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Auburn (4-1), number 8, opened the Maui Invitational on Monday and the organizers are getting ready to close it. They will play the last game of the tournament Wednesday night at 22:30. CST against Arizona. The game will determine who will finish in third place for the Maui Invitational.
The Tigers hung with, but eventually lost to Duke No. 1 on Tuesday night, 78-72, a day after a nine-point overtime win over Xavier. This game against the Wildcats will be the last game of the week.
Here's all you need to know about Arizona.
SCOUTING ARIZONA
Arizona, just like Xavier in the first game, should not be as good as usual. They have lost DeAndre Ayton since last season, when he was first overall in the NBA draft. Alonzo Trier is also in the NBA.
Thus, Arizona should not be as talented as the top-ranked teams in the NCAA tournament rankings since 2013. They have lost much of their recruiting class in a payment scandal involving head coach Sean Miller.
Until here, however, Arizona has been pretty good. They are 4-1 and the only defeat is in a tight match against number 3 Gonzaga on Tuesday. They beat a highly vaunted Iowa State team in the first game of this tournament and have won three outstanding home wins against lower level teams to start the season.
Brandon Randolph, a sophomore striker, has seen his role increase significantly this season. He had double digits in every game, including 19 against the Zags. The other Brandon. rookie guard Brandon Williams, has been a regular distributor and a handballer.
Justin Coleman, a former player from Samford and Alabama, as well as Pitt Ryan Luther's transfer, are the main contributors.
LAST TIME WHERE THEY PLAYED
Auburn is 1-0 against Arizona. They met on March 14, 1986 and won 73-63 against the Wildcats. The match was held in Long Beach, California, and was the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Tigers went to the Elite Eight where they lost to Louisville.
The Tigers were a big team in this tournament after losing in the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament. They finished the 13-5 conference season. Chuck Person has been selected as the fourth pick in the NBA draft after this season.
HOW AUBURN GETS
Auburn showed that it would be necessary to form an effective 3-point shooting team to win important basketball games. It was difficult for them to find a traffic lane Tuesday with Marques Bolden in the center, but the Tigers will have to drive more efficiently. This will open the way for outside play, allowing them more three-shoters, as opposed to close-range shooting or chaotic dribbling.
The Wildcats were very successful in reaching the foul line this year. This disparity was visible in the game Auburn-Duke. If the Tigers fail to get on the line, they can not get into trouble early.
STAT TO KNOW
Williams' 37 free-throw attempts rank second in PAC-12. Auburn as the team has only attempted 70 free throws, and no one has more than 15 attempts per year. This distinction would belong to Austin Wiley, who missed more than half of his appearance.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Arizona has built its alignment around many transfers. An interesting transfer is Chase Jeter, who was left behind during his two years at Duke. He now plays more than 20 minutes per game for the Wildcats and draws nearly 66% of the floor. His turnarounds are very low and his rebound is up. Arizona has had some alignment problems, but seems to have picked the right pieces to form a good team.
(All advanced statistics via kenpom.com)
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