Monmouth basketball vs. No. 2 Auburn: Looking at every game Hawks played against ranked teams

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It’s well chronicled how difficult Monmouth’s non-conference schedule has been this season, with the Hawks touring some of college basketball’s hallowed venues. The early-season gauntlet finally concludes Monday with the toughest test of all, facing No. 2 Auburn (11-1) at Neville Arena (6:30 p.m.; SEC Network) in Auburn, Alabama.

The Tigers will be the second-highest ranked team Monmouth has ever played. They took on No. 1 Duke in the first round of the 2001 NCAA Tournament, falling 95-52 in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Check out our complete list of Monmouth versus nationally ranked teams at the end of this story.

As Monmouth (2-10), which scored an 88-74 win over Fairfield last time out in the home opener back on Dec. 21, tries to come out the other end, with CAA play on the horizon, why not quantify one more time just how tough the first 12 games have been.

On Monday, Monmouth’s ranking on the college basketball analytics website KenPom was 274 out of 364 Division 1 teams, which is much better than any other two-win team, and just behind 7-6 Coastal Carolina from the Sun Belt Conference, and 8-5 Incarnate Word from the Southland Conference.

Nov 14, 2022; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Monmouth Hawks guard Jack Collins (13) and Illinois Fighting Illini guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (0) battle during the first half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Here’s a good number. Monmouth is ranked 54th on KenPom in average adjusted defense of opposing teams, which is an average of the adjusted defensive efficiency rating of all the teams played. That means Monmouth has played some of the best defensive teams in the country, on the road, this season.

With that said, Auburn ranks 11th in adjusted defensive efficiency, so it only gets tougher.

Monmouth is 1-24 all-time against ranked opponents. The Tigers are a national championship contender, with the top-ranked Duke team that beat Monmouth in 2001 winning the national title. A footnote to Monmouth’s…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/monmouth-vs-no-2-auburn-101258598.html

Author : App.com | Asbury Park Press

Publish date : 2024-12-30 10:12:00

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