ESPN's Ranking of Auburn Basketball Reflects Unknowns Of Roster

The Auburn Tigers slipped down the rankings of ESPN's early top 25; they are solid on paper, but there are some question marks

Auburn is still in a good spot, but there are question marks / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

The Auburn Tigers prospects took a hit in the eyes of ESPN following the closing of the transfer portal window. ESPN previously had them ranked 11th in their early Top 25 but bumped them down to 15th.

"Auburn reached the Final Four this past season, but Bruce Pearl's roster now faces some questions," ESPN's Jeff Borzello wrote.

Auburn's projected starting five, apart from Tahaad Pettiford, has an entirely new identity. There are four transfers projected to start, one of which is coming from the ranks of Division II. Pettiford is also checking into his draft prospects and was recently invited to the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. He is one of 75 players invited to combine. Should Pettiford opt to get drafted, that shakes things up even further.

It also didn't help their case by losing Chad Baker-Mazara to USC at the last second.

While there is uncertainty with the roster, the incoming additions are well-experienced, proven players. Keyshawn Hall led the Big 12 in scoring last season while with UCF (18.8 points per game). KeShawn Murphy and Kevin Overton come from schools that were in the NCAA Tournament last season.

Murphy comes from Mississippi State, which narrowly lost in the first round to Baylor, 75-72. The incoming forward averaged 11.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.

Overton transferred over from Texas Tech. They reached the Elite Eight, losing 84-79 to the eventual national champions, the Florida Gators. Overton averaged just 7.8 points per game, but that could see a bump during an increase in minutes. He shoots 42.2% from the field and 33.1% from three.

While Freeman comes from the DII ranks, he was considered a top-25 small forward in the transfer portal. He averaged 19.3 points per game during his final season with Lincoln Memorial.

On paper, they're in a good spot when it comes to a retool. However, eveything needs to clicks and another decision about a player's future to be ironed out.

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