Auburn basketball falls on the road in Indianapolis to Purdue by 28 points on Saturday.
Kevin Overton led the team with 22 points and five rebounds in Auburn’s 80-66 loss to the Purdue Boilermakers in the Indy Classic at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. A lack of rhythm offensively kept Auburn out of this game. First half ended with a Boilermakers 14 point lead.
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Auburn was outmatched all game in rebounds and assists. The Tigers finished the game with 25 rebounds and 13 assists compared to the Boilermakers’ 36 rebounds and 21 assists. Purdue’s Braden Smith tallied more assists than Auburn with 14. Defensively there seemed to be no answer for Purdue’s offense, which ranks No. 1 in KenPom offensive rating. The Boilermakers held the lead for 94% of the game.
Auburn is now 8-4 with one nonconference game left before SEC play begins Jan. 3 against the Georgia. Coach Steven Pearl and his team will host Queens Dec. 29 on the SEC Network. Where does Auburn rank in KenPom before their last non-conference matchup? Here is a look at every major category according to KenPom’s data.
Overall: No. 38
Auburn dropped eight spots to No. 38 right before the holidays. This puts the Tigers at No. 9 in the SEC. LSU is the closest SEC program, who is just two spots ahead of Auburn.
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Adjusted offensive efficiency: No. 16
The offense has been fairly productive all season staying in the top 20 in KenPom. Auburn just falls back three sports. Vanderbilt and Alabama being the only two conference teams ahead of Auburn. The Tigers are averaging 84.3 points per game and 33.7 from the three point line.
Adjusted defensive efficiency: No. 86
KenPom has Auburn No. 86 in the nation defensively. Nearly dead last in the SEC, ranking 15th in points allowed (77.8). Auburn has allowed teams to find open looks and opportunities averaging an allowed 15 assist per game.
Adjusted Tempo: No. 174
Auburn continues to hover around the national average in tempo. According to KenPom, Auburn averages 69.3 possessions per game.
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Strength of Schedule: No. 13
Going into the season, everyone knew it would be a tough schedule for the Tigers. Auburn has now faced five top 15 teams in the country, four of which are in the top 10.
Queens overview
Auburn takes on Queens at home Monday Dec. 29 in the Tigers last nonconfernce game. Here’s where the Royals rank heading into the holidays.
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Offensive Efficiency: No. 74 (114.6)
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Defensive Efficiency: No. 350 (118.4)
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Strength of Schedule: No. 66 (+4.23)
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KenPom’s project winner: Auburn (96%)
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Implied score: Auburn 94, Queens 75
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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Auburn basketball’s KenPom ranking after loss to Purdue
