AUBURN, Ala. – For a team ranked No. 8 in the country and who is coming off a 50-point win over Saint Peter's last week, it might be hard to find a flaw. But that doesn't mean there are not still things to work on. And this Auburn team knows that. Just ask the players.
"We are just continuing to get better every single game," point guard Jared Harper said. "We want to play well. I think one of the things that we are trying to focus on right now is our free throw shooting. We haven't shot the ball from the free throw line as well as we did last year. That was a big focal point for us last year, having an SEC championship season. We've been trying to lock in more in our practice time on our free throws."
As a team, Auburn led the SEC with a 78.6 percent clip from the free throw line last year. This year, through the first seven games, the Tigers are shooting 65.7 percent from the charity stripe.
"I don't know what necessarily has caused our free throw shooting to be lower, but we've been shooting a lot of free throws in and outside of practice," Harper said.
Harper also says Auburn has been focused on rebounding the ball better, though the Tigers are currently second in the conference in that category – averaging 43.1 rebounds per game. Still, in their lone loss this season, they were outrebounded by Duke, 46-41.
And if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.
"We want to get better," Harper said. "We want to be the best team in the country. We want to win the national championship. That's our goal for the season. We go through every day, practice and game just trying to fulfill those dreams."
Next up for Auburn is a matchup with UNC Asheville on Tuesday. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. CT from Auburn Arena. Rod Bramblett and Sonny Smith will have the radio call on 93.9 Tiger FM, online at AuburnTigers.com and on the TuneIn app. The game will also be televised on SEC Network with Tom Hart and Sean Harrington on the call.
Player to watch: Chuma Okeke
In his second season with the Tigers, Okeke has increased his role in a big way. The Georgia native is averaging 11.9 points and a team-high 7.3 rebounds per contest. After coming off the bench every game last year, Okeke has started all seven games this season. He's shooting a scalding 42 percent from behind the arc, and the Tigers are 4-0 all-time when he makes at least three 3s.
Inside the series: UNC Asheville
Auburn leads UNC Asheville 2-1 all-time with all three games being played in Auburn. The Tigers won the first two games in the series (1998 and 2001) but lost in overtime to the Bulldogs, 70-69, in what was the first game played in Auburn Arena.
Winning the turnover battle
Coming into Tuesday's game, Auburn is ranked No. 4 nationally with a plus-7.7 turnover margin. The Tigers are No. 7 overall forcing 19.7 turnovers per game, and they're only turning it over 12.0 times per contest themselves. They have forced at least 18 turnovers in all but one game this season, and they have scored at least 25 points off turnovers in six of the seven games.
In its last game, Auburn forced Saint Peter's into 26 turnovers and turned those turnovers into 38 points, both season highs. It was the most turnovers the Tigers have forced since forcing 28 turnovers against North Florida in 2016.
Big man on campus
Austin Wiley has scored in double figures in four of the last five games, including 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting and nine rebounds against No. 1 Duke. In last week's win over Saint Peter's, the junior finished with 18 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. Wiley is shooting 27-of-43 (.628) from the field on the season and averaging 12.0 points per game.
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @greg_ostendorf
Home improvement: No. 8 Auburn prepares for UNC Asheville
