3 Takeaways From Auburn's Embarrassing 102-72 Loss to No. 7 Michigan

The No. 21 Auburn Tigers suffered a brutal 102-72 loss to No. 7 Michigan on Tuesday night in their second game at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas – one the Wolverines controlled from start to finish.

With the lone exception being turnovers, in which Auburn had eight and Michigan committed nine, the Wolverines dominated in all aspects of the game. Michigan shot 51% from the field, drilled 14 triples, and held the Tigers to just 35% shooting. The loss marked Auburn’s worst since it fell to Clemson, 84-53, in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament.

Let’s take a look at three takeaways that emerged from Michigan’s thrashing of the Tigers on Tuesday.

Auburn’s Lack of Size is a Problem

One of the main concerns about Auburn’s roster construction in the offseason was the lack of size, a large change from last season’s squad, which had Dylan Cardwell, Chaney Johnson, and Johni Broome headlining the Tigers’ frontcourt.

Auburn simply couldn’t stop Michigan’s bigs down low, as the Wolverines’ starting lineup consisted of three players who are 6-foot-9 or taller, including 7-foot-3 Aday Mara. Aside from Emeka Opurum, who saw just two minutes of action, Auburn’s tallest player is KeShawn Murphy, who stands at 6-foot-10.

Michigan’s size and physicality were evident throughout the entire game, as they outrebounded Auburn by 16 and finished plus-18 in points in the paint. Morez Johnson Jr. finished with 15 points while Yaxel Lendeborg posted 17, illustrating Auburn’s inability to slow down Michigan’s length.

The Wolverines are a bad matchup for Auburn, but if the Tigers wish to make a run in March, they must find a way to limit opposing frontlines that may be bigger than theirs.

Free Throws, Free Throws, Free Throws

Michigan sent Auburn to the line 33 times, committing 21 total fouls on the Tigers. However, Auburn shot an abhorrent 55% from the line, going 18-of-33 and leaving 15 points at the charity stripe.

Filip Jovic went just 5-of-11, while Sebastian Williams-Adams recorded just 1-of-5 from the free throw line, which is unacceptable in any outing, but especially when they’re already struggling to produce down low.

If the Tigers are undersized, and they will be in many of their games this season, the one thing they cannot afford is careless misses at the free-throw line. Points in the paint don’t come easy if their second-tallest contributor is 6-foot-8, so capitalizing on the “freebies” they do receive is essential to remaining competitive against squads with more length.

How Will Auburn Respond?

Auburn got punched in the mouth for the first time all season against the Wolverines – it will be interesting to see how the Tigers respond to a, frankly, degrading showing on Tuesday.

This is truly the first time they’ve faced adversity this year, and with 10 new players and a new head coach, it’s time to see what this squad is made of. Adversity reveals a team’s true colors, and Auburn’s ability to bounce back after getting absolutely dominated for 40 minutes will reveal a lot about this team.

The Tigers face another top-15 opponent in No. 14 St. John’s in their third matchup in Las Vegas this week. Will Auburn let their most recent performance bleed over into Wednesday night’s contest, or will the Tigers flush it and make a statement of resilience against one of the nation’s top programs?