Auburn crunch time

If Auburn makes it to the second round it will be thanks to the athletic frontcourt duo of Marquis Daniels and Marco Killingsworth. The Tigers also will need help from guards Derrick Bird and Lewis Monroe, who don't score much but play tenacious defense. Auburn went on a tear early in the SEC schedule, winning its first four conference games, including a 77-68 victory over then-No. 10 Alabama. But the Tigers dropped nine of 14 since. They likely earned their berth with a victory over Tennessee -- which was on the NCAA bubble -- in the SEC tournament quarterfinals. Slow starts have hurt the Tigers lately, and they can ill afford to let it happen against St. Joe's tough defense. Auburn didn't score in the first six minutes in the Mississippi State game on March 8 and lost 67-45. Not to say Auburn always starts slow. In the semifinals of the SEC tournament against red-hot Kentucky, the Tigers went on a nice scoring binge in the first 15 minutes by feeding the ball inside. Perhaps the biggest issue for the Tigers, then, is inconsistency. Add in a tendency for sloppy ball-handling (nearly 70 more turnovers than assists) and a lack of consistent outside shooting and the Tigers may have their hands full with the Hawks.

CRUNCH TIME

When the game is on the line, who do you want...

TAKING THE LAST SHOT: Marquis Daniels is the go-to guy with the game on the line, a versatile player who can post up or take a defender off the dribble. The Tigers also want him handling the ball. In addition to being the team's leading scorer, he also leads in assists with 104. Daniels had four of Auburn's last five points in a 67-60 win over South Carolina. "Last year, down the stretch, we really didn't have a player to step up and say things or make a big play for us," Daniels said. "We were missing a piece and it was leadership. Coach really looked to me for that, but I wasn't ready."

AT THE FREE-THROW LINE: Senior Derrick Bird is an 80 percent free-throw shooter and the guy the Tigers want to put on the foul line. Bird hit four free throws in the final 19 seconds to beat Ole Miss 77-70 this season.

HANDLING THE BALL: Point guard Lewis Monroe runs the offense for the Tigers. At 6-foot-5, he's tall enough to see over most guards in the league and knows how to distribute the ball, particularly to Daniels and Killingsworth. His 97 assists are second on the team to Daniels.

GUARDING THE OPPONENT'S BEST PLAYER: Bird, a senior, also is the best defender, routinely assigned to the opponent's best player. He helped limit Tennessee's Ron Slay, the SEC's leading scorer, to 16 points before fouling out with five minutes to play.

Who do you not want..

AT THE FREE THROW LINE: The Tigers do not want to have center Kyle Davis attempting critical free throws late in the game. He is shooting 49.4 percent. What's more, as a big man, he gets fouled often. The Hack-a-Shaq rule applies with Davis, whose 80 attempted free throws are the third most on the team

HANDLING THE BALL: Auburn wants to keep the ball out of the hands of sub Brandon Robinson in crunch time. His assist to turnover ratio is 8:26. For all his talents as a defender and shot-blocker, stay out of Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood if you're looking to protect the basketball.

GUARDING THE OPPONENT'S BEST PLAYER: Killingsworth is an offensive minded player and a good rebounder on both ends. But the Tigers might not want to put him in one-on-one situations in crunch time. His 16 steals are the fewest among Tiger starters to go with only 10 blocks.

THE COACH: Cliff Ellis came within 1 second of making the Elite Eight in 1990 when Tate George nailed a jumper after a length of the court pass from Scott Burrell as third-ranked Connecticut downed 17th ranked Clemson 71-70 in East Rutherford N.J. Ellis has the option in close games of diagramming a play for Daniels or keeping the floor spread and the clock moving. In a 56-54 win over LSU, Ellis called timeout after a missed free throw with 13 seconds left and his team trailing by a point to set up a play for Daniels. But Daniels dished to reserve Nathan Watson, who hit a winning three-pointer at the buzzer.

THE TEAM: The Tigers are 4-3 in games decided by six points or fewer, losing close games to SEC upstarts Florida (73-70), Georgia (85-79) and Tennessee (60-57) during the regular season.

FUN FACT: In light of the events in America on Sept. 11, 2001, the Tigers dedicated the season to those who lost their lives in terrorist attacks. Ellis went into the recording studio and collaborated on several songs, with the emphasis on the spiritual song, People get ready, which was collaborated with Grammy winner Marty Rabun.

TOURNAMENT HISTORY: As the No. 1 seed in the South Region in '99, the Tigers reached the Sweet 16 before losing to No. 14 Ohio State 72-64. Auburn is 10-7 in the NCAA Tournament. This is their eighth appearance overall and third in five years. Charles Barkley and Chuck Person led Auburn to its first NCAA appearance in '84 when it lost to Richmond.

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