Tigers Must Improve as SEC Tests Begin

In a year in which there seems to be no clear-cut favorite in the Southeastern Conference West men's basketball race, Auburn's chances of making a run in the division hinge on finding a way to improve less than impressive shooting percentages put up by Cliff Ellis' third Auburn team.

Defensively, Auburn has played well enough to win most outings, allowing opponents to make just a bit more than 41 percent of their field goals. Auburn's 1995-96 team, which finished 19-13, was not considered a particularly good shooting squad, but for the season it shot close to 44 percent from the field.

This year the field goal percentage has dropped two points and shooting behind the three-point line has slipped from just under 36 percent to 33 percent. Auburn made 67.5 percent of its foul shots last season, but is now struggling to get to 63 percent.

The dropoff from Ellis' first Auburn team has been more dramatic. That group, which posted a 16-13 record, led the conference in field goal shooting at 47.2 percent. It was second in free throw shooting at 71.5 percent and was fifth in three-pointers at 34.4 percent.

Franklin Williams' return to 1996 form is promising.

Ellis says he can't put his finger on the reason for the shooting problems and says his team does have the potential to do better. The top six players in shooting percentage from last year's team are still playing for the Tigers so the opportunity is there for better numbers. "I wish I knew what the answer to that is," Ellis says. "Our shooting has been up and down. We don't want to change anything we do. We just want to continue to play and let it come."

Among the regulars, junior forward Franklin Williams, who is hitting 50 percent of his shots, and senior center Pat Burke, who is just behind, are the only Tigers with impressive shooting numbers.

In other key statistics, Auburn is playing winning basketball. The Tigers are out-rebounding their opponents and have fewer turnovers per game and lead their opponents in blocks and have a major edge in steals. Also, Ellis has had few complaints about his team's defensive intensity and overall hustle.

With Eastern Division power Kentucky looking to be the only dominant team in the league, Auburn has a chance to challenge in the West. "Since I have been here, the division is more up for grabs than at any time," Ellis says. Arkansas, a Sweet 16 team last year, has been up and down as has Alabama, another NCAA Tournament team from last season. Mississippi State, which made the Final Four last year, is talented, but has been inconsistent. LSU has some good wins and some ugly losses in what is Dale Brown's final season. Ole Miss, a surprise to some but not to Ellis, looks to be a serious challenger for the divisional title.

If the Tigers find a way to make a slight improvement in the field goal shooting percentage, it should make a major difference in the winning percentage and put the team in line for a third straight postseason tournament. The higher those shooting numbers go the more likely that tournament will be the NCAA's Big Dance rather than the NIT, where the Tigers have played the past two seasons.

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