Auburn Basketball: 2022-23 season preview and outlook for Tigers

Season Outlook

Nobody is sleeping on Auburn like they might have been five seasons ago. On the other hand, this Auburn team is not exactly in the same position as last year or even for a few years ago for that Final Four team. There are question marks on this roster, but there’s also a significant amount of talent.

The first thing to know is that things are very different in the frontcourt. Losing talent like Green and Kessler would be a death blow to many programs, but Pearl has done phenomenal work in bringing in new pieces into his rotation. The Tigers are hoping that Traore and Broome can both transition into SEC-level bigs without too much trouble, though there likely will be a bit of transition for both of them this year.

Even if the frontcourt remains a strength, the backcourt needs to play much better than last year. While those two forwards became stars and draft picks, it was the backcourt letting Auburn down at times, especially in that Tournament loss. Green, Johnson, and Jasper look like the starters in this backcourt, but all three of them need bounce-back efforts. There’s fortunately depth on this roster, and we’re sure that Pearl would love if Westry or Flanigan, or someone else plays well enough to steal one of those starting spots.

Despite these issues, Auburn is very talented and looks again like a top-level team in a top-level conference. There are some very potent teams at the top of the SEC and the Tigers are certainly in for a battle. It’s hard to look at how this team is currently constructed and think they’ll win another SEC title, but Pearl’s proven us wrong before. Can a new-look frontcourt and challenged backcourt combine to create a magical season at Auburn?