With the shot clock running down against Saint Louis, Dylan Cardwell found himself in an unfamiliar spot: at the top of the key, the ball in his hands and forced to make a play on the dribble.

The Auburn center went to his right and attempted a floater. It didn't come close to going in, and afterward, his coach joked that that wasn't exactly what the Tigers had in mind on that possession.

"I didn't draw up a play to have Dylan drive the ball to the basket with a one-handed floater from 8 feet," Bruce Pearl said. "That was not something we work on."

That is one of the few things the 6-foot-11 junior has done wrong this season as his role in Auburn's rotation has grown. In 17.5 minutes on the floor per game, Cardwell is averaging five points, 5.5 rebounds and, most notably, 2.9 blocks, tied for 10th in the nation. His frontcourt mate, Johni Broome, puts up 3.4 rejections per game (fourth in college basketball) as the Tigers lead the country in blocked shots per game.

Cardwell had a great mentor in blocking shots last season, sitting behind Walker Kessler, who made a living in the paint sending back shots to their sender, averaging 4.6 blocks per game. Those lessons have helped him stay aggressive while not racking up fouls.

"I feel like it just depends on us being more disciplined," Cardwell said. " It's all about being second off the floor and just being really mature. When a guy's gonna pump fake or when a guy has a good percentage of making through contact or not, know when to swat down and stuff like that."

Despite his growth in that area, Cardwell admits there are aspects of his game that he needs to keep improving on. As a big man who regularly gets the ball in the paint, taking the ball stronger to the rim is one of them and when not able to convert the basket, be able to make sure the free throws count.

"Just being able to finish through contact; that's the most important one," Cardwell said. "Then when I get to that foul line, just being able to be a confident free throw shooter."

Pearl, calling his center one of the most athletic players for his size in the nation, has been happy with Cardwell's progress through the first eight games of the season.

"He's unselfish," the coach said. "He gets offensive rebounds. He kicks it out to shooters. He sets good screens. He gets to the rim. He's good in the air. Yeah, I'd like to see us play through him a little bit more. I'd like to see him want the ball in there a little bit more and score a little bit more down in there."