The Auburn basketball team has advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, but it wasn't pretty. The Tigers got an 83-63 victory over the Alabama State Hornets, but the score was much closer in the first half.
Auburn came out slow in the game, and there was a lack of energy and effort that assistant head coach Steven Pearl and senior center Dylan Cardwell spoke angrily about following the matchup. Everyone on Bruce Pearl's squad knows that yesterday's performance was not up to par, and if the team plans to make a deep run in the tournament they will have to start playing like the No. 1 overall seed.
The Tigers will face off against the Creighton Bluejays in Round 2, a team that had an outstanding performance in their first tournament game. They beat Louisville 89-75 in a game that was never really close. The Bluejays lit it up from behind the three-point line and beat the Cardinals handily.
Besides guarding the three, one of the things Pearl will have to focus on ahead of the game is how to stop Creighton senior guard Jamiya Neal, who is averaging 12 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.5 assists and dropped 29 points on Louisville. According to Saturday Down South, stopping Neal will be key to Auburn's success.
"Devising a plan to defend Jamiya Neal will also be critical, as the rangy guard dropped a career-high 29 points on Louisville," writes David Wasson. "At 6-5, Neal made 11 of 16 attempts from the field – including 2 of 5 from behind the arc – and matched his career high with 12 rebounds. He also threw down a vicious second-half dunk to keep Creighton’s frantic pace fueled as Louisville tried to pull closer."
The Tigers and the Bluejays will tip-off from Lexington on Thursday evening at 6:10 central time.