On Saturday afternoon Auburn forward Jabari Smith did everything he could to get the Tigers the win. He led the way in the scoring department but it was all for not as Tennessee came from behind to win the game. Following the game, Vols head coach Rick Barnes addressed the game and Smith’s play.
“Bruce (Pearl) is a very smart coach and a terrific basketball coach. When you’ve got a guy like that (Smith),” Barnes said as he paused in his postgame press conference. He then compared him to one of his former players at Texas. “I mean, Kevin Durant, we had a team where six out of the top seven were freshmen, and he played 36 minutes for a reason. He averaged 26 points a game. It’s hard not to give him the ball because it’s not like they’re selfish players. You know they’ll make the right read if they get double-teamed and pass the ball.”
That is some high praise for the freshman. During his lone season with the Longhorns, Durant won the college basketball player of the year award in 2007. He was also a consensus All-American and Big 12 Player of the Year. In 2007, Durant averaged 25.8 points per game with 11.1 rebounds, 1.9 steals, and 1.9 blocks.
In his freshman season, Smith has put together 16.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 steals, and one block per game. The numbers are quite equal, but Smith does have a similar size to Durant. Both are tall and long shooters that can score inside and out. Against the Vols, Smith scored 27 points with eight rebounds and two blocks. It was his third game in the last four times out that Smith had at least 27 points.
For the Tigers to make a run at the national championship, it will like come on the shoulders of their freshman sensation.