Tag: auburn basketball

Everything Bruce Pearl said following Auburn’s loss to No. 2 Baylor

Auburn fought tough for the first half but couldn’t match No. 2 Baylor for the entire game in a 84-72 loss to the Bears.

Opening statement…

“Disappointed. Missed opportunity. I thought we had a good game plan. I thought we executed really well for the first 15 minutes. Like the Arkansas game, we had some breakdowns at the end of the first half and didn’t start the second half with any effort and energy. We got outplayed in the backcourt, and that’s OK because (Jared) Butler and (MaCio) Teague and Davion Mitchell and (Adam) Flagler are all really good. But I think our guys are good, too. That was disappointing. Just from the look of the shooting percentages that we had. We just didn’t guard them in the second half or at the end of the first half like I think we’re capable of. I’m proud of the kids for coming back. We called a timeout there late with about five minutes to go. Baylor kept their starters in the entire game, trying to build on their scoring margin or something. So we pressed and closed the game out in the last five or six minutes with some effort and energy. We made some plays.”

On Baylor’s run early in the second half…

“They’re dangerous. But how much of it was them? How much of it was us? I think I’ve got to hold us a little bit more accountable. I think the good thing is I would like to think we could control that.”

On the impact of playing No. 1 and No. 2 teams…

“It’s an important thing. These guys came here to play against a great schedule. You’re fortunate to be able to play in this arena, play against this program. It’s a bit of a gauge for where we’re at and we’re close, we’re improving – but we’re not where we want to be or where I want us.”

On difference in rebounding between first and second half…

“In the first half, the defense is in front of our bench. We’re in their ear about where to be and where not to be. The other thing, too, is whether or not fatigue is a factor. Sharife (Cooper) and Al (Flanigan) both played almost 34 minutes. That’s a lot of minutes. To be able to play at the level that you have to play at, part of it is maybe being not as physically strong to be able to dig down to get some of those second half resources. Part of it is the offseason. We didn’t have the kind of offseason you would normally have. But again, from my standpoint, I’m going to put it on us as a team. Fatigue was a factor, but that’s because we let down some.”

On solid frontcourt play from JT Thor and Jaylin Williams…

“They did well. I knew going in that Jaylin (Williams) at the 5 was going to be a good thing. We didn’t take enough advantage of him at the 5, but I thought those two young guys played really, really well. With the exception of (Flo) Thamba getting 11 rebounds and their big guys rebounded, their starting 4 and 5 had two points, and our starting 4 and 5 had 30. So I thought our frontline guys from that standpoint did really well. We did a nice job there.”

Opinion: Auburn gains valuable lesson, experience in loss to No. 2 Baylor

Auburn couldn’t hold off a big run by No. 2 Baylor at the beginning of the first half in a 84-72 loss to the Bears.

If there ever was a sign that it wasn’t Auburn’s day in Waco, it happened around the nine-minute mark in the second half when a tipped ball popped right to Baylor’s Matthew Mayer on the top of the key and the forward drained a three-pointer.

It definitely wasn’t the difference as the second-ranked Bears, a team full of veterans, came out and imposed their will on the still-learning Tigers, but it showed that when you are good, the bounces are likely going to go your way.

The end result was a 84-72 defeat that was never in question after the Bears came out of the locker room in the second half and made their first four field goal attempts while Auburn struggled to even try and keep pace.

Yet this was what many expected to happen. Baylor isn’t undefeated and ranked No. 2 in the nation for nothing. The team is built for a national championship run under Scott Drew and, with a starting lineup that Bruce Pearl half-jokingly said was older than that of the Chicago Bulls, the Bears know how to punish young teams still learning. That is exactly what this Auburn team is: a group that are still trying to find their way, the best way to use their talents within the team and a group that is more green than Baylor’s away uniforms.

There were some positives of course to take out of it and that doesn’t even include the chance to battle against a team that is one of the favorites to win it all this year. That is a lesson that the Tigers will take from this loss. If you can battle this team for 20 minutes and stand toe-to-toe? Nothing will scare these guys in the future.

