The men’s basketball team ended their season much earlier than anticipated in the 2021-22 campaign. As we look to the next season for the Auburn Tigers, head coach [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag] has reloaded his squad and is poised for another run to the Final Four.
It won’t come easy as the Tigers lose their dynamic frontcourt duo of Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler. The staff replaced them with a top transfer and a five-star signee. Sound familiar? It is the same blueprint as last season when they brought in Smith and Kessler.
As we look towards the next season, ESPN released their way-too-early top 25 rankings.
What ESPN Says…
After missing out on five-star forward Julian Phillips, who picked Tennessee over the Tigers, Auburn will have to hope Allen Flanigan returns to his 2020-21 form and is able to shoulder more of the scoring load on the wing. A projected first-round pick in the 2022 NBA draft last summer, Flanigan underwent a procedure to repair his right Achilles in early September and never found a rhythm once returning to the court. He averaged 14.3 points as a sophomore and was ranked No. 19 in ESPN’s early NBA draft rankings — but didn’t appear in a game until late December and averaged just 6.3 points in 22 games. His shooting numbers were down across the board. If Flanigan regains his old form, he could once again be a go-to guy for Bruce Pearl.
Auburn checks in at No. 12 on their way-too-early list (subscription required). Only the Kentucky Wildcats (No. 3 Overall) and the Arkansas Razorbacks (No. 8 Overall) are ahead of Bruce Pearl’s squad in the initial rankings from ESPN among SEC teams.
A look at their projected lineup for the Tigers in the 2022-23 men’s basketball season:
