Scouting Report: Auburn Tigers

Opportunities like this are what makes sports so great. The #12 Kentucky Wildcats (15-3, 5-1) take on the #2 Auburn Tigers (17-1, 6-0) at 1:00 on CBS. This is the biggest stage of the college basketball season up to this point. Auburn Arena will be absolutely rocking as the Tigers look to win their 15th consecutive game.

Coach Bruce Pearl is in his eighth season at Auburn and has a legitimate national championship contender this time around. This year’s squad has the total package of impact transfers, program veterans, and a freshman phenom who is one of the best players in all of college basketball. The Tigers are one of just eight teams in the country that rank in the top 20 of KenPom’s offensive and defensive efficiency metric. They really can do it all.

Kentucky already got one win in a hostile environment this week at Texas A&M, but both the craziness and talent level will take a step up in this one at Auburn. The Wildcats will have to play their best basketball of the season to win. However, they have shown recently that they can win by scoring 107 or grinding one out in the low-60’s. Regardless of how this matchup goes, two of the country’s best college basketball teams will be on display at Auburn Arena.

As always, we’ve got a full scouting report prepared to get you ready for the Wildcats opponent. You’ll find a detailed personnel analysis, offensive and defensive breakdowns with video clips, and the keys to the game. Let’s dive in and get to know everything you need to know about the Auburn Tigers.

Auburn Tigers Personnel

Starters

#12 Zep Jasper: 6’1″ 185 lbs, Senior Guard

5.3 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 2.7 apg

Facilitator and defender. Will be the point guard to start the game. Not a high-volume scorer. Good shooter. No 3’s! Need to be there to take away the catch-and-shoot 3’s. Shooting a better percentage from 3 than 2. Get over the ballscreens and handoffs. Chase off downscreens and flares. Make him drive the ball. Stay on his hip and get your hands up to contest. Make him score over you. Not a good finisher inside. No right hand drives. When he drives it left he is driving to pass. Do not over help when he drives. Make him finish as opposed to giving up an assist. Take a charge at the end of his drives. Be an active helper off him when #0 Johnson or #10 Smith have the ball. Closeout aggressively when you recover to take away the catch-and-shoot 3.

#0 K.D. Johnson: 6’0″ 204 lbs, Sophomore Guard

12.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.4 apg

High-energy, aggressive two-way guard. He is thinking about scoring every time he catches it. Very strong, quick, and athletic. Constantly in attack mode. You have to be ready for him to bring it at you hard. NO RIGHT HAND DRIVES!!! Get over the ballscreens and handoffs. Chase off downscreens and flares. Switch if there is space to stay in front of him. Don’t let him reject ballscreens. Very good shooter. No 3’s! You have to break his rhythm when he is bouncing it on the perimeter. Pick him up early in transition. No rhythm 3’s off the bounce. Corral him and get the ball stopped in transition. Aggressively help when he drives it right. Not thinking about passing. Make him score contested 2’s with you between him and the basket. Take a charge at the end of his drives. No help off him. No layups or rhythm 3’s for him!

#22 Allen Flanigan: 6’6″ 215 lbs, Junior Guard

7.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.3 apg

Strong, skilled wing. Lefty. Big and physical. Really wants to attack closeouts. You need to be there to take away the catch-and-shoot 3’s, but under control enough to not get blow by. He can drive it either way, but better driving it left. No left hand drives! When he drives it right he is looking to shoot the pull-up jumper. Give a hard contest to the pull-up. He will charge when he drives it left. Be ready to take a charge at the end of his drives. No catch-and-shoot 3’s. He likes to slip ballscreens into a pop. If there is no screen there is no switch. Will post up some against smaller defenders. Be physical on his right shoulder. Be an active helper off him when #0 Johnson or #10 Smith have the ball. Closeout aggressively when you recover to take away the catch-and-shoot 3.

#10 Jabari Smith: 6’10” 220 lbs, Freshman Forward

15.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.1 apg

Extremely skilled 4-man. Elite scorer. SHOOTER!!! NO 3’s!!! You have to be tight to him at all times to take away the catch-and-shoot 3’s. No help off him. Switch if he ballscreens to take away the pick-and-pop 3’s. Make him dribble it on the perimeter. Loves to stare you down, jab, and shoot. Stay in him. When he drives it you have to aggressively come help. Make him be a passer. Will catch it on the elbow in iso actions. Force him into your help and come make him give it up. Give a hard contest to everything. Make him take contest 2’s off the dribble. No stare down jump shots without bouncing it. When you come help you are coming to steal the ball. Make him pick it up and pass. Find him in transition. Tight to him at all times. No 3’s! More shots than points for him.

