Auburn Daily

Takeaways from Auburn Basketball’s loss vs. Memphis

The Tigers suffer their first loss of the season at Holiday Hoopsgiving.

Jeremy Robuck

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
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Coach Bruce Pearl’s team traveled to Atlanta to take on Penny Hardaways Memphis squad in a highly anticipated Holiday Hoopsgiving matchup. The lights looked bright for the Tigers, and they appeared nervous for the high profile matchup. Auburn fans traveled well and filled most of the arena. Unfortunately, Auburn defended and rebounded poorly. Memphis looked like the more athletic team and seemed more comfortable throughout the game. In summary, it just wasn’t Auburn’s night. They didn’t shoot well, and momentum was rarely in their favor. Auburn stormed back in the last five minutes, but several foul calls put a stop to the run. Here are a few takeaways from the game.

This Auburn team has been bad at rebounding this season

Memphis out rebounded Auburn 25-11 in the first half. Defensive rebounding has been a major issue this season for the Tigers. For a team that has plenty of size, this has been puzzling to say the least. Defense rebounding tends to come down to discipline, with each player having to find his man and box him out. Discipline and consistency are areas of needed growth for this team.

Auburn’s newcomers have great potential but are struggling

Chance Westry has not found his groove yet. Yohan Traore and Johni Broome have not either. Traore and Westry played really well in Israel. Broome has looked great at times. They have it in them to be All American players. All three of them do, but they have not shown it yet. Auburn’s ceiling this year is tied to these players, and they will need to get comfortable and evolve for the Tigers to have a chance at winning hardware this season.

Returning players have shown improvement from last year

Auburn’s returning players have picked up the slack left by new additions and have been surprisingly good. Guard play has been more steady and looks more mature than last year. The small forward position looks closer to a strength than the clear weakness it was last year. The returning bigs have also been a steadying presence. Overall, Wendell Green Jr, KD Johnson, Jaylin Williams, Dillion Cardwell, Chris Moore, Allen Flanigan, and Zep Jasper have generally surpassed expectations. Auburn is in a waiting game. The base is there, but for this team to takeoff Westry, Broome, and Traore have to find themselves, develop confidence, and take their games to a new level. The Tigers will look to bounce back at home Wednesday against Georgia State.

Finally, here are some highlights and Twitter reactions from the game

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Jeremy Robuck
JEREMY ROBUCK

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