Pearl’s raw gems
Auburn’s young guns get mixed results
Auburn’s leading scorer is a freshman.
So is the Tigers’ second-leading scorer. And third. And fourth. No other NCAA Division I team can make that claim. Fourthranked Arizona and No. 11 Kentucky are tied for second nationally with their top three scorers being freshmen.
The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville men’s basketball team (21-7, 10-5) gets
an up-close look at the youthful Tigers (17-11, 6-9) tonight in Auburn, Ala. Tipoff at Auburn Arena is 7:30 p.m.
“It’s kind of like a box of chocolates,” Auburn Coach Bruce Pearl said of relying so heavily on freshmen. “You’re never sure what you’re going to get.”
The Tigers have gotten lots of scoring and spotty defense, as evidenced by victories over Coastal Carolina (117-72), at TCU (88-80), over Mississippi State (98-82) and at LSU (98-75).
There have also been losses to Purdue 96-71, at Georgia 96-84, at Kentucky 92-72, at Ole Miss 90-84 and to Florida 114-95.
Auburn’s 98 points at LSU were the most it has scored in an SEC road game since beating the Razorbacks 10089 at Barnhill Arena in 1993. Florida’s 114 points marked the most ever scored by the Gators in an SEC game.
Auburn is averaging 80.5 points and allowing 79.4 per game.
“I think all of our freshmen are better offensively than they are defensively,” Pearl said. “As a result, we score pretty well, but we struggle to defend.
“That’s the biggest difference from high school to college. High school players can come in and they can score at a high-major level. They really can.
“But their defensive games, the physicality of the games, the speed, is much different.”
Mustapha Heron, a 6-5 guard, leads the team with averages of 15.0 points and 5.8 rebounds, and has hit 36 of 90 (40.0 percent) three-pointers.
“Mustapha has been the most consistent freshman I’ve ever coached,” said Pearl,
who has a 505-196 record in 22 seasons as a college coach. “It’s because of his discipline and his work ethic.”
Jared Harper, a 5-10 guard from Mableton, Ga., is the Tigers’ second-leading scorer at 11.8 points per game and has hit 47 of 135 (34.8 percent) three-pointers.
Third-leading scorer Daniel Purifoy, a 6-7 forward, is averaging 11.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game and has hit 52 of 139 (37.4 percent) three-pointers.
Austin Wiley, a 6-11 center, enrolled at Auburn in December and began playing in the second semester games when he was 17 after graduating from Miami Calusa Prep. He’s the Tigers’ No. 4 scorer at 9.1 points per game and is averaging 4.7 rebounds. He hasn’t attempted a threepoint shot.
“Wiley inside is a big difference-maker,” Mississippi State Coach Ben Howland said. “He’s got a great skill level combined with with his size and length and athleticism.”
Heron, Purifoy, Harper and Wiley have combined to start 95 games, an Auburn record for starts by freshmen.
“It’s a very talented group without a doubt,” Razorbacks Coach Mike Anderson said. “They’ve played a pretty good schedule.
“These guys are no longer freshmen now. I really feel they’re playing at a pretty good level.”
All four of the Tigers’ freshman starters have scored at least 20 points against an opponent from a Power 5 conference.
Purifoy scored 27 points against Boston College, Wiley 25 against TCU, Harper 24 against Ole Miss and Heron 20 against Ole Miss and Texas A&M.
“They can put up a lot of points and really shoot it,” Howland said. “They’ve got a lot of different guys that can put the ball in the basket.
“They can come at you a lot of different ways and space the floor well.”
Forward Anfernee McLemore is a fifth freshman for the Tigers. He’s averaging 5.5 points and 4.4 rebounds off the bench.
The freshman contributors have ensured that Auburn will finish with a winning record for the first time since going 24-12 during the 2008-2009 season.
“It ’ s a great group,” Pearl said. “I’ve never had five freshmen who are as hard-working, as loyal and as dedicated as these kids.
“Each one of the freshmen have got great strengths and dimensions, and each one of them have got weaknesses that need to be worked on. We try to take advantage of their strengths, but sometimes their weaknesses get exposed.”