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A spirit that is not afraid

Auburn and Miami set to face off in round of 32 matchup

Dylan Cardwell (44) attempts to posterize a Gamecock defender in the Tigers' first-round win over Jacksonville State in the NCAA Tournament on March 18, 2022.
Dylan Cardwell (44) attempts to posterize a Gamecock defender in the Tigers' first-round win over Jacksonville State in the NCAA Tournament on March 18, 2022.

Led by Jabari Smith’s 20 points and 14 rebounds, Auburn is still dancing after its 80-61 win over Jacksonville State Friday morning. Next up for the Tigers is the 10-seeded Miami Hurricanes who defeated USC in a thrilling 68-66 game. 

This unique matchup marks just the third time the two schools will meet. The last time the two met was in 2001 when Auburn defeated Miami 60-58 in the first round of the NIT. 

Offensively, Miami runs through its backcourt. The Hurricanes have four players who average double-digit points per game, and all four are guards. 

Kameron McGusty leads the Hurricanes with 17.4 points per game while shooting the ball at a 47% clip. The fifth-year guard also shoots 36.5% from three. 

Auburn will likely have to handle McGusty the entire game as McGusty has played 37 minutes or more in each of Miami’s last three games. 

Miami’s second-leading scorer is Isaiah Wong, averaging 15.4 points per game. Wong is used similarly to McGusty, looking to score first then pass. The New Jersey native plays almost every minute of the game as well if he can stay out of foul trouble, but that has been a problem for Wong lately who has fouled out in each of the last two games. 

The Hurricanes most dangerous shooter is Sam Waardenburg. The forward from New Zealand stretches the floor well and shoots 42% from deep. Waardenburg represents a team that is just an average three-point shooting team. 

The Hurricanes sit outside the top 100 in three-point shooting percentage, which was on display in the Hurricanes first game when Miami only connected on one triple.

Though the Hurricanes are not great from deep, they still rank inside the top-25 in team field goal percentage. They shoot very well inside the arc which creates a tantalizing matchup between Miami’s offense and Auburn’s interior defense led by Walker Kessler, who had nine blocks in the win against Jacksonville State.  

With the team’s elite guard play, Miami has been efficient all season protecting the ball. 

At only 9.6 turnovers per game, Miami sits inside the top-20 nationally in fewest turnovers. Against USC, Miami only turned it over three times. 

But between Zep Jasper, Wendell Green Jr. and the always enthusiastic K.D. Johnson, the Miami guards will have their hands full against the trio of Auburn guards which combine for four steals each game. 

Defensively, Miami has struggled at times this season. 

Opponents score 71 points per game against Miami while shooting 46.5% from the field and 35% from the three-point line. Those trends continued in Miami’s game against USC. 

Miami played elite defense in the first half, only allowing 20 points but fell apart in the second half. The Trojans connected on nine 3-pointers on 20 attempts and shot 48% from the field in the two-point loss. 

One thing Miami does well defensively is force turnovers. 

Miami forces 13.8 opponent turnovers per game, a large part of that is once again thanks to guard play. 

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Three of the four leaders in the ACC in steals belong to Miami. Charlie Moore gets two steals per game while Jordan Miller and McGusty average just under two as well. Moore and Miller have both recorded seven steals in a single game this season. 

USC had 18 turnovers against Miami Friday afternoon and though Auburn has not had serious turnovers issue this season, there have been games where the Tigers become careless with the ball. In its losses to Arkansas and Florida, Auburn turned it over 19 and 17 times, respectively. 

Miami is statistically the worst rebounding team in the ACC. Averaging just 30.5 rebounds per game, Auburn should have a major advantage on the glass and a chance at a lot of second chance points. Kessler and Smith alone combined for 24 rebounds and nine offensive rebounds against Jacksonville State. 

There are a few common opponents between the two teams. Miami suffered a six-point loss to UCF early in the season, who Auburn beat by 17. The Hurricanes also lost to Alabama by 32 points. Auburn swept the Crimson Tide this season, including a dominant 19-point win at home. Miami had two close wins against Syracuse who Auburn beat by 21 in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. 

Miami has shown it can knock off top teams. The Hurricanes went into Cameron Indoor Stadium earlier this season and beat Duke 76-74.  The Blue Devils turned it over 17 times in the loss. They also have a 28-point win over North Carolina. McGusty, Wong and Waardenburg combined for 66 points in the huge win.  

The round of 32 matchup is set to begin at 6:45 p.m. CST and will be broadcast on truTV. The two will meet in Greenville, South Carolina, with the season on the line. 


Jacob Waters | Sports Reporter

Jacob is a sophomore from Leeds, Alabama. This is his second year with The Auburn Plainsman. 

Twitter: @JacobWaters_


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