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Auburn Basketball: 2020-21 season preview for Tigers

By Benjamin Zacher

ATHENS, GA - FEBRUARY 19: Allen Flanigan #22 of the Auburn Tigers controls the ball during a game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Stegeman Coliseum on February 19, 2020 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
ATHENS, GA - FEBRUARY 19: Allen Flanigan #22 of the Auburn Tigers controls the ball during a game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Stegeman Coliseum on February 19, 2020 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /
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Auburn Basketball
Auburn Basketball (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /

Season Outlook

Bruce Pearl and the Auburn Tigers are young and inexperienced, and that could realistically cost them a few games throughout this season.  They are not the only team in the SEC that is incredibly young – Kentucky is the notable example here – but this is a conference that has gotten deeper with the recent rise of programs like Arkansas and Alabama.

The growing pains that Auburn will endure will have to be few and far between.  Already on the bubble, they do not have the luxury of affording a few missteps here in there.  Any losses out of conference – with the exception of Gonzaga and Baylor – would be beyond detrimental to their postseason hopes.

That makes winning in the SEC that much more important, especially if they are able to pick up a win or two against Kentucky and Tennessee – both unanimously viewed to be a step above the rest of the league.  Wins against LSU and Florida would also benefit their bubble hopes but probably would not suffice.

This team will go as far as Sharife Cooper can take them.  This is a team that scored a lot last season – they ranked 24th last season at 78 points per game – but they have lost nearly all of that production.  Additionally, the Tigers ranked 305th in three-point field-goal percentage at 30.6%.

Finding the necessary offensive firepower is crucial to Auburn being successful this season.  With Cooper, Devan Cambridge, and Justin Powell coming off the bench, the Tigers might just have the offense capable of bringing that percentage up – all the while replacing a good portion of the production lost.

It is not just on them, of course – players like Flanigan, Thor, and Cardwell will need to step up immediately and produce for the Tigers to have a chance of making a third-straight NCAA tournament.

Additionally, Pearl mainly relied on four players off the bench last season, and those four accepted their roles and played them well, largely contributing to why the Tigers went 25-6.  That same reliance – again on four players – will most likely apply again this season, meaning those key players coming off the bench must contribute in some way in order for Auburn to be successful.

Next. Preseason SEC power rankings for 2020-21. dark

This is a team very much built on potential, rather than production, at this point.  That could mean this Tigers squad could underachieve and finish in the bottom echelon of the SEC – but I do not think that will happen.  With Cooper on board, Bruce Pearl and Auburn have the talent needed to escape the SEC and qualify for yet another NCAA Tournament.

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