BIRMINGHAM – No. 1 Houston is in Birmingham for a Sunday matinee against No. 22 Auburn, in a game pitting two Final Four teams from a year ago. Head coach Bruce Peal abruptly retired right before the season, and Auburn named his son Steven as his successor. The Tiger roster underwent a complete overhaul in the off-season, replacing every single player from last year’s Final Four roster, except sophomore superstar Tahaad Pettiford.

Pettiford lit the Coogs up last year at the Toyota Center, coming off the bench to score 24 points in a 74-69 victory. He is the obvious head of the snake for this game. He has not shot the ball well to start the season, but is more than capable of catching fire at any moment.

Auburn Offense Notes

• Auburn’s best player through three games has been Keyshawn Hall, the Big 12’s leading scorer last season at UCF. He is a matchup nightmare due to his size, shooting ability, and ability to get to the rim. He draws a lot of contact and is excellent at the line (31/34, 91%). I expect Emanuel Sharp to draw him as a defensive assignment to start, but whoever guards him must force him to take tough shots without fouling.
• The Tigers have an abundance of long, athletic guys who can get to the basket. I’ve been really impressed with Elyjah Freeman: he is big and athletic, and he does a super job getting to the rack. They are currently averaging 33 free-throw attempts per game, due to their aggressiveness in getting the ball in the paint.
• They have several guys capable of making threes, but as a team, they are shooting 28% from outside. Hall (6-8, 75%) has been their only deep threat to this point. Pettiford has been bad from outside (4-23, 17%).
• Auburn has several left-handed shooters, and UH has struggled in the past guarding left-handed post players. J’Wan Roberts would usually guard lefties because JoJo and Ja’Vier would foul them. It will be interesting to see how the staff approaches this on Sunday.

Tigers Defense Notes

• • Auburn has played 218 possessions of defense this season; 203 have been man-to-man (91%). When playing half-court, M2M defense, they try to go over ball screens. If they can’t go over the ball screen, they tend to switch. They will full-court press at times after making a shot, but they LOVE to press after making a free throw.
  • The Tigers have run zone defense on just 15 possessions, and when they do, it’s usually a 1-3-1 or 1-1-3 half-court zone, similar to what we saw against Oakland on Wednesday.
  • The Tigers run a face guarding M2M press (the defenders face their opponents, rather than the ball). They make it hell to get the ball in-bounds, but once it is, I haven’t seen them trap or even guard all the way up the court. They tend to retreat every time. I’d bet Milos or Kingston will be the inbound passer, and once they get the ball back, everyone else can get out of the way.

Auburn Personnel

(*Indicates likely starters)

*#0 – Tahaad Pettiford – 6’1″ – SO – Guard – 11ppg, 3rpg, 3apg.

• • • LEFTY;
    • Head of the Snake. He destroyed the Coogs at the Toyota Center last year;
    • He likes to shake and bake to get in the paint for a layup or floater;
    • Loves the step-back three.

*#7 – Keyshawn Hall – 6’7 – SR – Forward – (UNLV, George Mason, UCF) – 24ppg, 11rpg, 3apg.

• • • LEFTY;
    • Elite three-level scorer;
    • UH shut him down in Orlando last year (2/12 with five turnovers). The Coogs wore him out so much, he missed more FTs (4) in six attempts than he has this season in 34 attempts (3);
    • A world traveler; Auburn is his 4th college;
    • Doesn’t shoot the three a ton, but is very efficient when he does; At his best when shooting in the corner;
    • Great hesitation move to get in the paint to score or draw a foul. Will put his head down and force his way into the post to draw a foul;
    • When he drives, he is going left. UH defenders must sit on that left hand and force him to shoot with his right;
    • Excellent passer when double-teamed; When Houston blitzes or monsters him, they must be disciplined in their defensive rotations, or it will lead to layups/dunks;
    • Nice head-fake, especially in the corner. He is looking to take it off the bounce if you jump.

*#38 – Filip Jovic – 6’8″ – FR – Forward – (KK Mega Basket in Serbia) – 6ppg, 6rpg.

