Making progress

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AUBURN, Ala. | Tyler Harris continues to put up big numbers in preseason practice.

After posting 18 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday's scrimmage, the Providence transfer scored 23 and had six rebounds Wednesday.

"I thought we made some progress," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. "We had a positive assist-turnover ratio. We still turned it over too much but we turned it over less. I thought we executed some things really well. We've got more size and I thought our size, Horace did some things around the basket. Tyler shoots 8-for-10 and the two shots he missed were layups.

"I've been pretty hard on them. I think today was better. The scout team did a good job. Our strength is not going to be our five, but our 10."

TJ Dunans only scored 4 points but Pearl likes what the junior college transfer brings on both ends of the court. He had seven assists, four steals and no turnovers.

"He's hard to stay in front of and he really knows how to pass the ball without turning it over," Pearl said. "He's able to control his body so people that slide in front of him, he doesn't charge. Really smart player."

Wednesday's scrimmage consisted of two 10-minute halves followed by two four-minute situational periods. The teams were split evenly for the first half before Pearl stacked his Orange squad for the second.

The Blue team consisted of freshmen New Williams and Danjel Purifoy, Devin Waddell and several walk-ons.

Waddell, a former walk-on, scored 16 points, making 4-of-6 3-pointers.

Also scoring in double-figures were Kareem Canty with 12, Horace Spencer with 11, and Purifoy and Tahj Shamsid-Deen with 10. Spencer had a team-high seven rebounds and two blocks while Canty dished out seven assists.

Cinmeon Bowers had a solid scrimmage with eight points, four rebounds and five assists. Harris also had an assist, two steals and a block.

"(Bowers and Harris) are good passing big men and they're older players and I thought they did well together," Pearl said.

Overall, Auburn shot 49.3 percent from the floor (35-of-71) and 81.3 percent from the foul line (26-of-32). The Tigers also made 9-of-31 from 3-point range.

"I think we got better," Shamsid-Deen said. "It was a good last day of practice before the guys get to go home for the break for a couple of days before we get back on Sunday."

Auburn will host exhibition games on Oct. 30 and Nov. 5. The season opener against UAB is Nov. 13 at the Auburn Arena.

"We're about halfway through the preseason," Pearl said. "There's a lot of things I've got to get in starting Sunday. One of the things I'm going to do Sunday is I will let the team know where they are 1 through 12 as far as scholarship, 13, 14, 15. I'm going to put a number on them. I've got 18 guys on the roster.

"I think it's really important that you communicate honestly with your players so they know where they're at in my mind and then they can try to hold on if they like where they're at, and if they don't like where they're at, they've got two weeks to change my thinking."