The Auburn Tigers are back in the NCAA tournament field for the second year in a row as dynamic coach Bruce Pearl has revived college basketball passion on the Plains, evoking memories of the glory days of Chuck Person and Charles Barkley. Auburn closed strong, ripping off three consecutive Quad 1 wins to close the regular season. Center Austin Wiley returned to the court in the SEC tournament after missing nine games due to a leg injury and the Tigers dominated Tennessee to win the SEC title. Can the Tigers reach the Sweet 16 or beyond in 2019?
ESPN+ has your answers, as Joe Lunardi has enlisted a team of bracketologists to compile advanced metrics, key scouting intel and best- and worst-case tournament scenarios for all 68 teams to help you make smart picks in your bracket.
TOURNEY PROFILE
Best wins: vs. Mississippi St., Tennessee, Florida, at Alabama
Worst losses: at South Carolina, Ole Miss (twice)
Regular season conference finish: Tied 4th, Big East
Polls and metrics: BPI ranked the Tigers at No. 13 as of March 13, while KenPom agreed. The NCAA's new NET ranking had Auburn at No. 17 in its most recent release.
All-time tourney record: 13-9
Coach (tourney record): Bruce Pearl (11-9)
PERSONNEL
(Note: Player statistics are through games of March 10.)
Starting lineup
F Chuma Okeke (11.9 PPG, 6.8 RPG)
F Anfernee McLemore (7.3 PPG, 4.2 RPG)
G Samir Doughty (7.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG)
G Jared Harper (15.2 PPG, 6.0 APG)
G Bryce Brown (15.7 PPG, 2.0 RPG)
Key bench players
F Austin Wiley (8.2 PPG, 4.9 RPG)
F Horace Spencer (4.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG)
F Danjel Purifoy (2.8 PPG, 1.6 RPG)
G J'Von McCormick (3.4 PPG, 0.9 RPG)
Biggest strength: Ruthless, aggressive defense sparked by forcing turnovers and tempo. The Tigers lead the nation in defensive turnover percentage -- opponents surrender the ball before attempting a shot on 25.2 percent of possessions. Auburn ends a trip with a steal 12.8 percent of the time and blocks 15.9 percent of opponents' shots, ranking top-five nationally in both categories. All those steals, blocks and stops trigger the Tigers' offensive transition game, which produces 19 PPG.
Biggest weakness: Half-court defense. While the Tigers excel at creating havoc in an opponent's backcourt, forcing short possessions and capitalizing, they've struggled this season when teams have handled the pressure, losing six of the games in which they forced turnovers on fewer than 20 percent of possessions. Harper's diminutive 5-11 frame can be a liability against bigger, stronger guards in a half-court setting.
Best player: Brown and Harper share the distinction for the Tigers. Both players earned All-SEC honors (second team) for the second year in a row, and either is capable of scoring 20 points in a hurry. Brown suffered a mild shooting slump in the final weeks of the regular season but still buried 100 3-pointers and connected at a 40 percent clip. Harper recorded a 117.3 offensive rating and thrived in the pick-and-roll.
X factor: Wiley. He flashed the potential worthy of a five-star recruit in the first half of the season, scoring 17 points against Duke in the Maui Invitational and posting eight double-figure scoring games by Christmas. The recurring leg injury kept him off the floor and curbed his production down the stretch. It's unlikely he'll recapture his early form, but Auburn could use his 6-11, 255-pound frame to bolster the paint.
SCOUTING REPORT
How they beat you: Making the game frenetic and nailing shots. Auburn shoots quickly -- its average possession lasts only 16.1 seconds -- and launches from long range (48 percent of field goal attempts are 3-pointers). If the Tigers fail to hit their first attempt, they crash the glass and snare one-third of missed shots (39th in the nation). With a solid nine-man rotation, the defensive pressure never subsides and Pearl does a good job of shuffling fresh bodies onto the floor.
How you beat them: Handle the pressure, control the pace and pound the basketball into the paint to create easy 2-pointers and free throw attempts. Teams with an athletic frontcourt -- Duke, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State -- posed a problem for Auburn, while in other losses the Tigers were simply ice-cold from the perimeter. It's not as if they'll quit shooting. They'll ride the long ball as far as it will carry them this March.
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY
(Note: All statistics in this section are courtesy of kenpom.com and are accurate through games of March 10.)
NATIONAL RANKS
Offensive efficiency, 12th (118.2)
Defensive efficiency, 41st (96.3)
3-point percentage, 27th (38.0)
3-point percentage D, 180th (34.4)
Free throw rate, 236th (31.2)
Free throw rate D, 281st (37.3)
TO percentage, 137th (18.0)
TO percentage D, 1st (25.2)
HOW FAR WILL THEY GO?
Best-case scenario: Second weekend
The Tigers have one of the best backcourts in the country. While last season the squad was running on fumes and basking in the light of an SEC regular-season championship, this group is on an upward arc. Auburn was 18-4 when it shot 34.6 percent or better from 3-point range. Okeke closed the regular season on a dominant 10-game run (14.7 PPG). His interior scoring gives the Tigers the necessary balance to be a lethal opponent.
Worst-case scenario: second round
Harper and Brown turn cold on the same night. The officials have a tight whistle, and the ultra-aggressive Tigers fall into foul trouble. Wiley isn't effective and Okeke is the only serviceable big man, enabling opponents to pepper Auburn on the offensive glass. The Tigers' offensive inefficiency in last year's NCAA tournament (0.85 PPP and 0.75 PPP in the two games) returns to haunt the squad through the offseason.