The cameras were all lined up beneath the basket at Auburn’s home arena for the visiting team’s pregame shootaround.
They were referring to Bronny James, the son of NBA superstar LeBron James. He’s only a teenager in his second collegiate basketball game, but he already has celebrity thanks to the name on the back of his jersey and a face that’s a spitting resemblance of his father.
The cameras were also trained on Isaiah Collier and Boogie Ellis. They came with their own name recognition as elite NBA prospects. As USC (5-5) warmed up on Sunday, NBA scouts lined the baseline, imagining a future for their team in the red-and-gold-clad talent in front of them.
On the other end of the floor, Auburn (8-2) was having a typical afternoon shootaround. Auburn’s attention was not on the big names opposing them, but on how to deal with what head coach Bruce Pearl considered to be the strongest backcourt Auburn had faced this season. To them, it wasn’t about the matinée names, but about a basketball game.
“Does playing against good players get you pumped up a little bit? “Yeah,” said point guard Aden Holloway. “Does it make a difference?” No. The only thing that matters is that you win.
So, in a 91-75 victory over USC, Auburn’s guards stood tall against their more illustrious opponent. It was a message for Auburn in a stand-alone game about what this club is capable of when at its best.
Auburn’s best play comes from its efficient and successful point guard play. And Auburn’s own five-star freshman, along with fellow point guard Tre Donaldson, were just that on Sunday.
“Aden and Tre both being a freshman and a sophomore, knew Isaiah going up through the AAU ball and understood how special he was,” Pearl went on to say. “They also see where he ranks on draft boards and other things like that.” They always want to play well, but it’s our team’s youngest position, and we’re really receiving tremendous point guard performance right now.”
Holloway and Donaldson scored 22 points, had 11 assists, and only one turnover.
It was the continuation of an outstanding run that began 14 days ago when Auburn lost to Appalachian State. Holloway and Donaldson have combined for 78 points, 25 assists, and two turnovers in three games since.
That is the best point guard play Pearl has ever seen.
It was the flashy play of Holloway hitting 3-pointers from the logo, and it was the second weekend in a row that he energized the Auburn crowd coming into halftime with a final possession long ball.
Holloway broke out of his slump, which ended in the Appalachian State loss. Holloway has made 50% (10-for-20) of his deep shots after going 0-8 against Virginia Tech and Appalachian State.
His four 3-pointers and deft ball handling on Sunday made an impression on NBA scouts who were not present.
Donaldson’s steady hand is more subdued. With 8.2 points per game this season, his statistical outputs don’t stick out as much as Holloway’s, but his role off the bench is unchanged from the year. His grasp of the offense is evident in his ranking as one of Auburn’s top four players in efficiency rating on Sunday.
Auburn’s combination is young, but they don’t make the same mistakes passing the ball that rookie guards do.
Pearl spoke to Auburn’s loss to USC in Los Angeles last season during his post-game press conference. Auburn turned the ball over 23 times that day. Auburn’s guards struggled in that game 364 days ago. Wendell Green and Allen Flanigan both had three turnovers, while KD Johnson had six. Donaldson tallied two.
Ellis was on USC’s team last season, but the Trojans’ backcourt has been strengthened with the addition of Collier, who many draft pundits consider the top prospect in the 2024 NBA draft class.
As a result, Pearl concentrated on taking better care of the ball.
“It’s the same system. “I emphasized that this week,” Pearl remarked following the victory. “We handled the call better. They distributed it. They simply shared it. They didn’t dominate the ball.”
On Sunday, Auburn recorded only eight turnovers. Johnson, the ever-aggressive player, was the only one with more than one.
Auburn’s assist-to-turnover ratio was already in the top ten nationally entering Sunday. In terms of turnovers per game, it ranks fourth in the SEC.
Point guard play entails more than just scoring. However, Auburn now leads the score race. However, Auburn’s point guards are currently capable of running the entire offense.
Elite point guard play is required to win in March. Auburn currently holds it.
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