It wasn't a win for Auburn, but the positive signs, especially on offense, were evident on Tuesday in South Dakota.

In the 88-82 loss against No. 20 Baylor, the Tigers shot 47 percent from deep and posted 0.921 points per possession.

The stars were out for Auburn as Aden Holloway, Denver Jones and Johni Broome combined for 48 points to pace the Tiger offense.

With the shooting talent that Auburn acquired in the offseason, specifically Jones and Holloway, the Tigers were able to run 5-out and zoom actions that they weren't able to a year prior.

Here's a deeper look into that:

ZOOM

So before we get into the film, let's talk about what zoom action is.

Simply put, zoom action is a down screen that flows immediately into a dribble handoff (DHO).

The designed ball handler is sprinting around the wing, hence the name "zoom."

As soon as Jones receives the screen from Broome, Chaney Johnson immediately flips it to him and he has an open look due to the screen by Broome (and some shaky defensive work.)

This action doesn't necessarily mean a shot is coming right away as there is an option for the ball handler to drive. Since they are sprinting around a screen, it ends up being a split second decision.

Here's an example of driving off of it:

The screen set by Chris Moore leaves Ja'Kobe Walter off balance and once Dylan Cardwell hands the ball to Holloway, the play flows into Spain action and the back screen takes Walter out of the play.

This leaves Holloway to drive on a guard on his heels and the defender was no match.

More zoom action and this one flows into Broome setting a pin down right after the initial action.

Notice who is running most of these actions as the ball handler: Holloway and Jones. Why?

Both have the ability to stop and pop on a dime but are also adept at getting downhill and either playmaking or finishing.

And that's why this action has so much potential for Auburn's guards because the defense has to honor every potential outcome with those two.

This one is inverted with Moore being the ball handler.

Here's a place where Auburn is different: there is a weak side shooting threat.

The weak side shooting has been a massive issue for Auburn since it hasn't had a real threat there the last two years and it has led to clogged paints.

Here, Moore drives and draws the weak side man, but the problem is that the defender left a corner shooter open.

That shooter was Jones, and he's not missing many of those looks.

This isn't off of zoom, but I want to make the point of how spread out Auburn is even with Cardwell in the game.

Baylor has to respect every guy on the court and their shooting outside of Cardwell.

Cardwell is diving to the basket and has a mismatch down low.

Holloway whips him the pass and it's an easy finish.

THIS FRESHMAN IS FILTHY

Holloway, coming off a preseason ankle injury, played his first game against a top 20 team and he absolutely dazzled.

The freshman point guard put up 19 points on 55 percent true shooting to go along with six assists and three rebounds.

Recall the zoom action talk from up above because Holloway was cooking off of that action.

Again, more zoom action, and this defense would have actually been fine (besides the foul) against most guards.

Not Holloway. Can't give him a sliver of space.

The first shot off his college career is him running off a screen and hitting an off balance three while being fouled. Not bad.

At the start of the clip, Holloway hands off to Chad Baker-Mazara; watch him run off ball and notice everything he does.

That is your 6-foot-1 point guard running around off ball, setting back screens and coming off screens and popping threes.

Defenders go under the screen and that's butter for Holloway.

This is poor screen navigation by Baylor and it leaves Holloway a sliver of space, and he's going to take advantage of that every chance he gets.

Don't forget about Holloway's passing.

This is an absolute dime by the freshman. He held the ball for a second while in motion and delivered about a 40 foot outlet pass to a running Broome.

We'll get into this in a bit, but Auburn wants to run after misses, and that fits Holloway perfectly.

Can't ask for much more from your freshman point guard in his first game.

RUNNING!

Auburn wants to run this season and it showed right away.

Per KenPom, Auburn had an adjusted tempo of 73.3 possessions. The Tigers sat at 67.6 last season.

Now, keep in mind that it is a one game sample size, and that's quite important here, but the number being that much higher should be telling.

If an Auburn guard grabs a rebound, they're running.

Tre Donaldson grabs a slightly long rebound and immediately outlets to Jones who has Moore running alongside with him.

Not a perfect lob, but it got the job done.

Again, Holloway grabs a long rebound near the free throw line and immediately takes off with Cardwell running ahead of him.

The combination of rim running bigs and guards that constantly want to run is going to be a nightmare to deal with in transition.

This is off a made basket from Baylor.

Simply put, if the defense isn't on its toes at all times against Auburn, it's going to get cooked.

Now, it wasn't all pretty for Auburn as its transition numbers were actually quite poor for this game.

Per Synergy, the Tigers only put up 0.706 points per possession (PPP) on transition chances and had a turnover percentage of 29.4.

A lot of the turnovers came from plays like the above; both point guards did it.

The lesson for Auburn's guards will be the split second decision of "should I make this pass or not." That will come with experience.

DEFENSE AND THE END

Auburn's defense had its moments, especially in the first half, and it was clear what it wants its identity to be on that side. But 88 points, and 54 in the second half, isn't going to work.

Before going over the ending, I want to go over what Auburn's defensive identity is going to look like.

Auburn is going to do a lot of reaching and gambling.

It's going to burn the Tigers at times, but the risk is worth it for a team that wants to do as much transition work as Auburn wants to do.

This is an example of gambling working out perfectly. Johnson is the help defender and he reaches for a strip and it ends up bouncing off of Baylor for a turnover.

That worked out, but if he misses with his rip, the helper is completely out of the play and that is likely a layup.

Auburn also was switching everything on the perimeter and running either a hedge with its centers or were icing and trapping.

Broome is in a hedge until Jones is able to recover, and by the time he has, the ball has been picked up and he just fronts the center and forces a turnover.

This is where the negatives of switching comes into play.

Broome is switched on to the perimeter and is beat off the dribble.

Also, when Broome is switched on to the perimeter it means he's not there to protect the rim.

Again, the risk is worth it for the reward, but this is just going to happen at times.

Okay, let's talk about the end.

K.D. Johnson and Broome switch, that part is fine.

Auburn did a lot of recovering on its switches and that's what it looks like Broome is trying to do, but nobody is switching on to the guard and it's an open three to tie the game.

This is where the game was lost, in my opinion.

Lazy inbound pass and a foul on Broome, who was trying to get back. Auburn never recovered from this.

There was a lot of good from this game from Auburn, especially on offense, but there is a lot for Pearl to clean.

Pearl talked about being "exposed," and we saw it. The issues are very cleanable, however, and overall Auburn should be encouraged after its opening day game.

OTHER TAKEAWAYS

- Baker-Mazara had an up and down game, but his length caused defensively. The two steals in about 30 seconds were both a result of him having an absurd wingspan. He also drove the ball quite efficiently.

- Auburn is going to need more from its four's. Jaylin Williams was basically nonexistent on both sides and Chaney Johnson looked a step slow, but he's going to be on a curve for a bit adjusting to major college basketball. Both will be fine.

- Dylan Cardwell quietly had an effective game. He had four assists and five blocks in 14 minutes.

- Lion Berman can't play any non garbage time minutes, respectfully.

- Overall, there were a lot of positives, especially on offense, for Auburn. It's a game they let slip, and fans have every right to be bummed about that. But this team will be fine.