re: Auburn Basketball 2021 - 2022 28- 6 (15-3) SEC CHAMPS!

Sonny smith : Nate Oats is in everyone’s face but his players. You can’t win games trying to coach the officials.

Oh I love Sonny

Jabari Top 20 finalist for the Wooden Award (Top Player)
Jabari Top 20 for the Karl Malone Power Forward award
Jabari Top 20 for the Julius Irving Small Forward award

Green Top 10 finalist for the Bob Cousy award (Top PG)

Kessler Top 15 finalist for the Naismith Defensive player of the year
Kessler Top 20 for the Kareem Abdul-Jabar award for Center

Last night Flanagan looks better than the recent games.

IF he continues to improve game after game, we become better.

Looked to me like Flanigan is getting some of his body control back. Lack of real speed reps has him a little tight. Now he appears to be getting some flex back in and some of his body control. Granted he still isn’t a great ball handler but drives and post up are looking better.

Flanagan can get a bucket like KD.

He is talented, but an Achilles surgery takes time to heal.

It is good that we can put Zep, KD, Wendell, Flanagan, Cambridge, in different combinations.

Cardwell has been very productive at times. Keeping Kessler out of early foul trouble is crucial.

Jabari is still so young. He’s got skills, but at times he will over dribble. He has such a good jump shot.

Jaylen Williams would start for over half the teams in SEC. He’s got terrific skills.

The depth is amazing.

I can’t remember a team with this much quality depth. I really like how CBP utilizes guys early off the bench.

Zep cares so much about defense, but he can score if needed.

Cambridge has really become a decent free throw shooter.

This team has worked hard and it is showing up in games.

I think we can score at will on both of these teams. Good chance to maybe really kick the offense into rhythm heading into the stretch run

Some good analysis of Auburn by Archie and Sean Miller: Field of 68. Particularly interesting bc they discuss why Auburn’s KenPom ranking is so low (and why it doesn’t really matter). In short: because of our high foul rate and low 3p%, but we make up for it with depth, blocks, and paint defense. Also discuss Kessler as a DPOY candidate. Discussion starts around 5:15. Really like their show.

quote:

---

Particularly interesting bc they discuss why Auburn’s KenPom ranking is so low (and why it doesn’t really matter). In short: because of our high foul rate

---

Hadn't really heard anyone explain it like that but I guess it made sense.

I don’t buy in that a loss is a good thing. What about this team doesn’t seem hungry for each opponent? That’s when you might need a loss when you are focusing on each opponent and playing hard. This team is so the needing a loss baffles me. Yes back in the day when team would go 15-20 straight games with no one putting up any resistance to a team sure but we are getting challenged every game almost. So I’m not at all on team need a loss to get better or get back focused.