Through Oct. 31, Sports Illustrated will count down its preseason college basketball Top 25 with overviews of each team. Here are the full rankings so far.
Bruce Pearl’s sudden retirement six weeks before the season tips off represents the end of an era at Auburn, where he helped build the football-obsessed school into an SEC basketball powerhouse. Him walking away wasn’t completely surprising though, especially given the chance to hand off the job to his son Steven, his top assistant who at 38 was ready for his first head coaching opportunity (at Auburn or elsewhere).
As a first-time head coach being thrown into the fire so close to the start of the season, Steven Pearl’s impact on what this year’s Tigers group will look like is very much unknown. But losing one of the best coaches in the country does likely downgrade Auburn some, at least on paper.
The good news for Steven Pearl is that he inherits one of the best point guards in the country in Tahaad Pettiford. The dynamic scoring guard spurned the NBA for a second year of college hoops and the chance to be the unquestioned star after serving as instant offense on last season’s veteran Tigers group. Pettiford is electric in ball screens and has three-level scoring ability. The big question mark with him has been his consistency, and Auburn needs him to show up every night without the luxury of throwing the ball to Johni Broome in the post.
That said, this Auburn team is more than just Pettiford. Its rebuilt frontcourt has plenty of talent and versatility and may dictate whether Steven Pearl can have the Tigers competing for an SEC crown.
Projected Starting Lineup
PG: Tahaad Pettiford
SG: Kevin Overton
SF: Elyjah Freeman
PF: Keyshawn Hall
C: KeShawn Murphy
Key Reserves: G Kaden Magwood, W Abdul Bashir, F/C Filip Jović
Key Additions
The biggest-name addition to the Auburn roster is Keyshawn Hall, a well-traveled forward who has spent time at UNLV, George Mason and UCF. Hall led the Big 12 in scoring a year ago at nearly 19 points per game and got to the free throw line a ton. He’s a bit of a tweener between the three and the four and isn’t great defensively, but Auburn has had a lot of success with guys in Hall’s mold in recent years.
The other proven high-major add up front is KeShawn Murphy, a Birmingham native who was excellent a year ago at Mississippi State. He’s not the same level of rim protector Dylan Cardwell was, but he’s a highly skilled big who can play in dribble handoffs, rebounds at a high level and finishes well at the rim. Early on, you’d expect Hall and Murphy to play together at the four and the five, though Auburn could choose to play bigger to get Filip Jović into the game. He’s an athletic frontcourt player from Bosnia who plays above the rim.
The other big x-factor is Elyjah Freeman, a transfer from Division II Lincoln Memorial whose monster freshman campaign has him on NBA draft boards. Still just 19 years old, Freeman is raw but shows some serious flashes as a long, rangey forward with impressive athleticism and shooting upside. The jump from D-II to the SEC is massive, but this is a high-upside addition.
Steady Texas Tech transfer Kevin Overton is the likely starter at shooting guard, but don’t be surprised if Pearl has to be creative to get another small guard in freshman Kaden Magwood on the floor early. Magwood and Pettiford playing together could be rough defensively, but Magwood is incredibly fun to watch as a shotmaking combo guard.
Causes for Concern
With small guards and less overall rim protection than they’ve had in recent years, Auburn’s defense could struggle at times. Steven Pearl has a reputation for being a very good defensive coach, but the personnel on that end of the floor is not great on paper. And offensively, being so reliant on two high-usage players who haven’t been overly efficient in their careers in Pettiford and Hall could lower the ceiling as well.
Plus, there’s the uncertainty that comes with the younger Pearl on the sideline. At the very least, it’s reasonable to bet on a step back simply because of how good Bruce Pearl was.
The Bottom Line
There’s plenty of uncertainty here with the late coaching change and a new-look roster. Pettiford is a superstar though, and Auburn has put enough talent around him to be very competitive in the SEC. If Hall channels his talents better in a winning situation or Freeman blossoms into a star, this group could easily be back at the top of the league.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Sports Illustrated’s Men’s College Basketball Preseason Top 25: No. 19 Auburn.