#13 Walker Kessler: 7’1″ 245 lbs, Sophomore Center

10.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 0.9 apg

Tall, rim-protecting center. Sets ballscreens and rolls to the basket. Let him shoot from the perimeter if he pick-and-pops. Right hand, left shoulder around the basket. Wants to catch it deep, turn, and score over his left shoulder. Be physical on his left shoulder. Get him off the block. His percentages go down the further off the block he catches it. Don’t help when he has it inside. Playing one-on-one in the post. Need to give ground when guarding him on the roll and stay between him and the basket. Don’t want to give up layups/dunks on the roll. Elite offensive rebounder. Will tip it out when he can’t grab it. BOX OUT!!! Move him away from the basket with your box out. Elite rim protector. Play off two feet when he is around the basket. No dunks for him.

Bench

#1 Wendell Green Jr.: 5’11” 175 lbs, Sophomore Guard

13.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 5.1 apg

Small, ultra-quick point guard. Extremely aggressive. Excellent playmaker. SHOOTER!!! NO 3’s!!! You have to be tight to him at all times to take away the catch-and-shoot 3’s. No help off him. Get over the ballscreens and handoffs. Chase off downscreens and flares. Switch if there is space to take away the 3’s. You have to pick him up early. Get all the way out there to guard him. He will shoot them from DEEP. Contest the deep step backs. Break his rhythm when he is bouncing it on the perimeter and make him drive it. Stay on his hip and make him finish tough 2’s. Do not over help when he drives it. Would rather make him finish give up an assist. Get the ball stopped in transition. Loves to split ballscreens. Will reject ballscreens. No splits or rejects. No 3’s!!!

#2 Jaylin Williams: 6’8″ 230 lbs, Junior Forward

7.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.1 apg

Strong backup 4-man. Lefty. Will play out on the perimeter. Wants to face up to the basket. Willing shooter, but much better as a driver. No left hand drives!!! Closeout a step short to guard against the left hand drives. Don’t let him attack your closeout. Will pick and pop on the perimeter. Just get a hand up to contest the catch-and-shoot 3’s. Left hand, right shoulder around the basket. You can be an active helper off him when #0 Johnson or #10 Smith have the ball. Make those guys give it up. Then recover and closeout a step short. Good offensive rebounder. Box out!

#35 Devan Cambridge: 6’6″ 215 lbs, Junior Guard/Forward

6.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 0.7 apg

Athletic backup wing. Willing shooter. 53 of 96 shots have been 3’s. Shooting 28.3%. No catch-and-shoot 3’s! Need to be there to take away the catch-and-shoot 3’s. Tighten up as the ball comes towards you. Only help off him on #0 Johnson and #10 Smith. Switch if he ballscreens to take away the pick-and-pop 3’s. Likes to slip the ballscreen into a pop. If there is no screen there is no switch. Runs the floor extremely hard in transition. They will throw lobs up to him ahead of the break. You have to get back and get the basket. Don’t let him back cut you in the half court. Loves to cut along the baseline for dunks. No dunks! Good offensive rebounder. Box out!

#44 Dylan Cardwell: 6’11” 250 lbs, Sophomore Center

2.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 0.7 apg

Backup 5-man. Very mobile and athletic for his size. Sets ballscreens and rolls hard to the basket. Give ground and stay between him and the basket on the roll. We don’t want to give up layups/dunks on the roll. Don’t help up off him at the rim. Stay home and be big. Right hand, left shoulder in the post. Be physical on his left shoulder. Make him score with you between him and the basket. They aren’t looking to throw it to him in the post. Will trap ballscreens when he is in there defensively. Be ready for the trap when he is involved. Excellent offensive rebounder. Box out!

Auburn Tigers Offense

The Auburn Tigers are the total package offensively. They have extremely skilled point guard play from Wendall Green Jr. and K.D. Johnson, plus Zep Jasper. On the wings they have Johnson and the return of preseason All-SEC selection Allen Flanigan. In the front court the Tigers have arguably the best player in the country in Jabari Smith and the nation’s best rim protector in Walker Kessler. They will play without turning it over, make 3’s at a high rate, and rebound their misses well more than the average.

Coach Bruce Pearl doesn’t like to complicate things. He will keep it simple offensively by focusing on transition opportunities, encouraging quick shots, and instilling the upmost confidence in all of his players. There may not be a team in the country that plays more freely than the Auburn Tigers.

With as free as they do play, that means that the Tigers don’t really run a ton of half court offense. There are two primary actions that you will see Coach Pearl call, but otherwise it is 4-around-1 Motion and ballscreen offense. Let’s step inside the film room to learn how to cover Auburn’s offense.

“Headtap 5” Flex to Pop

When Auburn calls a half court action, this is most likely what we will see. You can see the call from Coach Bruce Pearl, the “headtap 5” means a high middle ballscreen with the 5-man, and the “V” motion he makes with his hands signals the Flex action. Kessler will pop off the ballscreen to look at the flare screen, but they mostly are going to #10 Smith popping off the backscreen. You have to make him dribble the basketball. No stare down, jab step 3’s!