• • • Sneaky athletic international forward;
    • Hard worker in the paint. Tries to bully his way to the rim;
    • Can play inside or outside, but he’s better inside (in my opinion). He is skilled and patient;
    • Really good offensive rebounder. Have to keep him off the glass;

*33 – Sebastian Williams-Adams – 6’8″ – FR – Forward – 12ppg, 5rpg.

• • • Houston Kid (St. John’s);
    • Long/athletic forward;
    • He’s right-handed, but I had to go back and rewatch his clips to decide, because he’s so good finishing with either hand;
    • Solid in the paint with a nice left-handed hook over his right shoulder. Can score over either shoulder.

*#6 – Elyjah Freeman – 6’8″ – SO – Guard/Forward – (Lincoln Memorial U.) – 11ppg, 6rpg.

• • • Really good positional size. Super active and brings a ton of energy;
    • Solid at driving to the rim. Loves to drive left;
    • Nice mid-range game and can create for himself;
    • Hasn’t been a great outside shooter so far, but is capable; (1-7, 14%).

#3 – KeShawn Murphy – 6’10” – SR – Forward – (Mississippi State) – 17ppg, 8rpg.

• • • Has missed the last two games. Jon Rothstein is reporting that he will play, barring any unforeseen setbacks (I think he starts if he can play;);
    • Extremely long/athletic forward;
    • Really tough finisher in the paint. He’s strong and patient and makes the right reads. Force him left;
    • Solid in the pick-and-roll;
    • Outstanding offensive rebounder;
    • Nice little jumper from around the free-throw line;
    • Doesn’t shoot a ton of three-pointers, but can make them if you don’t contest him.

#1 – Kevin Overton – 6’5″ – JR – Guard/Forward – (Drake, Texas Tech) – 11ppg, 3rpg, 3spg.

• • • LEFTY;
    • Transfer shooting guard from Texas Tech;
    • Can score in multiple ways, but prefers the three. Over half of his shot attempts have been from outside. Can shoot from DEEP (4-13, 31% 3pt);
    • Capable of getting to the rim;

#14 – Emeka Opurum – 7’0″ – SO – Center – (Butler CC) – 8ppg, 6rpg, 2bpg.

• • • Extremely tall/thin back up center;
    • Excellent around the rim;
    • Solid shot-blocker;
    • Crashes the boards hard. Have to box him out!;
    • Good at catching near the free-throw line and driving.

#2 – Abdul Bashir – 6’7″ – JR – Guard – (Casper College) – 4ppg.

• • • Tall shooting guard;
    • Has 11 shot attempts on the season and 9 are from outside; Takes some tough attempts; (2-9, 22%).

#21 – Blake Muschalek – 6’3″ – JR – Guard – 0ppg, 2rpg.

• • • Walk-on that gets minutes when Coach Pearl gets pissed at the rotation guys;

Keys to Victory

• 1. Guard your yard. It will be crucial for the Coogs to guard the ball without fouling. Keep them in front of you and force low percentage jumpers.
  2. Rebound on both ends. Auburn has a ton of lengthy athletes. Houston will need to send five guys to the glass on defense and need to get some offensive rebounding opportunities to make some “Dagger 3s”.
  3. Keep Keyshawn Hall under 15 points and don’t let Pettiford get hot. Those are the two names that Coach Sampson has circled. He knows what both guys are capable of doing. I’d prefer to try to take them away and have someone else beat you. They will both be All-Conference players for the Tigers.
  4. Under 12 turnovers. 12 seems like the magic number in this one. Auburn applies serious pressure getting the ball in-bounds and plays tough M2M defense. It will be crucial for Houston to limit their turnovers.
  5. Toughest team wins. First “road” game. Four freshmen who have never played in a rowdy environment. This will be a TOUGH game. Houston will and SHOULD lean on the “Big 3” (Eman, Milos, JoJo), because they have won games like this. It will take a Houston effort: getting on the floor for loose balls, getting tough rebounds, or taking a clutch charge, to get out of Birmingham with a win. I can’t wait to see who the tougher team is on Sunday!