The Sports Bank’s college basketball season previews undergo a face lift this season. Rather than counting down the top 111 teams in 111 days, we will go conference-by-conference. I’ve already counted down the Pac-12 and Big 12 now we turn our attention to the SEC.
After being blacklisted from the college coaching world, Bruce Pearl was hired this off-season by the Auburn Tigers. It was certainly the splash hire the program desperately needs to try and bring respectability to a team that hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament in more than a decade.
AUBURN TIGERS
Last season: 12th, 6-12 in SEC, 14-16 overall
Projected SEC Finish: 14th
Projected Depth Chart
C: Matthew Atewe (So)/Trayvon Reed (Fr)
PF: Cinmeon Bowers (Jr)/Jordan Granger (Jr)/Alex Thompson (So)/Jack Purchase (Fr)
G/F: KT Harrell (Jr)/T.J. Lang (Fr)
SG: Antoine Mason (Sr)/Dion Wade (So)
PG: Tahj Shamsid-Deen (So)/Malcolm Canada (Sr)
Gone: SG-Chris Denson, PF-Allen Payne, C-Asauhn Dixon-Tatum, C-Benas Griciunas (transfer-Charlotte)
2014-2015 Outlook:
The addition of Niagara transfer, Antoine Mason was a huge off-season acquisition. The son of Anthony Mason is the leading returning scorer in nation as he averaged 25.6 points per game last season. Mason and KT Harrell provide Pearl with a terrific one-two scoring punch since Harrell put up more than 18 points per game last year in first season after transferring in from Virginia.
Responsible for getting those two guys the rock is Tahj Shamsid-Dean. He started all thirty games during a solid freshman campaign and is a capable scorer in his own right. Malcolm Canada and Dion Wade return to their reserve roles while freshman T.J. Lang competes for minutes in a talented backcourt.
Auburn adds the top ranked JUCO player in the country in power forward Cinmeon Bowers. At 6-7, 278 pounds, Bowers is an absolute tank and will anchor the Tigers inside. The rest of the frontcourt is a major question mark though as Matthew Atewe, Jordan Granger, and Alex Thompson were all used sparingly a year ago. Australian forward Jack Purchase is an intriguing newcomer due to his versatility and ability to stretch defenses with his outside shooting.
The frontcourt should get a major boost prior to SEC play when former Maryland commit Trayvon Reed is expected to join the team. The seven-footer is currently enrolled in a prep school but should be joining the Tigers for the second semester and brings size and athleticism to the defensive interior.
Pearl has hit the recruiting trail hard with verbal commitments from a pair of top 100 recruits in the 2015 class. He also added Marshall transfer guard Kareem Canty who must sit out this season but should be an impact player in 2015-16.
Key Non-Conference Games:
11/18 at Colorado
11/24 vs. Tulsa (MGM Grand Main Event)
11/26 vs. Tulsa/Oklahoma State/Oregon State (MGM Grand Main Event)
12/3 at Texas Tech (SEC/Big 12 Challenge)
12/14 at Clemson
12/20 vs. Xavier
OTHER SEC PREVIEWS:
BIG 12 PREVIEWS:
#1 KANSAS JAYHAWKS
#2 TEXAS LONGHORNS
PAC-12 PREVIEWS:
#1 ARIZONA WILDCATS
#4 UCLA BRUINS
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Milwaukee to Honolulu. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft and the most accurate 2012 NBA Mock Draft on the internet (Yup, repeat champ… #humblebrag), and finished with the second most accurate 2013 NBA Mock Draft (nearly a three-peat.) You can follow him on Twitter at David_Kmiecik.