NCAA Basketball: Baylor’s ceiling, Michigan’s return and more weekly takeaways

8) Don’t judge Auburn based on their last three games

A lot of people – including other writers and analysts – have already written off and/or will tell you to write off this Auburn team. After all, they’ve only played one game against a team that is currently ranked (Kentucky) and hasn’t always looked the part in SEC play, losing four games and winning four more in overtime.

This recent three-game stretch in which they’ve gone 1-2 has been used as validation for that. Losses to Missouri and Georgia, even though they came on the road, simply don’t look good. Neither does needing to come back from 17 points down to beat Tennessee at home.

But it’s necessary to mention that one of Auburn’s best players, Isaac Okoro (projected to be the No. 4 overall pick in our latest mock NBA Draft), missed all three games. He is a lockdown defender and lethal threat in transition, and not having someone of that magnitude is always going to hurt a team.

Now, Auburn isn’t exactly a national title contender and they don’t have a deep enough roster to have a big margin for error, and I’m not trying to say otherwise.

What they do have – when healthy – is an exciting team full of athletes that make opponents uncomfortable with their defense and excels in transition. Plus, they’re excellent in closing games. Where Baylor hasn’t established a late-game go-to guy yet, Auburn has two in Samir Doughty and J’Von McCormick.

I don’t think Auburn is a Final Four team, but they are absolutely good enough to make the second weekend. Don’t let a tough stretch they’ve gone through while being shorthanded change your thinking.