BY WIL CREWS
SPORTSCREWS@OPELIKAOBSERVER.COM
AUBURN —
Auburn basketball (8-1) suffered its first loss of the 2022 season in the Holiday Hoopsgiving event in Atlanta last Saturday, falling to Memphis 82-73.
Against their biggest test of the season thus far, the Tigers — who had the added advantage of Auburn fans packing the arena like a home game — had a night to forget.
For a majority of the game, Auburn looked lethargic offensively, and were physically dominated on the defensive end.
The guard pair of K.D. Johnson and Wendell Green Jr. led the Tigers with 14 points apiece, but they were unable to mask the negative rebound and shooting margins that Auburn collectively produced.
Memphis stretched its lead to a game-high 15 with 7:58 remaining in the second half, and, despite Johnson and Green’s best efforts, Auburn never got it closer than eight for the remainder of the contest.
Overall, Auburn’s poor shooting performance doomed the Tigers against Memphis. The orange-and-blue were out-shot 38.1% to 50% for the duration of the contest. And while the Tigers haven’t set the world on fire offensively this season, the defense has typically done enough to secure a win.
Saturday was anything but the case, however, as Memphis ran a more fluid offense — totaling 14 assists to Auburn’s 11 — and outshot the Tigers across the board. Moreover, Auburn lost the rebounding battle comprehensively, 43-32.
Most disappointingly for Auburn, however, was the play of its two highly rated freshmen, Chance Westry and Yohan Traore. Despite both earning increased early minutes, Westry finished his night 0-for-5 shooting with three turnovers and as a many fouls, and Traore missed his only shot while registering just one rebound.
Westry — a natural shooting guard — has missed an opportunity to earn trust as Auburn’s backup point guard with poor performances coinciding with increased minutes at that position over the past few games. Traore, as of now, looks like he’s still struggling to find his place and role in Auburn’s offense. Freshman point guard Tre Donaldson (who played zero minutes against Memphis) could feel hard done by from recently losing his place to Westry, who is averaging just 3.6 points and 1.6 assists per game on 32.4% shooting this season.
Adding to Auburn’s issues was Auburn transfer Johni Broome, who has been a revelation in the starting lineup for much of the 2022 season to this point. On Saturday against Memphis, Broome finished with 11 points but failed to make his typical impact on the defensive end with zero blocks and six rebounds. Broome’s off day, combined with subpar performances from the other big men on Auburn’s roster, led to Memphis dominating Auburn where it’s usually strongest — inside the paint. The nation’s leader in blocked shots per game, it took Auburn 37 minutes to register first block Saturday. Furthermore, Memphis outscored Auburn 50-24 in the paint on the way to converting 66.7% of its layup or dunk attempts.
Offensively, Chris Moore stepped up to the tune of 12 points, but the team as a whole shot just 25% from three-point range and eliminated any hope the Tigers had of mounting a swift comeback.
On Saturday, the offensive numbers effectively caught up to Auburn. For the season, Auburn now ranks No. 259 in field goal percentage (48.9%), No. 143 in two-point field goal percentage (50.9%), No. 329 in three-point field goal percentage (28.5%) and No. 284 in free throw percentage (66.7%). It’s hard to win with those levels of inefficiency.
Now, the Tigers turn their attention to a West Coast road trip, with a home game against Georgia State preceding it on Dec. 14. The Tigers will likely dispatch the 5-4 Panthers with relative ease before preparing for the 5-3 USC Trojans and the 6-2 Washington Huskies.
Those two games, like the contest against Memphis, will provide a better measuring stick for where Auburn is at right now. The schedule only gets tougher from there, with SEC play kickoff against Florida on Dec. 28.
If the Tigers can’t fix their offensive woes, stay consistent on the defensive end and see some new contributors step up, results like the one Saturday may become more commonplace than anomalous.