How the transfer portal helped Auburn become the best team in college basketball right now

The Auburn Tigers men’s basketball team stepped into the 2021-22 season with five new additions and plenty of questions. Now, in mid-January, the 16-1 Tigers are No. 1 on NCAA.com’s Andy Katz Power 36 list and No. 2 on the AP Poll.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt no one plays basketball better than Auburn,” Katz said. The latest episode of the March Madness 365 podcast after the Auburn Tigers men’s basketball team won the road victory over the then No. 24 Alabama and Ole Miss.

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Auburn’s success this season comes after it has found impressive players on the transfer portal during the offseason. With time to gel at the start of the season, the Tigers are gaining momentum under head coach Bruce Pearl.

“We have a lot of new songs, but they became great friends, competing for roles and then [have] worked hard to try to get involved in the game plan and what they do best, ”Pearl told Katz.

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However, there was no guarantee that the new songs brought by Pearl would be successful; It’s a risky proposition to bring in transfers because they may not fit the team. The latest players had to cover huge ground before finding their careers, but Pearl and his coaching staff benefited from its assessment process.

“My coaching team did a great job evaluating tape tape after tape,” Pearl said. “We knew them, we knew their history and we knew their strengths. We knew their potential.”

Pearl and staff also knew the roles he wanted and needs with every incoming move in the Tigers. Instead of Pearl adapting the role of transfer and putting him in an unfamiliar position, he makes each player be himself and play to his strengths.

It has made the transition easier, which is why four of Auburn’s five leading minute decision-makers have transfers. This includes undersized guards such as Wendell Green Jr. and Zep Jasper; two players faced questions about physicality after moving from much smaller schools than Auburn.

“The biggest adjustment is physicality from night to night. You have to be careful, you have to restore your position,” Pearl said. “That’s why a lot of coaches don’t take those smaller guys. They don’t bother me.”

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The “Little Guys” have answered all the questions related to adjusting to Auburn conveniently. Green is the team’s second best scorer and together Green and Jasper lead the team in passes.

While Pearl’s transfer class is going great, the crown jewel in her entire recruitment class is a real freshman Jabari Smith. Smith is a national player of the year nominee and the best possible choice in the 2022 NBA draft. However, before Smith dazzled the field, Pearl knew he had what was required of a star.

Pearl recruited Smith, a native of Georgia, for a long time before he stepped on campus. During the recruitment process, Pearl found that Smith’s work ethic supported his abilities; Smith arrived at his high school gym sometime as early as six in the morning five to six times a week to improve his skills. Smith’s work caught Pearl’s attention, but it wasn’t until Smith arrived on campus that he stood out the most.

“I had no idea how competitive he was,” Pearl told Katz. “I didn’t know how hard he was, and I didn’t know he had an inner confidence that transcends his years.”

Smith and his self-confidence add to the talented Auburn list, which is full of newcomers. Although Auburn’s congested team has achieved success, the Tigers still have the chip on their shoulders, although some people still doubt them.

“I’m disappointed we’re not number one (in the AP classes) right now. We have the best record against number one and number two. We won Alabama in Alabama. The Gonzaga ahead of us lost to them. Seattle,” Pearl said. “Right now, based on our resume, we should be number one.”

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This resume includes last week’s victory over rival Alabama in a hostile road atmosphere and a 5-0 victory this season. Auburn’s only loss this season came with a double overtime. Still, Tigers remains in 2nd place in the AP poll.

Despite the skeptics, Auburn is confident in himself in the final months of the season. The Auburn list built by the transfer portal has created an identity that can continue to be a success.

“We know who we are,” Pearl said. “We’re humble and we’re hungry.”