It’s that time again for Auburn basketball, but this opener is a bit different than years prior.
The Tigers are facing off against No. 20 Baylor in Sioux Falls, S.D. It’s the first time Auburn has opened against a ranked, power conference opponent since 1989.
“We’re excited about getting the season started,” said Auburn coach Bruce Pearl. “Auburn is the only team in the SEC that will open up against a top 25 opponent. And we’re going to try to make history tomorrow night as we’ve never beaten a top 25 team in an opener.”
Like Auburn, the Bears went through quite a bit of roster turnover.
In the backcourt alone, Baylor lost four major contributors. Keyonte George was a top 20 pick in the NBA Draft. Adam Flager and Dale Bonner graduated. And LJ Cryer transferred to Houston.
“Baylor's got a lot of new guys, too,” Pearl said. “They've got some core guys back, like we do, but they've got new pieces and they've got good new pieces. So I think both teams are going to learn a lot.”
Despite losing practically its entire backcourt, Baylor was able to reload to the point where there won’t be much of a dropoff, if there is any.
George, a 5-star, was replaced by Ja’Kobe Walter, who was also a 5-star. Walter, the Big-12 preseason freshman of the year, is a 6-foot-5 two-way wing that is lethal from downtown. Baylor can play him at both guard positions and can slide him to the wing if need be.
The Bears also did work in the portal by adding Toledo transfer RayJ Dennis. Last season, Dennis averaged 19.5 points and 5.8 assists per game on 56 percent true shooting. Per Synergy Sports, 29 percent of Dennis’ possessions came from him operating out of the pick-and-roll. He averaged 0.898 points per possession (ppp) off of screen and rolls, which was in the 78th percentile.
Dennis spent 17.9 percent of his possessions spotting up and averaged 1.025 ppp which ranked him in the 73rd percentile.
Defense as a whole was a struggle for Toledo, but it wasn’t for Dennis as he allowed just 0.785 ppp which ranked him in the 73rd percentile.
VCU transfer Jayden Nunn is the definition of 3-and-D as he shot 40 percent from deep and allowed 0.669 ppp, which ranked him in the 92nd percentile.
Aden Holloway, who injured his ankle in the preseason, will be tasked with taking on tall, lanky, elite defenders. It’s not something he isn’t capable of, however, and Pearl trusts his young point guard.
“The toughest first game will be for Aden,” Pearl said. “You talk about putting him in a tough spot. But look, he’s born to be in a tough spot. This is what he relishes. He’s excited about playing and his teammates are excited about having him be out there.”
In their frontcourt, the Bears didn’t lose many significant contributors as Jalen Bridges, Caleb Lohner and Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua all returned to school.
In addition to them, the Bears also added 7-footer Yves Missi, the other 5-star along with Walter.
The Bears deploy an athletic, physical frontcourt that will test Auburn’s frontcourt, especially on the boards.
“They are historically one of the top 20 rebounding teams in the country,” Pearl said. “one of the top 10 offensive rebounding teams in the country. They will fly to the boards, they're athletic, they're big, they're physical.”
Since Auburn is starting against a top-25 team, Pearl knows that Auburn is going to find out right away what it struggles with.
“We're going to get exposed,” Pearl said. “What I mean by exposed is: What aren't we very good at? What are we going to struggle with? My anticipation would be physicality, rebounding, some other things.”
Pearl is 27-1 in openers and has won 17 in a row, but he has never opened against a top-25 team. Both him and Auburn will attempt to ‘make history’ on Tuesday.
“Great opportunity to play a team in the Top 25,” Pearl said. “We're not (in the Top 25), and so, can we get ourselves in there with a win? That'd be a tremendous way to start the season.”
Auburn and Baylor tip off at 8 p.m. CT. The game will air on ESPN.
