247Sports breaks down Auburn’s chances to contend for SEC crown
The Auburn Tigers finished with a 21-13 record in 2022-23 and ended the campaign with a strong home stretch that concluded with a 14-2 record.
This season, the Tigers will have a solid mix of experienced returners and solid newcomers. The perfect combination of the two will put Auburn in a great position to contend for the SEC Championship.
How high are their odds compared to the rest of the SEC? Isaac Trotter of 247Sports breaks it down.
Trotter recently evaluated every SEC roster ahead of the new season that begins in November and has placed each program into a tier. There are four tiers to his list, and the Tigers are in tier two, which is titled “Middle of the Pack with top-4 upside.”
The tier fits teams that Trotter feels “have enough talent to make the NCAA Tournament, but it has a few too many questions to be an unquestioned championship contender right now.” Trotter says that Auburn has championship upside thanks to the return of Jaylin Williams and Johni Broome, but the backcourt is young and unproven.
Auburn has plenty of new players who are ready to make an impact on the program says Trotter.
FIU transfer Denver Jones is a flat-out bucket, and freshman Aden Holloway has garnered rave reviews all summer. The shooting gravity from Jones and Holloway should immediately change the geography of how teams have to guard Auburn. Chad Baker-Mazara is a fascinating addition who has bounced around a bit but has the game to be an ideal 3-and-D wing that Auburn just didn’t really have last season.
Trotter concluded by saying that Auburn can move to tier one, which is a tier filled with “championship contenders,” if Holloway plays at a high level and that Jones’ talents translate well to the SEC.
Tennessee is the only program in tier one at the moment, with Texas A&M, Arkansas, Alabama, Kentucky, Florida, and Mississippi State joining Auburn in tier two.
Auburn opens the 2023-24 season on Tuesday, Nov. 7 against Baylor at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
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