The Auburn Tigers are getting ready to take on a feisty Yale team that just won the Ivy League Tournament and is feeling good heading into the NCAA Tournament. Now Auburn also feels good as they just ran through the SEC Tournament.
Yale takes care of the basketball, only turning it over 9.5 times a game, and shoots 34.7% from deep, so Auburn needs to do what they do, which is forcing a disciplined Yale team to turn the basketball over with their defensive pressure.
After watching tape on the Yale Bulldogs the two players who stand out are the two leading scorers.
The most concerning player for Auburn is the Bulldog's second-leading scorer, John Poulakidas, who averages 13.1 points per game while shooting 39.3% from deep. He is a 6'6 guard who can really light it up from deep. Poulakidas is a three-level scorer as a 6'6 guard, but him getting hot from deep is what scares me if I am an Auburn fan. It's hard to contest a jump shot at his height, being a taller guard, so Chad Baker-Mazara will likely draw this assignment.
The other player that jumps off on tape is Yale's big man, Danny Wolf. The seven-footer averages 14.3 points per game on the season and leads the team in rebounds, pulling down 9.8 per game. Like Broome, Wolf is a center who can shoot the three ball, so Auburn's big men need to be ready for this.
If Auburn can slow these two Yale Bulldogs, they will win this game and move on to the Round of 32.
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