AUBURN | I had a theory that the more 3-pointers Auburn attempted, the more likely it would be to lose. It made sense to me as I’ve watched this team struggle from beyond the arc so often this season.
The Tigers rank 321st nationally with a 29.9 3-point field goal percentage so it doesn’t make sense to keep launching 3-pointer after 3-pointer, right? Well, actually that’s wrong going by AU’s record this season.
Auburn has attempted 30 or more 3-pointers in eight games. It has a 7-1 record in those games with the only loss last Saturday at Kentucky, which is probably AU’s toughest game of the season so far.
So what is the solution, and is this really a problem considering Auburn is 24-5 on the season?
Maybe it’s best labeled as the area Auburn can improve in the most now that we’ve reached March. This team just needs to shoot better, especially from beyond the arc, and it can beat a quality opponent on the road like Kentucky. AU shot 2 of 16 from long range in the second half against the Wildcats. Had they made two or three more and/or shot a little better than 13 of 22 (59.1 percent) from the free throw line, they could have won.
I expect teams to continue to defend the Tigers like Kentucky did. Cut off driving lanes and keep a big inside as a deterrent, which gave AU opportunities from long range. Just got to knock down the shots.
There’s reasons to believe they can.
Anfernee McLemore shot .330 from 3-point range last season, but is shooting just .292 this season. Samir Doughty is shooting .300 after shooting .425 a year ago. Danjel Purifoy shot .357 last year and .369 in 2016-17, but is shooting .301 this season. J’Von McCormick made 10 of 20 3-pointers last season, but is shooting .293.
Yes, Auburn can and should still drive inside. To me, that’s what this team does best, especially when Samir Doughty, Isaac Okoro and J’Von McCormick have the ball. They can also certainly be more efficient driving and passing to get teammates better shots too. A continued emphasis on defense and getting as many points out of transition as possible should also remain a priority.
But if this team wants to advance in March, wants to beat the best teams across the country, it needs to shoot better. If that’s possible, if they can do it, it could be another mad ride for the Tigers over the next four weeks.
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In today’s musical journey, we step back 47 years to the release of one of the best-selling albums of all time. Pink Floyd released its eighth studio album, Dark Side of the Moon, on March 1, 1973 and it’s gone on to sell over 45 million copies, which ranks in the top five of worldwide sales. It remained on the U.S. charts for 741 weeks from 1973 to 1988, longer than any other album in history. The album is ranked 43rd on Rolling Stones’ 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and has been preserved in the U.S. National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress. It’s cover, which features a prism spectrum, was rated the fourth-best by VH1.
Pink Floyd formed in London in 1965 by childhood friends Syd Barrett and Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Richard Wright. David Gilmour joined the band in 1967 shortly before Barrett left in 1968. The band used several names in its beginnings including Tea Set. When another band, also called Tea Set, was scheduled to perform at the same venue, Barrett came up with Pink Floyd, which pays tribute to two of his favorite blues musicians, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council.
Dark Side of the Moon was a concept album with each side of the album reflecting various stages of life, beginning and ending with a heartbeat. The themes include conflict, greed, death and insanity. It was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in two sessions with Alan Parsons as engineer. Waters composed most of the songs including Money, which became the band’s first top 10 hit in the U.S. Waters constructed a seven-beat sound effect loop that opens the song and is used throughout, which includes the sound of clinking coins, a ringing cash register, tearing paper and a clicking counting machine.