After opening the 2023 NCAA Tournament with an 83-75 win over Iowa, Auburn (21-12) turns its face toward 1-seeded Houston (32-3) in the Round of 32.
The Cougars defeated Northern Kentucky 63-52 in the Round of 64.
“It’s an opportunity to play maybe the best team in the country,” said head coach Bruce Pearl. “You know, certainly a No. 1 seed. We’re going to be on our game on both ends of the floor, but it’s an opportunity for us to make history. It’s going to take something real special.”
For the Tigers, this new opponent plays much different than their first-round matchup. Houston is a sound defensive team, only allowing 56.4 points per game. That mark is the second-best in the nation and the best among teams still fighting in the NCAA Tournament.
In comparison, Iowa was ranked 297th in scoring defense.
A large part of Houston’s strong defense is its ability to block shots and create turnovers.
Led by forward J’Wan Roberts protecting the rim with 1.3 blocks per game, the Cougars have two more players averaging one block or more and as a team are 25th in the nation in blocks per game at 4.8.
Houston is just as good defending the perimeter and getting steals as the Cougars force 8.3 steals per game and have four different players averaging one steal or more. Guard Jamal Shead is the Cougars’ leader in steals (62) and is ranked inside the top 100 nationally in steals per game.
“He (Shead) is the best defensive guard in college basketball,” Pearl said. “He affects the game. He is not afraid of the moment. Big shots, big playmaker.”
Looking to combat Houston’s swarming defense, Auburn hopes its bench plays well again like it did against Iowa. With six players scoring in double figures, including an 11-point performance from freshman Tre Donaldson, Pearl said he’s “always believed in not shortening your bench come tournament time.”
Point guard Wendell Green Jr. echoed the importance of having the starters and bench players all play well.
“I think yesterday that was one of the few games where the bench and the starters all played good, you know?” Green Jr. said. “Sometimes it would be just the bench. Sometimes it would just be the starters, but we had all 10 guys clicking yesterday. You know, six guys in double figures. So, I mean, it’s great.”
Another point of emphasis that Pearl pointed out was Houston’s rebounding ability. The Cougars rank in the top 20 nationally in both rebounds per game (38.9) and offensive rebounds per game (12.7) while Auburn sits 86th in the country at 36.3 rebounds per game.
“You watch the guys, watch tape, you know, watch them just run to the glass and run through people,” Pearl said. “And knowing that we’re going to have to put bodies on bodies, and some of our guys may not be able to get a rebound, but they have to make sure that their matchup doesn’t get a rebound. So it will be our biggest challenge tomorrow will be keeping Houston off the glass.”
In two of Auburn’s losses this season, rebounding played a major factor in those losses. When Auburn traveled to Rupp Arena to play Kentucky, the Tigers lost the rebounding battle by 18 and allowed 12 offensive rebounds. Similarly against Arkansas in the SEC Tournament, Auburn only corralled 19 rebounds and again lost the rebounding margin by 18 while allowing 13 offensive rebounds and 18 second chance points.
Pearl noted the Tigers’ struggles against those teams when asked what his team learned from playing Kentucky and Arkansas.
“Well, we struggled to keep both those teams off the boards,” Pearl said. “It’s a great question, but we got physically dominated by Arkansas the second time, and Kentucky up in Rupp Arena.”
Houston guard Marcus Sasser leads the team in scoring with 16.7 points per game while also dishing out 3.1 assists per game. Sasser suffered a groin injury in Houston’s first game of the tournament but said “I’m going to play” against Auburn. Houston has three other players averaging double-digits points including Shead, Roberts and 6-foot-8 Jarace Walker who Pearl called “a nightmare matchup.”
Auburn’s Round of 32 game tips off at 6:10 p.m. CST in Birmingham, Alabama, and will be televised on TBS as Auburn eyes a Sweet 16 appearance.
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Jacob Waters is a junior majoring in journalism. From Leeds, Alabama, he started with The Plainsman in fall 2021.
Twitter: @JacobWaters_
