What We Learned: Auburn guards spark win over Colgate

Auburn beat Colgate 93-66 in the Tigers’ highest scoring game of the season so far. 

Colgate entered the game as one of the best shooting teams in the nation, and had a good shooting game against Auburn, but a disruptive Auburn defense led to less opportunities for Colgate’s offense and an explosive scoring night for Auburn.

It wasn’t the kind of shooting night Auburn fans should consistently expect, but it was a relief to see and served as another reminder of how good Auburn’s defense is when paired with solid shooting.

The Colgate game also saw extended run for Auburn’s freshmen and more potent transition offense from Auburn as a whole. 

Auburn’s freshmen answer the call

Bruce Pearl said he wanted to see more from Auburn’s freshmen during the week, and Auburn’s freshman stepped up in a game where the Tigers were down Jaylin Williams.

Yohan Traore had eight points, five rebounds, two assists, and one block. Chance Westry had eight points, two rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block.

Westry and Traore were both highly regarded recruits who either were five stars or pushed five star status throughout their prep careers. They could both move the needle for Auburn, especially as scorers and facilitators, if they come along more. Neither are great shooters, but both guys are capable of being regular double digit scorers.

There’s still a way to go for both players. Even when the two have flashed their ceilings, they’ve also shown their freshman tendencies. That isn’t a bad thing. As long as they’re showing their potential, they’re also showing that they can get there.

Westry has a lot of room to grow on defense as well. He was a lockdown defender in high school and has taken on some big defensive assignments this season. Once he adjusts, he’ll be a menacing on ball defender.

He hasn’t always looked great as a backup point guard either, but that’s his natural position and it seems like Auburn is committed to letting him deceive others this season. Even to the point of giving him almost all of Tre Donaldson’s minutes.

The size and change of pace Westry offers will be valuable, but he needs to get comfortable with the offense.

Adjusted outlook on Auburn’s offense 

If Auburn is holding efficient and good offenses in the 60-70 range, the Tigers might not need their offense to turn into a killing machine. Having one big individual game or just a decent shooting night could be all Auburn needs.

So far Auburn has had that. It had Wendell Green stepping up against SLU after a rough outing against Northwestern. Auburn had Allen Flanigan stepping up for his first game since before his injury on the road at South Florida. Johni Broome, Jaylin Williams and others have carried the load at times too.

If Auburn’s offense can get to level it played against Colgate, that would be ideal, but it seems more likely that defensive battles and individual efforts will be this team’s identity in marquee matchups.

Wendell Green, KD Johnson continue their takeovers

Green and Johnson have been known for taking games over for small stretches. Even last season when Auburn’s offense would go dead for large segments of the game. Auburn relies on perimeter playmaking as much as it does set plays, and this season’s roster looks to have plentiful options.

Green still has an affinity for those singlehanded runs, he has just added in more overall consistency and playmaking to the mix. Johnson added an early game takeover against Colgate. 

The question will be if Auburn’s smaller guards can sustain that level of play against what looks to be a brutal slate of defensive juggernauts in the SEC.

If they can, their runs have the ability to be even more detrimental to opposing teams this season. With Auburn’s smothering defense, the Tigers have held several teams to long stretches with no field goals. It’s a different defensive style than how Virginia and Houston have played in the past, but it has a similar result of making it nearly impossible for teams to score at times. Especially when Auburn uses its speciality defensive lineups.

Defenses like Auburn’s make every point valuable. If you have a guard who can score 6-10 points in a matter of seconds while the team defense suffocates opponents, then no lead is safe.

Auburn’s transition offense is improving

One of my keys to the game was to force turnovers and turn steals into points against Colgate, because Colgate coughs it up a lot and doesn’t defend well. Auburn’s disruptive defense and the amount of good passers, scorers, and rim runners it has also makes the style logical.

The last two games have now seen Auburn pushing in transition more, and I think that’s important not only with the Tigers’ athleticism and disruptive defense but also with the half court offense struggles.

It’s also important because Memphis has a great defense but also turns the ball over at a rate similar to Colgate. If Auburn wants to score more than 50 against Memphis, getting points in transition will be key. Seeing Auburn thrive there for two games in a row is encouraging.

Auburn’s depth and Auburn’s floor

The Tigers’ bench outscored Colgate’s 44-9. That’s without Flanigan coming off the bench. Auburn’s bench playing that well is the norm against teams that play tighter rotations because Auburn has shown it’ll sacrifice some offense and in game continuity to run teams off the court with defense and depth.

This style of play will be more effective against the Colgates and George Masons of the world, but it’ll also help Auburn take care of business against lower tier SEC teams (and opening round tournament opponents) while keeping starters fresh for heavier minute games against better teams.

This “floor” has also let Auburn rack up wins against top tier midmajor and high major teams in non-conference play, versus some of the slip ups we see around the country every year. It’s a good way to play for a team that will go on the road and host some of the top non-P6 teams.