Today’s game between the #2 Baylor Bears and Auburn Tigers features two of the hottest prospects in college basketball. As Jared Butler and Sharife Cooper continue to rise on draft boards, who can propel their team to victory today?
The Baylor Bears are looking to keep pace with Gonzaga at the top of the polls as they are set to face off against revitalized Auburn, today, at 4:00PM on ESPN. This matchup has continued to gain steam over the last few weeks as the Auburn Tigers pull themselves out of NCAA mediocrity, mostly because of Auburn guard Sharife Cooper’s late start to the season due to an eligibility dispute. During his short time in the starting lineup, Cooper has completely turned around the Tigers season and has many fans and analysts calling for the school to rethink their self imposed tournament ban this year. However, Cooper is not the only prospect that has been leading their team to success. Baylor has two guards that have the potential to be drafted this year in Davion Mitchell and Jared Butler. As all three men continue to prepare themselves for the next level today should help provide a gauge of where they stand against top competition.
Auburn Tigers: Prior to the season Auburn faced scrutiny from the NCAA based on federal probe that was launched against a large group of NCAA basketball teams in a pay-for-play scheme. In response to these accusations Auburn self imposed a tournament ban to appease the association and control the punishment for their violations. Up until a few weeks ago the Tigers seemed to be content with playing a truly forgettable season and coming back stronger next year however, Sharife Cooper happened. Since Cooper was inserted into the lineup the Tigers have become a real threat to teams at the top of the polls. If they defeat Baylor, they will certainly kick themselves for the self imposed ban.
Allen Flanigan: Allen Flanigan is a prospect that many have stopped talking about since the arrival of Sharife Cooper. While he may not be someone selected in the draft this year, Flanigan will have a place in the league when he is ready to make the jump. Improving in every statistical category from his freshman to sophomore year, in part because of essential development minutes. I believe that at the very least he has played well enough to enter the draft window and make a decision on his future after gauging interest from teams around the league. Flanigan seems to be on track to be selected in the 2022 draft but don’t be surprised if you see the 6-6 guard signed as an undrafted free agent or selected as a second round pick assuming he chooses to leave Auburn.
Sharife Cooper: In only six games played for the Auburn Tigers, Cooper is averaging 22.3/8.7/5.0 and has helped guide the team to a 4-2 record in those six games. The two games that the team dropped while Cooper was on the floor game with an average defeat margin of 3 points. As a prospect, Cooper has skyrocketed up draft boards currently projecting as a late lottery pick and trending upward. As an exceptional passer and scorer Cooper has seemed to become one of the best guards in the nation overnight (he was a five star prospect but his impact was immediate). This does not mean that Cooper is a perfect prospect. One of the current issues that seems to impede Cooper from elevating in the draft is his poor three point shooting. As a guard he should be shooting a much higher percentage than 18.5% from deep. This percentage on the surface is less than acceptable for an NBA guard in the current league but it also brings questions to the forefront about Cooper’s viability as a contributor at the next level. If Cooper is struggling from deep in the NCAA how will he fair against larger guards in the league? At 6-1 his height should be a question moving to the NBA as it seems the league has embraced larger guards. This will be the limiting factor to how high Cooper’s draft stock can rise. As it stands, Cooper should hear his name called around the 12th-18th pick.
Baylor Bears: The Baylor Bears (-14.5) are one of the best all around teams in the nation and have not suffered a loss all year. While Auburn does pose a threat to their undefeated season don’t expect the Tigers to play spoiler today. Even though I expect Auburn to cover the massive spread of fourteen and a half points, Baylor should have no problem coming out of this game untouched. With their eyes set on a final four Baylor and Auburn as teams have different talent levels, which will show today.
Davion Mitchell: For Bruce Pearl, Davion Mitchell is the one that got away. Starting his career at Auburn and transferring after one season, Mitchell has become one of the biggest contributors at both ends of the floor for Baylor. Expect to see Mitchell and Cooper go head to head today because of Mitchell’s defensive ability at the guard position as it will be one of the most important matchups in the game. In regards to his draft stock, Mitchell is another guard in a draft with elite depth at the position which means that he slide on draft boards and may even go undrafted. However, his ability to shoot the ball from deep (47%) and nose for the ball (2.0 STL) should allow him to work into a rotation at the next level as long as he can earn situational minutes. With another year of eligibility left, Mitchell like Flanigan may test the NBA draft waters, gauge teams interest, and ultimately go back to school for his final season.
Jared Butler: Butler, like Cooper, has gone from draft sleeper to potential lottery pick almost overnight by averaging 16/4/5 while also contributing 2 steals per. Over his three years at Baylor he has continued to improve as a playmaker, rebounder and scorer. His ability to shoot the ball from deep, on volume, has not only helped him stuff the stat sheet on a nightly basis but also peak the interest of NBA teams. Butler will be able to provide floor spacing at the next level and his three point shooting will be his way to gain development minutes to help his game transition and improve. One part of Butler’s game that may cause teams to pass on him at the top of the draft is his AST/TOV ratio. It shows that while Butler does like to get his teammates involved he sometimes has a tendency to force passes and make “bad” decisions with the ball. While his increase in assists has helped his ratio over the season when the game speed increases at the next level turning over the ball will only hinder his development. Expect Butler to be drafted around the 13th-19th pick, similar to Cooper.
Prediction: Baylor 80 – Auburn 73