— Kyle (@AllAubarn) November 16, 2021
👀 https://t.co/hvocLDbO3b pic.twitter.com/R86VXMHCPK
— Ben (@BenDupreeJR) November 16, 2021
Regardless of what the analysts think, Bruce Pearl has a special team on his hands this year. Remember last year when Dan Dakich insisted that Sharife Cooper was going to fall off after his first game? Funny how he ended up being drafted by the Hawks.