re: 2015-16 Men's & Women's BB I WBB vs. Syracuse - L 72-80

Painful game to sit through. Good grief, the whistles were out of control. Glad we came out on top though.

Very solid win tonight. We were cold after the break, came out playing hard until our game plan started working ... Memphis got in foul trouble thanks to their own thuggery.

They'll win a bunch of games this year. Should help our RPI when it counts.

Someone willing to give a quick "unbiased" rundown of USCe before our upcoming battle tomorrow night? I'll do something "similar" to help out

Auburn

Key Injuries/Missing - PG Tahj Sahmsid Dean (Shoulder), SG TJ Dunans (Knee), SG New Williams, SF TJ Lang (Concussion), SF Danjel Purifoy (eligibility), C Reed (eligibility)

Offense
Easier to describe pieces due to injuries affecting identity

PG - Kareem Canty (19.3 PPG 5.9 APG) - KEY NOTE: Streaky player who can force shots or be lights out
Canty is a 42% 3PT shooter with 65% of his attempts coming from 3. While only average driving to the basket, his range stretches beyond NBA range if open. The required tight defense/double teams allows driving lanes and opens floor for teammates leading to ~6 assists per game

SG - Bryce Brown (10.1 PPG) KEY NOTE: Freshman who only recently had it "click"-
Brown has averaged 17.7 Points in the last 3 games, 80% of which come from beyond the arc. Brown simply is left open due to double teams/focus on Kareem Canty. Bryce has shown the ability to drive the lane and dribble the ball just hasn't needed to.

SF/PF - Jordan Granger (2.5 PPG) KEY NOTE: SR 6th man pushed into starting lineup
Granger has given some spark coming off the bench for Auburn as a stretch 4 who can shoot/jupm and that's about it. Not a real threat to drive/slash but can backside alley oop and hit a 3 if open

SF/PF - Tyler Harris (14.4 PPG 8.8RPG) Key Note: Former wing player converted to post play
Tyler Harris is a solid player with the right matchup. He played a wing/stretch 4 at Providence with little inside game. His finesse allows him to dominate average post players but against quality, he gets frustrated and fails

C - Horace Spencer (4 PPG 5 RPG 1.5 BPG) Key Note: FR who plays like he has springs in his shoes. Raw

Spencer has potential but righ tnow he is raw and lacks skill. He is good for a put back, solid rebounds and occasional flash of talent.

6th Man - PF/C Cinmeon Bowers (12.3 PPG 9.3 RPG) Key Note: Thinks he is Kobe Bryant
He is the guy who yells "Kobe!" after every shot thinking it makes the contested fadeaway airball okay. Shoots <50% from FT and half his reboudns are of his own shot

Keys to beating AU

-Guard Kareem Canty/Bryce Brown tight even at NBA 3

Both players aren't afraid of throwing up contested 3s even at NBA distance. They also aren't afraid of throwing them back up after bricking it. When left open, these players have made oppoents pay

Shoot well from FT Line

Auburn fouls. A lot.

Drive/Pound the Paint

Auburn regualrly rotates an awful walkon due to post player foul trouble. The more you put the ball in the paint, the sooner we pick up fouls and our Herp Derp walkon comes in

Outstanding stuff man. Thanks for the write up

I can't do no write up, but just wanted to show appreciation for your hard work

Appreciate it

I'm no guru but follow our team pretty closely. I wish more people on here were into basketball. SEC is trending up and the sport is so exciting when the crowd is going and quality teams are playing.

quote:

---

Which USC were you referring to on the South Carolina Board?

---

Well we don't play USC tomorrow

You can take that shite with you back to the Au board....

quote:

---

You're not going to make a lot of friends around here. We were the University of South Carolina (USC) in 1865. They were founded in 1880. They just outlawyer'd us on marketing proof.

---

Exactly.

We were a University before they were even a state.

Team Overview
USC is a deep team with a good mix of experience and talented freshmen. 8 players see significant playing time and that number can rise to 10 if fouls are an issue (we played 11 against Memphis)

The emphasis of our team is defense and rebounding. We play a tight and physical man to man most of the time but will switch to a 3-2 or 2-3 zone to change things up or avoid fouls. We've used a half court trap a handfull of times this year.

