(The Big 10 may not be as elite as it was a couple years ago, but Wisconsin, Purdue, Michigan, Indiana, Michigan State, maybe Maryland and maybe Minnesota are NCAA teams.)
Anyway, this will be an important test for Auburn. Why? Pearl's Tigers lack size in a big way, but they've made up for that with handsy, deflection-based defense and an attacking attitude in terms of rebounding. They have a lot of energy. Guys like Dunans and Purifoy and Spencer are bouncy; they make it a point to challenge for almost every rebound.
Purdue (3-1) has a whole lot of size. The PF, Caleb Swanigan, is 6-foot-9 and 250 pounds. He leads the team in shots and he's hitting 54% from the floor. He's also a solid (70%) free-throw shooter. The C, Isaac Haas, is 7-2 and weighs 290 pounds. He ranks third among all Division I players in fouls drawn and he's hitting 78% of his shots from the floor.
Purdue feeds those guys inside and they go to work. Auburn, at least on paper, cannot repel that kind of low-post firepower. At least not while going head-up with those guys. The Tigers must find ways to obstruct the Purdue guards as they search for passes inside. Auburn has excellent quickness; use it to create deflections in passing lanes that will be predictable given how Purdue's offense works.
It's particularly important that Spencer and LaRon Smith defend without fouling. Both guys have been a tick below average in that way, but keeping an eye on that part of the game will be quite important tonight. At least one of those guys needs to be on the floor at all times.
On the other end, this will be a tempo game. Auburn is built to counterattack. Auburn is best in transition, creating despair with the press and using it to create advantageous opportunities going the other way. That means Jared Harper and Ronnie Johnson must be cognizant of that and push the tempo when it slips a bit.
Auburn wasn't as sharp against Texas Tech when forced to play quarter-court offense.
So:
- Push the tempo when applicable
- Stay out of foul trouble in the post
- EARN AND HIT FREE THROWS (AU was 8-of-14 in the second half Tuesday)
- Keep drilling Dunans to be an enabler and not a first-option scorer
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