Sharife Cooper battled his heart out as well despite getting checked by bigger players. A “bad” game for the freshman turned into 15 points, seven rebounds  and five assists against a defense surely focused on taking him out of his game no matter the consequences.

The Tigers never quit, either. It would have been easy to throw in the towel while down 20 in the final 10 minutes but, let’s face it, Bruce Pearl wouldn’t allow that. Neither would this team.

There’s no shame in losing this game no matter how lopsided the score became. When Baylor catches fire like they did in the first 12 minutes of the second half, no one, not even Gonzaga, may be able to stay with them. They are just that good and you just have to tip your hat to them. It was a display of pure dominance for a while and even shots that were contended ended up going in.

Take the loss for what it was. Learn from it. Build on it. That is all you can possibly do.

With the future of this team so bright, we may look back at this game as one of the building blocks for a lot of victories.

Baylor 35, Auburn 30: 1st half analysis and thoughts

Auburn is down just five points to No. 2 Baylor going into halftime despite 11 turnovers and shooting just 34.4% from the field.

Despite double digits in turnovers and the shooting being off, Auburn is hanging with No. 2 Baylor in Waco at halftime with the Bears leading by just five points at 35-30.

Here are some first half thoughts and analysis:

  • Baylor’s defense, especially the length of their players, is impressive. The passing lanes that are usually there for Auburn just haven’t been there so far.
  • Sharife Cooper has been held to just — points and — assists with three turnovers but hasn’t played that bad. You can tell the Bears have the game plan to body him up with larger defenders.
  • I used to get in trouble for under-cutting players back in high school but it seems that Baylor has really perfected the form with some of the alley-oops thrown by Auburn so far. Some of these falls have been downright scary.
  • Baylor is going to take charge. Auburn needs to realize that, but the referees have been pretty good at not calling flops.
  • Missed free throws were killer at the end of the second half. Not only did Flanigan miss two at the very end but so did Babatunde Akingbola. You have to make those to pull an upset on the road.
  • Speaking of the upset, being just down five at the half after the way the Tigers looked offensively? I will definitely take it. It goes to show you how hard Auburn is battling defensively.
  • That spin move and then pass to Dylan Cardwell for the dunk by Cooper was awesome. That is my professional analysis.
  • Devan Cambridge continues to struggle from behind the three-point line but doesn’t sulk. I like that about the kid.
  • Let’s hope the Tigers realize that they are on par with Baylor after the first 20 minutes and have the ability to compete with them for the upset. Don’t let any big runs happen or the Bears will put the clamp down.

Sharife Cooper, Davion Mitchell matchup highlights Auburn’s tilt with Baylor

Auburn star Sharife Cooper will match up against former Tiger Davion Mitchell when the Tigers play Baylor on Saturday.

Sharife Cooper has already battled a few good guards since joining Auburn on Jan. 9 but no matchup will be as big as what faces him on Saturday in Baylor’s Davion Mitchell.

Tigers fans are aware of the Bears’ Mitchell as he played for the orange and blue back in 2017-18 when Auburn won the SEC regular season title. As a freshman, the Hinesville, Ga. native averaged 3.7 points and 1.9 assists on 17.1 minutes per game.

With Jared Harper permanently in place as the starter, Mitchell decided to transfer prior to the 2018-19 season much to the chagrin of Bruce Pearl.

“I’m so grateful for Davion coming to Auburn,” Pearl said. “I hated when he left. It broke my heart. He was playing with and competing with Jared Harper. Jared was a year older and had a little bit of an edge. I would have loved to have had a chance to play them together. If Davion stayed, we never would’ve seen J’Von McCormick. So it worked out great for everybody.”

The move to the Big 12 school has definitely been good for Mitchell. As a redshirt sophomore last season, he played 32.4 minutes per game for Scott Drew and became an impact player, putting up 9.9 points, 3.8 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game on his way to earning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year.

He’s been even better this year, averaging 12.9 points, 5.9 assist and 2.2 steals per game for undefeated and second-ranked Baylor.

It is Mitchell’s physicality that can be troublesome for the smaller Cooper. At 205 pounds, the Baylor guard has at least 25 pounds on the star freshman guard and will use that to his advantage when trying to get Cooper out of his game.

Pearl, though, isn’t worried about Cooper backing down.

“He’ll do fine,” Pearl said. “He’ll respect Davion for sure. Everything we do will be harder to do because Davion will be guarding him. But they’ve got other guys that can guard as well. It’s Baylor against Auburn. It’s not Davion against Sharife. There’s not bad blood at all between Auburn and Baylor, Davion and our coaches. We love him, we miss him and I’m proud of him. But it’ll be a great matchup of great players.”

Dan Dakich on Auburn’s self-imposed tournament ban: ‘I got to re-think it’

ESPN analyst Dan Dakich is all aboard the Sharife Cooper bandwagon now and thinks Auburn should reconsider the self-imposed postseason ban.

It’s hilarious how much Dan Dakich’s attitude toward Sharife Cooper and his presence on the Auburn basketball team has changed during the last few weeks.

After taking the stance that Cooper’s productivity would only decline from his debut against Alabama, the ESPN analyst has seemingly turned the page by calling the freshman point guard possibly the best player in the SEC and, per The Montgomery Advertiser, is now saying Bruce Pearl should consider lifting the self-imposed postseason ban on the Tigers this year.

“He’s been absolutely fantastic,” Dakich said of Cooper. “That dude is 1,000% dynamic. That dude gets easy shots.

“And don’t think for a second that Bruce Pearl opted out knowing or thinking that this kid was going to be that good,” Dakich added. “It’s one thing to be that good in practice, boss. Bruce Pearl, if I’m him, I got to re-think it.”

Yes, Cooper has absolutely been that good for the Tigers since joining the team on January 9 after missing the first 11 games of the season due to eligibility concerns. The Powder Springs, Ga. native is averaging 22.3 points, 8.7 assists and five rebounds a game.

In the victory over No. 12 Missouri on Tuesday night, Cooper was clutch from the free throw line, making 18-of-21 attempts with many coming in the final minutes and the game still in question.

“That’s my favorite thing to do is close the game,” Cooper said following the 88-82 victory. “Just making the right plays, making winning plays that affect the game tremendously – just by doing something little. That’s my favorite thing to do since I was a kid.”

Sharife Cooper: ‘Favorite thing to do is close the game’

Auburn freshman point guard Sharife Cooper helped the Tigers defeat No. 12 Missouri 88-82 on Tuesday night in Auburn Arena.

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With Auburn leading No. 12 Missouri and the clock ticking down on Tuesday night, there was no question who would have the ball in their hand: Sharife Cooper.

“That’s my favorite thing to do is close the game,” Cooper said following the 88-82 victory. “Just making the right plays, making winning plays that affect the game tremendously – just by doing something little. That’s my favorite thing to do since I was a kid.”

Cooper’s influence on the Auburn offense was apparent as the Tigers struggled to do anything on that side of the floor with him on the bench early in the second half. The freshman finished with 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists but it was his shooting at the free throw line down the stretch that was even more impressive as he finished 18-of-21 from the charity stripe.

Here is everything Cooper and Chris Moore had to say following the victory.

Sharife Cooper, G, Fr.

On beating an experienced Missouri team…

“It just gives you confidence. Just going out there and playing a team that you know is No. 12 in the country, they’re one of the best teams in the country, so we feel like we could compete with anybody after you win one of those games. It’s big for our confidence as a team individually, and I think we can build on that.”

On the challenge of facing Missouri’s guards…

“I saw what they did last game. I knew it was going to be a challenge. I love big games. It was super fun. For some reason, today was more fun. I don’t know why, but it was fun out there.”

