Auburn Tigers
27-8 (13-5 SEC), SEC Championship, NCAA Tournament Appearance
Key Additions
JP Pegues (Furman)
Miles Kelly (Georgia Tech)
Tahaad Pettiford
Jahki Howard
Key Losses
Aden Holloway
Tre Donaldson
KD Johnson
Jaylin Williams
Projected Starting Lineup
Head Coach: Bruce Pearl (11th season)
Guard: JP Pegues (SR)
Guard: Denver Jones (SR)
Forward: Chad Baker-Mazara (SR)
Guard: Chaney Johnson (SR)
Center: Johni Broome (5th year)
Bruce Pearl’s squad lost 2023 5-star recruit, Aden Holloway, to conference rival Alabama. While Holloway did not have a great freshman season, this is a big loss for the Tigers. Among other losses was Jaylin Williams, K.D. Johnson, and Tre Donaldson. All were key role players, but Pearl went out and two 2024 4-stars and JP Pegues and Miles Kelly in the portal. He also got Johni Broome to come back for his final year of eligibility, which is massive for Auburn’s interior presence on both ends of the court.
Auburn’s defense should finish in the top 100 again this season. They have Johni Broome and his 2.2 blocks per game holding down the back end of the defense. Auburn lost defensive pest, K.D. Johnson, so their defensive backcourt will look a little bit different this season. What might come with losing Johnson, however, is more defensive discipline as he led the Tigers in fouls per game on a team that averaged the 31st most fouls in the country last season. The backcourt will now feature Pegues, freshman Tahaad Pettiford, and Denver Jones, who should all be capable of controlling the ball handlers in the SEC. It will be a big step up for Pegues after transferring from Furman, but he looked fine in the NCAA Tournament against ACC Virginia. Their defense might not be as good as last year, having lost Johnson and Williams, but Broome coming back for his 5th season will help to at least anchor the defense and give it a high floor.
Just as with the defense, the offense will run through Johni Broome too. Having an experienced interior presence on both ends will steady the Tigers in 2024-25. Broome averaged 16.5 last season and will likely eclipse that mark this season. Pegues is an electrifying player for their backcourt, as he was the March Madness hero for Furman against Virginia, averaging over 18 points per contest last season. Alongside him will be another transfer in Miles Kelly, who regressed from the 2022-23 season last year in terms of efficiency but was still a very capable scorer at 13.9ppg. Denver Jones and Chad Baker-Mazara should round out the offense nicely as complimentary pieces. They both shot the three at 41.8% last season while averaging around 10 points. Pegues and Broome will control the offense and the majority of the shots, but they will also get key contributions from some of the ancillary pieces. Tahaad Pettiford also has a chance to contribute as a backup guard this season, but it is more likely than not that his minutes will vary game to game depending on matchups and how well he is playing with more experienced options at the guard position.
Auburn will have a 1st team All-SEC and potential SEC Player of the Year in Johni Broome so as long as he is healthy, they will be one of the top teams in the SEC. They are going to be right in the mix for an SEC Championship and have a great shot at making a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.