The Auburn Tigers have been arguably the perfect crew in school basketball this season, holding the No. 1 spot within the AP Prime 25 for the final seven weeks as they’ve gone 25-2 within the loaded SEC.
Auburn’s 12 months began off with a marquee 74-69 victory over the Houston Cougars again in sport No. 2 of the season and so they haven’t seemed again since, going a formidable 13-1 in convention play with the lone loss being a single-digit sport in opposition to the No. 3 Florida Gators.
Wanting on the Tigers roster, they’ve an All-American-caliber participant in ahead Johni Broome, who has averaged 18.6 factors, 11.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and a couple of.6 blocks per sport, making a powerful case for the Picket Award this season.
However, Auburn’s whole rotation is loaded, as they’ve six gamers averaging over 10 factors per sport, with the forwards being extremely environment friendly contained in the arc, whereas the guards every can shoot the three-ball at a excessive degree.
Auburn’s beginning 5 has been one of many top-performing lineups in school basketball when contemplating effectivity metrics, however they’ve additionally relied closely on their depth to be such a high-functioning crew.
Listed here are the highest performing lineups in CBB this 12 months at https://t.co/cegyfz96ax, adjusted for opponent power (min 200 possessions):
Clemson’s new beginning lineup has been the perfect group within the nation by a superb margin. Houston, Duke, Purdue, and Auburn additionally within the prime 5. pic.twitter.com/ytg0Q55Cuh
— Evan Miyakawa (@EvanMiya) February 21, 2025
A key a part of that depth? True freshman Tahaad Pettiford, who has impressed the Tigers teaching workers from the offseason and carved out a key position on a veteran-laden crew.
Coming off the bench, Pettiford had a fast introduction to the world of faculty basketball, as he shined in Auburn’s early-season win over Houston, serving because the X-Issue with 21 factors and 5 threes as a prompt the bench.
From there, he’s solidified his position as Auburn’s sixth man, discovering a technique to constantly put the ball within the basket.
Pettiford is third on the crew averaging 11 factors per sport in simply 21.3 minutes of motion, whereas taking pictures over 37 p.c from three. In a means, he’s been the consistency that Auburn has wanted with its second unit to be one of many prime groups in school basketball this season.
Regardless of being a freshman, Pettiford has had a knack for enjoying properly whereas the lights shine vivid, most just lately placing in 13 factors on 50 p.c from the sector in Auburn’s 94-85 win over Alabama on the street.
With the sport tied at 65 a bit with slightly below eight minutes to go, Pettiford began Auburn’s rally with an enormous three-pointer, because the Tigers by no means trailed from that time on.
The guard continued to make an affect late within the second half, getting a pair of layups to go minutes later earlier than hitting two clutch free throws with underneath two minutes to go to fend off the Crimson Tide.
“Tahaad is a fearless basketball participant and that’s a superb shot for him,” Auburn assistant coach Steve Pearl mentioned final week on an look on “The Subsequent Spherical” present. “As quickly as he shot it, we had all the arrogance on this planet that he was gonna knock it down.”
Pettiford has his rougher moments, as all prime school basketball gamers do, as seen in Auburn’s 82-70 win over Georgia the place he was held to only two factors on 0-for-7 from the sector.
Nevertheless, over the course of the season, the guard has been probably the greatest surprises in school basketball, finishing this elite Auburn crew that’s now surrounded by expertise of their beginning lineup and off the bench.
In relation to March, depth is extraordinarily necessary with the tempo of the event, which is why Auburn has a superb shot of creating a deep run within the postseason.
To take action although, they’re going to proceed needing sturdy contributions from Pettiford, who very properly may very well be the X-Issue to Auburn’s March Insanity run.
