Hoops Primer: Auburn gets biggest test yet against Memphis

No. 11 Auburn plays a neutral site game against Memphis on Saturday at 4 p.m. Central in a rematch of a game from the inaugural Holiday Hoopsgiving event in 2020.

Auburn (8-0) and Memphis (7-2) both sport top 20 defenses this season and several other similarities.

Memphis caught a lot of flak for how it started last season, but it won 10 of its last 11 regular season games—including sweeping Houston—and its only losses this season came in a six-point game against Saint Louis University and a one-point game against Providence.

The Memphis Tigers are led by SMU transfer Kendric Davis. Like Auburn, Memphis focuses on causing turnovers and getting into transition. Neither team has shot the ball well and both teams aggressive shot blocking nature has led to poor rebounding at times.

Memphis has more turnover problems and a less versatile/stable offense, so a decent shooting night for Auburn could turn into a comfortable win. A bad shooting night could turn this game into the most physical slugfest of the season. If that’s the case, Memphis has the pieces to give Auburn’s offense fits in a way that could lead to Auburn’s first loss.

Despite not having much continuity from last season, Memphis has the 13^th most experienced roster with players who know how to operate in late games. This will be an enlightening game, in terms of defensive stops and decision making, if it comes down to the wire.

“It’s a talented team,” Bruce Pearl said. “Their defense is better than their offense. They turn you over. We expected pressure, full court, things that will disrupt us. We will have to take care of the basketball against Memphis.”

Auburn, Memphis features another great point guard battle

Wendell Green Jr. showed out against Yuri Collins and Saint Louis University when Auburn’s point guard led all scorers with 22 points and had some big plays down the stretch. Green will have another primetime matchup on Saturday when he matches up with Memphis’ Kendric Davis.

Green’s game against SLU was encouraging to see. He answered several questions about how he responds to big games, late games, and showed his ability to bounce back after a tough Northwestern game. Auburn goes as Green goes so far this season, so more good performances in big games and against big name opposing point guards would only be more encouraging.

Memphis’ point guard leads Penny Hardaway’s Tigers in minutes per game, shots per game, made baskets per game, points per game, assists per game, and free throws per game, among other categories. 

Davis is a high usage player for Memphis, and Green and Auburn’s other perimeter defenders will give the Tigers a chance to slow him down. If that happens, Memphis’ offense could slow down in a hurry. 

Can Auburn have a better performance on the road?

The Northwestern game was ugly. There’s no denying that. The Bradley game was the opposite. Those are Auburn’s only two games on the road so far, so maybe both are outliers. Memphis will provide a good test for that question.

Memphis also has defenders such as Alex Lomax – who is No. 6 nationally in steal percentage and can pester any of Auburn’s ball handlers. As a whole, Memphis’ defense is one of the best in the country at forcing bad shooting games. The Tigers are top 50 in effective field goal percentage allowed, two-point percentage allowed, and three pointers allowed.

It’s not just seeing how Auburn does against a great defense either. This will also provide some foreshadowing for how Auburn could fare in conference play. 

A gut reaction to playing a top 20 defense could be that this is as bad as it gets. However, Auburn will play five teams in conference play alone with defenses currently ranked higher than Memphis’. Three games against those teams will be on the road, and Auburn will finish its regular season with three consecutive games against top 20 defenses in Kentucky (away), Alabama (away), and Tennessee (home).

Auburn also ends nonconference play with back-to-back away games against top 55 defenses in USC and Washington.

Another Allen Flanigan game

Memphis is big and physical and plays up to those attributes as a top 30 team in shot blocking, steals, and two-point defense. These physical games have suited Flanigan as well as any other Auburn player for the last few seasons, and I think this game could be another.

Flanigan led Auburn in offensive rating against Northwestern and scored 18 points against South Florida in Auburn’s toughest defensive tests of the season so far. Memphis has several capable defenders on the wing, which could slow Flanigan down, so it’ll be interesting to see just how reliable Flanigan is against a tough and physical defense that has seen him before.

Flanigan’s defense will also likely be called upon throughout the game. Auburn’s wing regularly draws defensive assignments against opposing point guards, but Memphis has several wings capable of scoring and facilitating offense.

I expect Flanigan to match up with Davis often. If that happens, Flanigan can have a big impact on the game by defending the other team’s best player and potentially having a game that suites his offense well.