re: AU BBall Thread : Trainwrecked at 18-14

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Auburn is coming off of an 18-14 campaign and will lose Ronnie Johnson and TJ Dunans to graduation. While each guard brought solid scoring and filled their role nicely, there is much room for optimism at Auburn. Entering his fourth year, it is time for Bruce Pearl to make a push for an NCAA Tournament, and it appears the Tigers are on track.

Austin Wiley, a former five-star big man that enrolled mid-year last season, has bolstered the interior presence, and there is a plethora of talented wings and guards around him. Davion Mitchell is an explosive lead guard while Chuma Okeke might be the best utility knife forward in the 2017 class. The two freshmen will enter the program and help in some way or form next season.

Last year’s freshmen Mustapha Heron, Danjel Purifoy and Jared Harper will have a full offseason under their belts to better their games. They remain young, but if others like Anfernee McLemore and Horace Spencer can show some of improvement, I would be surprised if Auburn doesn’t find a way to make it to the tournament next year.

On the recruiting front, things remain as strong as ever as the Tigers already hold a commitment from five-star junior EJ Montgomery, a talented sophomore big man in Jared Jones, and have laid down the proper foundations with some of the top talents out of the Deep South.

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