The Tigers are well aware they’re struggling in the rebounding department.
In a Saturday loss to LSU, despite out-shooting the purple and gold Tigers 48 percent to 39 percent, Auburn was bested by the length and physicality of LSU in the frontcourt.
Will Wade’s Tigers corralled 22 offensive boards to Auburn’s seven, and LSU bullied Bruce Pearl’s team with 38 points in the paint to Auburn’s 18. It also didn't help Auburn's case that it coughed up the rock 19 times, resulting in 31 points off turnovers for LSU.
Granted, Auburn is still without a fully healthy Austin Wiley, who played three minutes at LSU while he recovers from a lower right leg injury that kept him out five straight games last month.
But the Tigers aren't making excuses ahead of a Wednesday matchup with Ole Miss, which handed Auburn an SEC-opening loss Jan. 9 in Oxford, 82-67.
“Sheesh, we was trying to figure that out ourselves,” said senior forward Horace Spencer of the rebounding struggles. “Honestly, we just got to be more physical and be more stronger on our check-outs and boxouts and hold a team down from scoring. Honestly, it really just comes down to who wants to be more gritty.”
Pearl’s has a plan, though. Or, rather, he’s had a plan this whole season.
When asked why Auburn struggles on the offensive glass (second-to-last in the SEC in defensive rebounds per game with 23.7) but seems to be fine on the other end, even without Wiley, Pearl explained his methodology.
“One of the things we do is, we have offensive rebounding assignments,” Pearl said. “And sometimes we take shots when there’s no backside rebounders and there are guys running to the boards because they’re not good shots. But most of our shots, we actually have a rebounding plan of action.”
Pearl said that while that plan of attack isn’t common in college basketball, it’s something he’s done his entire career.
The 37-year head coaching veteran explained that if Auburn was bigger at the guard spots, the Tigers would force opposing offense to take longer looks, using said length to defend jump shots while remaining inside the 3-point arc.
But Auburn doesn’t have that luxury; shooting guard Bryce Brown is 6-foot-3, and point guard Jared Harper is maybe 5-foot-11. Granted, that hasn’t ailed Auburn offensively in the Pearl era as Brown ranks seventh in SEC history in made 3-pointers (322) and Harper can catch fire from well beyond NBA range any given night. The coach also consistently glows on the speed of his backcourt and how length is sometimes overrated when the quickness and shooting ability of Harper and Brown is at his disposal.
But on the defensive end, it makes things tricky for the Tigers while they wait on their 6-foot-11 starting center to return to form.
“Austin’s not in there,” Pearl said. “So we’re small at the 5. That combination of extending and being out and away from the basket a little bit makes it harder for us to come back down and rebound on the defensive glass.
“I mean, LSU manhandled us. They just manhandled us. We could do a better job of checking out, holding our check-outs, a better job of competing for 50-50 balls — we absolutely have to do a better job.”
While Auburn’s current nine-man rotation of Harper, Brown, Samir Doughty, Chuma Okeke, Anfernee McLemore, Spencer, Malik Dunbar, J’Von McCormick and Danjel Purifoy works to buff out those issues, Pearl will continue to give Wiley the time he needs to recover fully and look the part of a former five-star prospect and current NBA prospect.
Because, as Spencer put it, Auburn fans still haven’t seen Wiley at full force, which Auburn will need late in the season as it continues to contend for SEC and NCAA Tournament seeding.
"You haven't seen the best of Austin (Wiley) yet,” Spencer said with a smile. “Trust me. I've seen it a little bit... I've gotten a taste."
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Nathan King, senior in journalism with a minor in business, is The Plainsman's sports editor.
