Auburn Tigers
SEC (25-6, 12-6)
Coming off their impressive trip to the Final Four last season, most expected Auburn to take a significant step back in 2019-2020. There were some huge holes to fill, but Coach Bruce Pearl was able to pull his team together and they performed even better in conference play than they did last year. Will that lead to another deep tournament run? Auburn has already proven that it is possible.
Big Wins: 11/26 vs Richmond (79-65), 2/1 Kentucky (75-66), 2/8 LSU (91-90)
Bad Losses: 2/15 at Missouri (73-85), 2/19 at Georgia (55-65), 3/4 Texas A&M (75-78)
Coach: Bruce Pearl
Why They Can Surprise:
Senior guard Samir Doughty has turned into the leader of this team after being a roleplayer on the Final Four squad. Doughty leads the way with 16.7 points per game. His ability to aggressively attack the basket is a big reason why the Tigers spend so much time at the charity stripe. Center Austin Wiley and Isaac Okoro spend a lot of time at the free-throw line as well. Those two are also why Auburn has taken a huge step forward this year in the rebounding department. Wiley easily leads the way with 9.3 rebounds per game on top his 10.6 points, but this is a team full of tough rebounders in the frontcourt and the backcourt.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Auburn is not a great shooting team; and that is true everywhere on the floor. Everybody on the team besides Wiley will take an occasional three-pointer, but nobody has been very consistent or particularly prolific. Auburn can still win games without hitting a ton of three-pointers, but this was a team that shot their way to the Final Four last season. They will almost certainly have to find a different way to reach the Final Four in 2020.
Probable Starters:
Samir Doughty, Senior, Guard, 16.7 ppg, 2.7 apg
J’Von McCormick, Senior, Guard, 11.6 ppg, 4.5 apg, 4.0 rpg
Isaac Okoro, Freshman, Forward, 12.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg
Danjel Purifoy, Senior, Forward, 8.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg
Austin Wiley, Senior, Center, 10.6 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 1.6 bpg
Key Role Players:
Jaylin Williams, Freshman, Forward, 2.4 ppg, 1.8 rpg
Anfernee McLemore, Senior, Forward, 6.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg
Devan Cambridge, Freshman, Guard, 4.2 ppg
Allen Flanigan, Freshman, Guard, 3.2 ppg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 78.0 (25th in nation, 3rd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 70.4 (203, 10)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.3 (198, 9)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.3 (80, 6)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.1 (82, 3)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 30.6 (308, 11)
Free-Throw Percentage: 67.4 (289, 13)
Rebound Margin: 5.6 (30, 3)
Assists Per Game: 12.8 (201, 9)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.9 (156, 5)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
| 2019 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over New Mexico State |
| 2019 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Kansas |
| 2019 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal win over North Carolina |
| 2019 | NCAA | Regional Final win over Kentucky |
| 2019 | NCAA | National Semifinal loss to Virginia |
| 2018 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Charleston |
| 2018 | NCAA | Round of 32 loss to Clemson |
| 2009 | NIT | First Round win over Tennessee-Martin |
| 2009 | NIT | Second Round win over Tulsa |
| 2009 | NIT | Quarterfinal loss to Baylor |
| 2003 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over St. Joseph's |
| 2003 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Wake Forest |
| 2003 | NCAA | Regional Semifinal loss to Syracuse |
| 2001 | NIT | First Round win over Miami |
| 2001 | NIT | Second Round loss to Purdue |
| 2000 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Creighton |
| 2000 | NCAA | Round of 32 loss to Iowa State |
| 1999 | NCAA | Round of 64 win over Winthrop |
| 1999 | NCAA | Round of 32 win over Oklahoma State |
| 1999 | NCAA | Regional semifinal loss to Ohio State |
*all team stats through 3/8
