Auburn: Consistent three-point shooting
Bruce Pearl’s Auburn Tigers came into the tournament as a five-seed, but beat the likes of Kansas, North Carolina and Kentucky to get to the Final Four. You don’t beat three blue bloods without a blueprint, and Auburn had a basic one: shoot the three pointer lights out. That is easier said than done, but the Tigers did it well all season long. The team made 454 threes this season – the next closest in the SEC? Mississippi State with 292. This Auburn team has been prolific and historic from beyond the arc throughout the whole year. While Butler was fifth in the Big East at 36% from three, those numbers dropped in big games. In the four showdowns against Villanova and Marquette, they shot just 28.3%. Sure, Auburn took a lot of deep shots, but they also hit a lot of deep shots. If Butler continues to lack size down low, perimeter shooting will continue to prove to be the lifeblood of the team. Can we get some consistency now?
