The Tigers started things off pretty slow but finished things strong against Alabama State on Friday night.
Auburn won by a final score of 82-62, below the 31-point line that Las Vegas had set, but impressive considering the early-game lull the offense found themselves in.
Here are some takeaways from the victory.
Converting turnovers into points
Once again, the Tigers turned their opponent over and cashed in with points.
ASU’s 18 turnovers turned into 19 points. Auburn continues to force opponents out of rhythm and immediately capitalize.
Auburn’s 20 fast break points were contributed to by the turnovers as well.
Dominance on the boards
Auburn utilized height and aggression on the glass. The Tigers finished with 41 rebounds in total, 30 of them on the defensive end. Auburn’s 11 offensive rebounds—six of which came from Chaney Johnson and Johni Broome—were converted into 15 second-chance points.
Not half bad.
Have a night, Jaylin Williams
Williams finished with 20 points on an efficient 7-of-10 from the floor. The bigger takeaway, however, was Williams eclipsing 1,000 career points as an Auburn Tiger.
He’s the winningest player in program history, and now he’s scored a thousand in orange and blue. Have a night, Jaylin.
The charity stripe
The Tigers got to the foul line often against ASU, something they’ve done exceptionally well this season. Auburn finished with 32 free throw attempts, of which they made 26.
The officiating was not the best on either side tonight, but at least Bruce Pearl’s squad was the beneficiary.
From a computer model’s perspective, Bruce Pearl & Co. is one of the best teams in the country, sitting at No. 7 in the KenPom ratings and the T-Rank (Torvik) rankings. The AP poll doesn’t see the Tigers the same at the moment, but being ranked in the top 25 doesn’t matter nearly as much as the KP or NET ratings.
Neither side of the team has overshadowed the other through ten games. There is a balance to what Auburn has accomplished on offense and defense. Neither one has overtaken the other through the first ten games of the schedule. The Tigers rank No. 13 in adjusted offensive efficiency and No. 17 in adjusted defensive efficiency.
To be in the top 20 in both categories means that Auburn is in a great spot to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament based on historical statistical trends.
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