On offense we are very balanced with 5 players averaging double digit points per game. We will look to push the ball in transition but in a halfcourt situation we usually will look to run the shot clock down. Although we have a few players that have really improved their shot we generally are still not a great shooting team. With the emphasis on rebounding extra chances and 2nd chance points are a huge part of our offense. We are also good as a team from the free throw line

Starting 5
1- PJ Dozier (#15): 20.2 MPG 8.1 PPG
6'6 true freshman point guard that was a McDonald's All-American last year. He has a ton of talent but can make freshmen mistakes. He can make some fantastic passes and is capable of driving and finishing at the rim but will struggle to hit an open three and free throws. Isn't great on defense and is still learning how to play it but being 6'6 makes him a hastle for opposing offenses.

2- Sindarius Thornwell (#0): 29.9 MPG 11.4 PPG 5.2 RPG 3.7 APG
6'5 junior guard that is a stat book stuffer. Very capable scorer that drives the ball well and shoots well enough. He can also bring the ball up court and distribute to his teammates and gets a significant amount of boards, especially for a guard. On defense with his length and height he forces opponents to make mistakes and turn the ball over

3- Michael Carrera (#24): 24.8 MPG 12.4 PPG 6.1 RPG 56% 3P%
The heart and leader of this team, Carrera is a 6'5 senior forward that has vastly improved his perimeter shooting and moved from 4 to 3. He is a fiery and hard working player that uses high energy and effort on both offense and defense He outworks opponents for position under the basket, dives for loose balls and is known for drawing charges by hustling to get in position.

4- Mindaugus Kacinas (#25): 29.4 MPG 12 PPG 5.8 RPG
6'7 senior forward that works hard to be in the right posistion for a rebound or put back basket. Nothing flashy but he gives a consistent effort and presence on both sides of the court, Can step back and shoot from 3.

5- Laimonas Chatkevicius (#14): 21 MPG 10.8 PPG 4.2 RPG 1.2 BPG
The 6'11 senior forward is by far the most frustrating player from a fan and Coach Martin's perspective. He runs hot and cold with those streaks lasting several games. He started the season hot but has since fallen into an cold streak (he picked up 2 fouls in the first minute of the Memphis game). Although he is 6'11 he does not like to play physical and will often bring the ball down low where players much shorter than him can reach the ball. He also can step back and shoot a 3 every now and then. On defense during his cold streaks he will play what Coach Martin called a "one man zone" which means he'll defend in the spot hes standing. I honestly expect him to remain in a cold streak for at least the first few conference games.

6th man
Duane Notice (#10): 23.1 MPG 12.2 PPG 42% 3P%
The 6'2 junior guard has moved from a starting roll last year to coming off the bench this year. He plays significant minutes and is a pure scorer but struggles to finish at the rim in transition. Fighting off Carrera for the title of best shooter on the team, he won't hesitate to shoot if he's open.

Will play
Marcus Stroman (#1): 16.3 MPG
6'2 sophomore point guard that comes in to run the offense. Not much of a scorer and a bad shooter but plays tough and physical defense. Often draws the ire of Coach Martin for turnovers.

Chris Silva (#30): 14.2 MPG 6.3 PPG 5.1 RPG 1.2 BPG
6'9 true freshman forward that is very athletic and has a knack for highlight block and dunks. Still very rough but talented enough to play a lot of minutes. Plays with a ton of energy and hard work that can stray into reckless abandon because he is very raw and/or presses too hard. He jumps like he has trampolines in his shoes and snags a lot of boards. A lot of his blocks come from hustling to get back in transition and swatting the ball from behind the opponent.

Could play
Eric Cobb (#23): 8.2 MPG
The 6'10 true freshman forward most often comes in if Chatkevicious is playing poorly and Coach Martin wants a big body down low to rebound. He already has a great set of skills when he gets the ball on the block and uses his body and feet to get a good shot off even with a defender on him. He is still developing and needs to improve his conditioning but I'm very excited about his future.

Justin McKie (#20) 7.6 MPG
The 6'4 junior guard played a lot the past two years because our roster lacked depth and talent. Now that we have both he comes in if there are foul trouble or very poor play from multiple players.

Probably won't play
Guards:
Jamall Gregory (#4)
TeMarcus Blanton (#5)

Forward:
Raymond Doby (#2)

Jamall Gregory and Raymond Doby are true freshmen. TeMarcus Blanton is a redshirt freshman coming off of a bad hip injury that could have ended his playing days. These guys are only going to come in if the game is a blow out or there is a ton of foul trouble although I could see Gregory getting more playing time after his game against Francis Marion and productive couple of minutes against Memphis