On the bench having a big night…

“Great lift. It’s just fun to see. Fun as a team when everybody is contributing. That’s just good for those guys individually as well as our team, as well as moving forward. We trust those guys. We watch them in practice, so we know what they do behind the camera. We believe in them, and when they come out and show it, it’s just great.”

On making plays down the stretch…

“That’s my favorite thing to do is close the game. Just making the right plays, making winning plays that affect the game tremendously – just by doing something little. That’s my favorite thing to do since I was a kid. My dad instilled that in me. We’re a young team, so just being able to transfer that to college, it’s a great experience.”

Chris Moore, F, Fr.

On how it felt to play well…

“It felt great. All my life, it’s been about confidence. When I got here, I was shy of confidence, but the coaching staff has been getting on me all year about shooting my shot. That’s in our DNA. Me making shots and coming through for the team was really big. It felt good out there to make a lot of big shots.”

On being a much more experienced team with the group of young players…

“It shows that we’ve got guys with composure on this team that can step up in the big moments and make the right plays. We had Sharife (Cooper) coming down the stretch. Great point guard making the great plays. We had a good game out of JT (Thor). We had a great game out of Dylan Cardwell packing everything in the paint, being the big dog and alpha dog that we need in the paint. Everybody contributed tonight. It felt good to beat an experienced team.” 

On the freshman class playing better and gaining experience…

“Our coaches emphasized that we’re not freshmen anymore. (Coach Pearl) says it now. We instill that into ourselves and just go out there and play our game like we’ve been out there for a long time.”

Sharife Cooper: ‘Favorite thing to do is close the game’

Auburn freshman point guard Sharife Cooper helped the Tigers defeat No. 12 Missouri 88-82 on Tuesday night in Auburn Arena.

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With Auburn leading No. 12 Missouri and the clock ticking down on Tuesday night, there was no question who would have the ball in their hand: Sharife Cooper.

“That’s my favorite thing to do is close the game,” Cooper said following the 88-82 victory. “Just making the right plays, making winning plays that affect the game tremendously – just by doing something little. That’s my favorite thing to do since I was a kid.”

Cooper’s influence on the Auburn offense was apparent as the Tigers struggled to do anything on that side of the floor with him on the bench early in the second half. The freshman finished with 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists but it was his shooting at the free throw line down the stretch that was even more impressive as he finished 18-of-21 from the charity stripe.

Here is everything Cooper and Chris Moore had to say following the victory.

Sharife Cooper, G, Fr.

On beating an experienced Missouri team…

“It just gives you confidence. Just going out there and playing a team that you know is No. 12 in the country, they’re one of the best teams in the country, so we feel like we could compete with anybody after you win one of those games. It’s big for our confidence as a team individually, and I think we can build on that.”

On the challenge of facing Missouri’s guards…

“I saw what they did last game. I knew it was going to be a challenge. I love big games. It was super fun. For some reason, today was more fun. I don’t know why, but it was fun out there.”

On the bench having a big night…

“Great lift. It’s just fun to see. Fun as a team when everybody is contributing. That’s just good for those guys individually as well as our team, as well as moving forward. We trust those guys. We watch them in practice, so we know what they do behind the camera. We believe in them, and when they come out and show it, it’s just great.”

On making plays down the stretch…

“That’s my favorite thing to do is close the game. Just making the right plays, making winning plays that affect the game tremendously – just by doing something little. That’s my favorite thing to do since I was a kid. My dad instilled that in me. We’re a young team, so just being able to transfer that to college, it’s a great experience.”

Chris Moore, F, Fr.

On how it felt to play well…

“It felt great. All my life, it’s been about confidence. When I got here, I was shy of confidence, but the coaching staff has been getting on me all year about shooting my shot. That’s in our DNA. Me making shots and coming through for the team was really big. It felt good out there to make a lot of big shots.”