“Headtap 5” Flex to Flash

This is the exact same action but instead of popping to the wing #10 Smith flashes to the high post. When he gets a catch around the elbow we have to aggressively help and make him be a passer. This looks like a hard shot, and we want to contest just like this, but he is too good of a player to allow him to operate one-on-one.

“Headtap 5” Flex to Score

If you do a bad job guarding the Flex cut, the Auburn Tigers will score off it as well. You have to be ready to communicate the switch if there is this much space off the backscreen. No layups!

“4” Iverson to Elbow Iso

You will see Coach Pearl calling “4” when they want to isolate #10 Smith on the elbow. Auburn will Iverson cut over the top to open up Smith at the elbow. We have to aggressively bring help when he catches it there. Florida should be aggressively stunting and helping off #12 Jasper and #13 Kessler to make him give it up. We cannot give up one-on-one buckets to Smith!

The number one goal of the game needs to be to not let #10 Smith have stare down, jab step jump shots. He is too good of a player. He may still score, but you have to make him dribble the basketball. Aggressively help and make him have to give it up. We want him to be a passer.

Ballscreen Action-Reject to Drive Baseline

Many of the Auburn Tigers guards like to reject ballscreens. We have to make them come off ballscreens. No rejects. If #0 Johnson is able to reject a ballscreen you cannot help off #10 Smith. You have zero responsibilities when guarding him other than taking away the 3’s.

Side Ballscreen with Backscreen

Anytime they set the backscreen with the side ballscreen we have to switch that action. Go take away the lob and stay attached to the backscreen who will pop to the wing. We do not want to give up dunks/layups on the roll!

Transition

Get the basket. Stop the ball. Match up starting with the next most dangerous guy. We have to be great in transition defense because Auburn will bring it at you fast. They are going to score enough as it is because they have really good players. We cannot give up easy, uncontested layups likes this.

You have to get out and guard these guys well beyond the three point line. Their shooters have the ultimate green light and will let it fly from deep. Get out there and take away the catch-and-shoot 3’s. Don’t let them be comfortable. No 3’s like this for K.D. Johnson.

The Auburn Tigers can score in a hurry. Their wings are extremely athletic and run the floor hard in transition. #35 Cambridge loves to run to the rim from the wings and look for the lob like this at the win. Get all the way back in transition and get the basket!

Auburn Tigers Defense

For as good as their offense is, the analytics like the Auburn Tigers defense even more. They will primarily run a half-court man-to-man defense. However, especially out of timeouts, they have shown some 2-3 Zone and token 2-2-1 pressure to slow you down. There are plenty of wrinkles though that make the Tigers defense one of the elite units in the country.

Auburn is a “keep the ball on a side” defense. They will “ICE” the ballscreens and try to keep the ball out of the middle of the floor whenever possible. Anytime that we “flip” ballscreens to set them downhill we have to be ready for them to trap. Keep the ball in the middle of the floor, rely more on handoffs than ballscreens, attack the high foot, and make the ball change sides of the floor.

In this clip you can see how they get out and ICE the ballscreens to keep you from coming off. We will want to clear out the ball side corner so we can attack downhill towards the baseline. If we can beat them downhill against the ICE they will have to stop doing it.

Auburn will also trap off the ballscreens some when teams “flip” and set the downhill. Especially when #44 Cardwell is in at the 5 they like to trap. Play in the middle of the floor and don’t pick up your dribble in the corners near half court.

It is important to see the Tigers blocking shots to actually get a feel for how good they are at protecting the rim. Even when you think you are all the way by them they are still coming and have the length to make a play as you see in this clip. Get the ball up on the rim quickly, be willing to play off two feet when you have a defender between you and the basket, and don’t just rely on getting a foul call. We can’t have our shots getting blocked at the rim consistently.

Keys to the Game

• Contain #10 Jabari Smith. Make him dribble and then aggressively bring help to steal the ball or make him pass it. Don’t let him be comfortable. More shots than points for him.
• Help when #0 K.D. Johnson drives. #0 and #10 are the two guys we really want to help on, otherwise we are staying home. Johnson isn’t thinking about passing. 4+ turnovers for him.
• Dominate the glass. Auburn will take some crazy shots. We have to capitalize when they miss with a defensive rebounder. One shot and hour. Single-digit offensive rebounds.
• Take away catch-and-shoot 3’s. We are going to help on #0 Johnson and #10 Smith. That means there will be some kick out opportunities. However, we have to take away the half-court catch-and-shoot 3’s where their guys are comfortable. Pressure them. No stare down or rhythm dribble 3’s. 8 for fewer made 3’s wins the game.