Expectations were high for the Auburn men’s basketball team coming into the season, but the team has failed to meet said expectations as of yet. That begs the question: Why has Auburn failed to match the success of last year’s team?
The 2017-18 Tigers were projected to go 4-14 in conference play after an 11-1 start, but instead shifted the narrative and went 13-5 in the SEC, finishing 25-6 overall and earning their first NCAA tournament bid since 2003. After losing in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament to in-state rival Alabama, Auburn won its first game in the NCAA tournament against the College of Charleston before losing to Clemson in the second round.
The team came into the 2018-19 season ranking No. 11 in the preseason AP poll, and seemed to continue its success of last year. Donning the “Unfinished Business” mantra on social media, it seemed as if the Tigers were starting right where they had left off. After finishing their non-conference schedule at 11-2 and remaining ranked No. 11 in the country, the Tigers’ hopes of once again having a strong performance in conference play were soon stomped.
SEC play began with a loss against Ole Miss, but followed up by two wins against Georgia and Texas A&M. The winning wouldn’t last, as Auburn would lose a heartbreaker against Kentucky, and completed a three-game skid with away losses at South Carolina and Mississippi State.
However, the Tigers would rattle off three straight wins at home against Missouri, Alabama and Florida before dropping two straight games against LSU and once again Ole Miss. So, why hasn’t Auburn repeated its success in conference play from last year?
Simply put, the conference as a whole has improved over the past year. Five of the six SEC teams that the Tigers have lost to hold top five standings in the conference, and have all made significant jumps since last year. Ole Miss, LSU and South Carolina have flipped from being among the bottom five teams in the SEC last year to being in the top five.
Even Kentucky, who had an off-year last year, is now a top 5 team in the country this year. So the question may not be why has Auburn underperformed, it may be why hasn’t Auburn met the standard of improving teams.
In addition to an improving conference, one of the biggest differences between last year’s team and the team now is the departure of guard Mustapha Heron. Heron was the first five-star recruit in history to sign with the Tigers, and his impact was felt immediately in his freshman season.
In the 2017-18 season Heron led the Tigers in scoring in 15 of the 34 games played, averaging 16.4 points per game and was the team’s leading scorer. In addition to scoring Heron averaged 5.3 rebounds per game, an impressive feat for a guard. Heron decided to transfer to St. John’s after withdrawing from the NBA Draft, citing that he wanted to be closer to his ill mother.
The reinstatement of center Austin Wiley and forward Danjel Purifoy have also been disappointing for the Tigers. Both WIley and Purifoy were suspended for the entirety of last season in relation to the FBI investigation into college basketball, and were expected to be meaningful additions to this year’s team.
Wiley has dealt with two injuries this year that have held him out of six games throughout the season. Purifoy has been unable to return to his 2016-2017 form, and has been primarily coming off the bench. Purifoy averages 3.6 points per game and a mere 9.6 minutes in comparison to his 11.5 points per game and 28.7 minutes in 2016-2017
While this year’s Auburn basketball team has encountered several problems, there is still time to flip the script, starting this Saturday against a 9-15 Vanderbilt team. Tip off is set for 11 a.m. CST in Nashville.
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