Fresh off an Southeastern Conference tournament title last season and with a roster blending several key returnees with significant transfers and freshmen, No. 11 Auburn opens the season at home against a Vermont team that returns most of its regulars from an NCAA Tournament squad.
A season ago, Auburn finished 27-8 and used the school’s third SEC tournament crown to earn a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Auburn was then upset 78-76 by No. 13 seed Yale in the round of 64.
Vermont earned its way to an NCAA Tournament bid after capturing the American East title. The Catamounts wound up 28-7, including a 15-1 mark in league play, before falling to No. 4 seed Duke 64-47 in the round of 64.
In their season opener on Monday, the Catamounts beat UAB 67-62 in Birmingham, Ala.
Auburn returns forward/center Johni Broome, guard Denver Jones as well as sixth man Chad Baker-Mazara.
Broome gained third team All-America honors after a season in which he averaged 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Jones started slowly but averaged 9.1 points and scored in double figures in seven of his last eight games. Baker-Mazara logged 10 points per contest at his fourth school in four seasons.
Impact transfers this season for the Tigers include former Georgia Tech guard Miles Kelly, who averaged 13.9 ppg a season ago and scored 1,057 points for the Yellow Jackets. Also notable is Furman transfer JP Pegues, who put up 18.4 ppg last season and scored 1,080 points with the Paladins.
Freshman guard Tahaad Pettiford and freshman forward Jahki Howard were both four-star recruits from the major prep scouting services.
Bruce Pearl, about to open his 11th season as Auburn’s head coach, seemed impatient to get the season started for his squad, which was picked second in the preseason SEC media poll.
“We’ve done about all we can do right now to sort of prepare,” Pearl said at a preseason event. “I want more. I know what the schedule looks like. I know how physical it’s going to be. And it’s hard for us to duplicate that kind of physicality every day in practice. The guys are tired of hitting each other.”
Vermont returns four starters and one part-time starter from last season: TJ Long, a senior guard who averaged 12.0 ppg; Shamir Bogues, a senior guard who added 11.3 ppg and led the team in rebounding with 5.2 boards per game; senior forward Ileri Ayo-Faleye (7.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg); sophomore guard TJ Hurley (7.4 ppg); and senior forward Nick Fiorillo, a sometime starter who chipped in with 8.5 ppg.
The Catamounts, who do not have any players taller than 6-foot-9, were outrebounded by the Blazers 49-35. Still, Vermont prevailed behind 20 points from Hurley
Vermont was picked as the preseason favorite in the American East as it shoots for a fourth consecutive league title. Long and Bogues earned all-AEC preseason honors.
“There’s always expectations, but being picked first in the league… you have a bit of a bullseye on your back,” said coach John Becker, in his 14th season at Vermont. “Our guys are used to it now.”
–Field Level Media
