Auburn Morning Rush: Jabari Smith Jr. heating up, Volleyball makes postseason
It was another busy weekend for Auburn athletics.
The football team may have come up short in the Iron Bowl, but several other programs had success. The basketball team beat Saint Louis 65-60 Sunday night in Neville Arena to improve to 7-0 on the season.
Jabari Smith jr. is starting to have success for the Houston Rockets and is on a tear.
In addition, the volleyball team qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history and saw three freshmen named to the Freshman All-SEC Team.
Read more about these stories down below in the Monday edition of the Auburn Morning Rush.
Jabari Smith Jr. starting to heat up
Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports
Smith may have not had the start to the season he was hoping for but he may have turned a corner.
The former Tiger has started to become the efficient scorer that he was at Auburn. Over his past three games, he is averaging 19.3 points and shooting 45.2% from the field and 39.3% from 3-point range. He’s also been a force on the glass, grabbing 9.7 rebounds per game in that stretch.
The 19-year-old is just the third teenager to ever average 19 points, 9 rebounds, and make 3 threes in a three-game stretch, according to Bradeaux who covers the Rockets.
Jabari Smith Jr. in his last 3 games:
19.3 PTS | 9.7 REB | 3.6 3PM | 63 TS%
Luka Doncic and Eddie Griffin are the only other teenagers in NBA history to average 19/9 with 3 threes in a 3 game span. pic.twitter.com/tG8xPU2J6z
— Bradeaux (@BradeauxNBA) November 27, 2022
Volleyball makes NCAA Tournament
AU Athletics
For just the second time in program history, the Auburn volleyball program has made the NCAA Tournament.
The Tigers will face the Creighton Bluejays in Omaha, Nebraska, Friday, Dec. 2 at 6:30 p.m. CT.
“The selection means we’re on track,” head coach Brent Crouch said. “This is my third year here and this is what we were aiming for this year or next year. And to get it on the front end in year three with this freshman class that I recruited three months after getting hired is special. It means we’re on track and it means there are good things in store for us this year and for years to come.”
Auburn’s only other appearance was in 2010 where they won their first match before losing in the second round.
Anderson maes All-SEC, two others make All-Freshman team for Volleyball
Elaina Eichorn/Auburn Tigers
The recognition is starting to pour in for Auburn volleyball. Freshmen Akasha Anderson, Kendal Kemp, and Madison Scheer were all named to the SEC All-Freshman team the conference announced Sunday. Anderson was also named to the All-SEC Team.
Anderson had seven double-doubles in her sensational season. Her 400 kills are the third-most in single-season history at Auburn.
Kemp’s 167 total blocks are the most in Auburn history and eighth-most in the entire country. Her 1.49 blocks per set are also an Auburn record and rank second in the SEC and 10th in the nation.
Scheer’s 3.03 kills per set were the second on the team. She also had a .300 hitting percentage on 11 different occasions throughout the year.
