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Auburn basketball: 3 things the Tigers should worry about vs. Creighton
By David Wasson
Published:
On one hand, this NCAA Tournament has already got to feel like a bit of a victory for the Auburn Tigers.
After all, Auburn was already headed back to The Plains at this juncture last year courtesy of the Yale Bulldogs – one of the biggest upsets of March Madness 2024. So for the Tigers to cruise past 16th-seeded Alabama State 83-63 on Thursday, that is tangible progress a year later.
On the other hand, though, this is the No. 1 overall seed we are talking about in the 2024-25 Tigers. Yes, handling an in-state automatic qualifier like the Hornets is one thing, but the opponent up next – 9-seed Creighton – represents a much more existential threat to what could be a magical run.
Bruce Pearl knows as much and was quite loquacious in talking about it Thursday afternoon. After all, you simply cannot manufacture energy nor can you hide a lack of it for very long in the NCAA Tournament.
“We just weren’t sharp,” Pearl said after Auburn’s 20-point victory in the first round. “One thing you can control. Our teams always play with great effort and energy too or our system doesn’t really work. I just didn’t think we did today.”
Listen, no basketball team can stay immaculately honed over the 6-game march through March Madness – especially as the oxygen density gets thinner with each step toward the summit. In other words, there won’t be any more Alabama States running layup lines on the other side of the NCAA Tournament courts.
Creighton, in particular, is a challenge that will require Pearl and the Tigers’ full attention. What should the Tigers be worried about when it comes to the Bluejays?
1. Defending the 3-point line
The Bluejays blasted past Louisville 89-75 earlier Thursday in a game that saw the No. 9 seed roll largely due to a sustained bombardment of 3-pointers.
“We felt like we had to win the 3-point-line battle,” Creighton coach Greg McDermott said of the matchup against Louisville. “So we did what we could to force them into 2s, and if they shot 3s that they’d be challenged. I think for the most part we were able to do that.”
Creighton was stellar from beyond the arc Thursday, draining 11 of 24 from 3-point range, with Steven Ashworth connecting on 4-of-8 attempts en route to 22 points. That sharpshooting was in line with a strong overall effort that saw the Bluejays shoot 58% (32-of-56) from the field.
Defending the 3-point arc will be a main issue for Auburn on Saturday, but it won’t be the only one that keeps Pearl and his coaching staff from sleeping soundly over the next 24 hours.
2. Stopping Jamiya Neal
Devising a plan to defend Jamiya Neal will also be critical, as the rangy guard dropped a career-high 29 points on Louisville.
At 6-5, Neal made 11 of 16 attempts from the field – including 2 of 5 from behind the arc – and matched his career high with 12 rebounds. He also threw down a vicious second-half dunk to keep Creighton’s frantic pace fueled as Louisville tried to pull closer.
“They spaced the floor for me, and I like to play in space,” Neal said. “That leaves me a lot of opportunity to go out there and do my thing.”
3. Winning the free-throw battle
Another facet that delineates teams with plenty of talent vs. plenty of hype is production from the free-throw line. Creighton also dominated on that front Thursday, making 14-of-21 from the stripe (66.7%) compared to Auburn’s 18-of-32 effort (56.3%).
“We missed 14 free throws, we made 18, and that’s going to catch us in a close game,” Pearl said. “These next games have a chance to be closer, so we’ve got to sharpen up in that area. We won’t beat Creighton if we play like we did tonight.”
It also won’t help Auburn that Creighton won’t exactly be intimidated by the trappings of the second round. The Bluejays will be seeking their fourth Sweet 16 appearance in 5 years and will be up against an Auburn team admittedly didn’t supply maximum effort in the first round.
“Creighton is still a very veteran team, that they’ve been through it,” Pearl cautioned. “They’re not going to beat themselves. We’ll have a great game plan together, but it’s going to be a very, very tough second round for us.”
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