On being a much more experienced team with the group of young players…

“It shows that we’ve got guys with composure on this team that can step up in the big moments and make the right plays. We had Sharife (Cooper) coming down the stretch. Great point guard making the great plays. We had a good game out of JT (Thor). We had a great game out of Dylan Cardwell packing everything in the paint, being the big dog and alpha dog that we need in the paint. Everybody contributed tonight. It felt good to beat an experienced team.” 

On the freshman class playing better and gaining experience…

“Our coaches emphasized that we’re not freshmen anymore. (Coach Pearl) says it now. We instill that into ourselves and just go out there and play our game like we’ve been out there for a long time.”

Everything Bruce Pearl said after Auburn’s victory over No. 12 Missouri

Auburn came back from an early second-half deficit to beat No. 12 Missouri on Tuesday night in Auburn Arena.

Opening statement…

“That is the best win of the year so far against a nationally ranked team. A really, really good team in Missouri. A veteran team. A team we didn’t beat last year. We had a great game at Missouri last year. They played great and we played pretty well. We went there with just two losses and they gave us our third, and we only had (six) losses last year. They bought everyone back, a very experienced team. The youngest team in college basketball managed to survive a really slow start in the second half. We are a lot better with Sharife Cooper on the floor. When he got in foul trouble, we bogged down. There were a lot of really strong performances. If I would’ve told you that we would make six 3s and we could win, I would have worried about it, and if told me the two guys that would make three were Chris Moore and JT Thor, I might have questioned that. Very unusual. I’m happy for the bench. They did a great job tonight. We outscored them, outplayed them off the bench, which is terrific. Led by Devan Cambridge, Dylan Cardwell was 6 for 7 from the foul line, Chris (Moore) played his best game, Javon (Franklin) gave us some great moments. A good team victory. Now it’s on to No. 2 Baylor.”

On the bench play…

“I thought the bench was really good. If you look at the numbers, Devan (Cambridge), we were plus-8 with him out there. Dylan, we were plus-10 with him out there. He was 6 for 7 from the foul line. Plus-10 for Chris Moore. He doesn’t miss a shot. Stretch (Babatunde Akingbola) gave us some valuable minutes and some big rebounds, and Javon (Franklin) contributed. That’s just impressive.”

On making free throws down the stretch…

“Late on the lead, they fouled us a lot. Both teams got to the line a lot. We got in the bonus sooner in the second half. That made a big difference. In the first half free throws, we were 9 for 14 and they were 11 for 14. Both teams got there. In the second half on the lead, they just had a hard time staying in front of Sharife (Cooper) and Al(len) Flanigan did a good job there as well. I like 3s and frees. I want to shoot the 3 ball and I want to attack the rim. I thought we did both well enough to win.”

On putting back in Sharife Cooper with foul trouble…

“We didn’t want to start him because I didn’t want him to get his fourth foul right away. I didn’t want to put him in there until after the first TV timeout. We just didn’t start well. That was disappointing, because I thought that group can, but they just didn’t. That’s a missed opportunity for them. We were sloppy offensively. We missed some shots and that was an issue. He’s our quarterback. We just saw four great quarterbacks play in the AFC and NFC Championship. I don’t think any of those teams are there without their quarterback. He made a huge difference.”

On Sharife Cooper’s play down the stretch…

“We talk about him being an alpha dog and what that’s all about. He’s the biggest little man out there, period. Everybody knows it. But, when it comes to the end of a game, he expects to win. He expects to make the plays, and if he doesn’t, he takes full responsibility. The winning can happen on both ends. He had eight rebounds. He’s obviously a terrific athlete and has great quickness. We are going to go up against a Baylor team with probably the best defensive guards in the country. I’m sure they are excited about the opportunity to try to shut off Sharife’s water, and they are very capable of doing it. That’s going to be by far our toughest challenge.”

Opinion: Auburn’s Sharife Cooper most impactful freshman in college basketball in some time

Auburn freshman Sharife Cooper showed once again why he is one of the best freshman in college basketball with performance against Missouri.

A lot of hype surrounded Sharife Cooper when he signed with Auburn. That continued when the NCAA kept him out for 11 games for reasons that still haven’t been explained.

Is he that good? How special can he be? How will Auburn benefit from his presence?

There are no questions now. Cooper’s ability as a basketball player, floor general and overall leader of a team just six games into his career is one of the most impressive things I have watched in my 39 years of watching basketball and, on Tuesday night in Auburn’s 88-82 victory over No. 12 Missouri, it was even more evident.

Need proof? Just look at the tape of the Tigers without him against Mizzou. After Cooper picked up his third foul late in the first half, Bruce Pearl decided to keep him out of the beginning of the second 20 minutes with Auburn up four points. That lead didn’t last long as Missouri took a six-point lead early in the second half.

Yet Cooper had every answer. A lob to Cambridge. Taking the beating that the visiting Tigers were giving him and getting to the foul line that resulted in him making 18-of-21 free throws. Drawing charges even though he was in foul trouble. Driving past defenders and somehow getting a jump up in traffic among taller players.

He finished with 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

It was all part of his magic and what has become must-watch viewing not for just Auburn fans but basketball fans nationwide. You will not run across many players that can make such a vast difference to a game and a team than Cooper.

To make an Auburn comparison, he’s what Cam Newton was to the 2010 national title team: the alpha dog and the reason why everyone was scared of the Tigers.

He makes everyone on the floor better. His fellow freshman JT Thor becomes a major threat from the three-point line when getting the ball from Cooper. Allen Flanigan gets to be himself, a scorer at heart, instead of someone in charge of taking care of the ball. You can go down the list. Dylan Cardwell lives off the easy dunks he gets because of Cooper. Jaylin Williams, Chris Moore and … well … every Tiger instantly becomes so much more confident on offense with him on the floor.

When was the last time you could say that about any freshman at Auburn? In the SEC? In NCAA basketball? There’s not many and, those that do come to mind (Bobby Hurley and John Wall are examples) were surrounded by players better than them.

Not Cooper. Of course, he won’t admit that or will he ever take full credit for Tuesday’s win, but let’s face facts: without him, Auburn has no chance winning against Missouri.

If he decides to stay another season, the expectations for 2021-22 will skyrocket yet let’s state what is obvious right now: Cooper is the most impactful freshman in college basketball this season and it’s not even close. That doesn’t mean that he is the best, but that he means the most to his team.

It was never more evident than against Missouri. Cooper stole the show and, for those who watched, it was magical.

Auburn 39, Missouri 35: 1st half thoughts and analysis

Auburn holds a four-point lead going into the second half against Missouri.

Auburn leads Missouri 39-35 at halftime. The Tigers had a 14-point lead but a late run by the visiting Tigers cut the lead to four heading into the second half. Here are some thoughts at halftime.

  • The Tigers look completely lost without Cooper on the floor and his foul status in the second half will be huge. Look for Missouri to get a cheap one on him early.
  • Speaking of, the last four minutes without Cooper on the floor were huge as Missouri made a comeback much like Arkansas did last week.
  • I mentioned this on Twitter but I want to put a trampoline underneath one of the baskets in Auburn Arena and receive a lob from Cooper. Just once. It looks like so much fun.
  • We haven’t seen the best of either Allen Flanigan or Jaylin Williams yet and that is a good sign for Auburn.
  • These announcers actually focused on the game. Vast improvement over Saturday.
  • Flanigan looked unsure with the ball playing the point position and that is another sign that Justin Powell’s return will be huge for the Tigers.
  • Dylan Cardwell wasn’t much of a presence in the first half beside one basket.
  • JT Thor is heating up from beyond the three-point line but still needs to be stronger when taking the ball to the rim.
  • Chris Moore made two three-pointers and tipped in a missed basket and … well, then he disappeared. Hopefully he finds the same stroke in the final 20 minutes.

Let’s hope Auburn can come out with a big run to start the second half.