Nov. 21, 2017
By Greg Ostendorf
AuburnTigers.com
The Auburn basketball team went 2-1 this past weekend, beating both Indiana State and Hofstra to claim third place in the Charleston Classic. Sophomore guard Mustapha Heron led the way with 22 points in Sunday's finale, but it was a group-effort throughout the tournament.
"We're a young team, but we have energy and we're deep," Heron said. "We have two guys at every position, so we can do anything. I see a great future for this team."
It was the first time since 2002 that Auburn finished third or higher in a preseason tournament. That year, the Tigers won the San Juan Shootout. In 2000, they finished third in a tournament in Kansas City and went on to reach the NCAA Tournament.
Here are three takeaways from Auburn's trip to Charleston.
1. Balanced scoring
Heron might have led the team in scoring the last game, but his teammates had to pick up the slack when he struggled from the field in the first two games. If nothing else, Auburn proved that it can score even if Heron has an off game.
Bryce Brown and Desean Murray both scored in double figures to lead the Tigers past Indiana State in the first round, and then it was Anfernee McLemore who scored a team-high 19 points in the second-round loss to Temple. Between Brown (14.0), Heron (13.7), Murray (12.0), Jared Harper (11.0) and McLemore (10.0), five different Auburn players averaged double figures in scoring for the tournament.
That group doesn't even include freshman Chuma Okeke, who finished with 9.3 points per game off the bench and might be one of the more skilled players on the team.
2. Murray for MVP
Murray might have finished third on the team in scoring for the tournament, but he was the team's leading rebounder, averaging 9.7 rebounds per game, and he made a strong case as the team's most valuable player in Charleston.
Murray scored 14 points and pulled down 12 rebounds in the first-round win over Indiana State. He followed that up with another double-double, 10 points and 11 rebounds, against Temple. Listed at just 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, the transfer from Presbyterian College who had to sit out last season has quickly emerged as the team's starting power forward.
"Desean Murray had a terrific floor game," Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said after the Indiana State game. "He does a lot for us as an undersized power forward, but he allows us to play those four-guard lineups."
3. Block (and boards) party
Coming into the season, Pearl wanted Auburn to improve in rebounding and on the defensive end. There were some times where the defense struggled in Charleston, but one promising sign was that the Tigers blocked 20 shots in three games.
McLemore led the way with 10 blocks in the tournament, including a career-high five blocks against Temple. His stat line in the Temple game included 19 points, seven rebounds and five blocks, and he wasn't even a starter.
"He did a great job," Pearl said after the game. "Anfernee is so athletic and he does such a great job with his offensive rebounding. He blocked five shots and really played well. Anfernee never forces anything offensively and he takes what comes to him."
As a team, Auburn also outrebounded its opponents in Charleston, 124-101.
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @greg_ostendorf