How has Auburn basketball been so good? A peek at the numbers behind a hot start

AUBURN — Auburn basketball may be the best team in the SEC.

The Tigers (14-2, 3-0 SEC) are one of two squads still undefeated in conference play, are on a nine-game winning streak and their average margin of victory this season sits at 21.8 points. Coach Bruce Pearl's team has a loss at Appalachian State on Dec. 3, but that's really the only unsavory blemish on the resume. The other defeat came narrowly in the season opener against Baylor, which is up to No. 9 in the latest rankings.

Auburn's margin of victory is the largest its been over the first 16 games of a campaign since the Tigers went to the Final Four five seasons ago (24.3). It's the second-best mark of the Pearl era, with the next closest coming with Jabari Smith Jr. and Walker Kessler in 2021-22 (16.4)

Here's a look at some of the numbers behind Auburn's impressive start:

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Auburn basketball's bench is the country's best

Any discussion about this year's edition of the Tigers has to start with the bench. Auburn's five main reserves — PG Tre Donaldson, SG KD Johnson, SF Chad Baker-Mazara, PF Chaney Johnson and C Dylan Cardwell — combine to form the best five-man lineup in the country in terms of adjusted team efficiency margin (70.2), which measures how effective a unit is on both ends of the floor.

That's not a typo nor is it an oversight. Auburn's bench forms what is statistically the best lineup in the country amongst five-man crews that have played at least 75 possessions together, per Evan Miya.

A simpler stat to follow: The Tigers average 38.1 points per game off the bench, which is No. 1 in Division I.

Dishing, swishing and taking care of the ball

Auburn has made 462 shots this season, and 301 of those have come with an assist.

That ratio of 65.2% ranks No. 4 in the country, with Kansas (69.9%), Minnesota (67.8%) and BYU (67%) being better. Nine of the the top 10 teams in this stat are ranked in the top 100 in KenPom, and they have a combined record of 122-45 this season.

Perhaps more impressive than Auburn's knack for assisting is its ability to take care of the ball while doing so. The Tigers have the fourth-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the country, per College Basketball Analytics, and the 17.4 turnovers they average per game is No. 2 in the SEC. Auburn's one-two punch at PG — Aden Holloway and Donaldson — average nearly three assists for every one turnover.

Increased tempo

With the exception of a couple seasons, Pearl's teams at Auburn have historically been able to get up and down the floor in a hurry. The Tigers have been top 60 nationally in adjusted tempo in seven of Pearl's 10 seasons on the Plains, per KenPom.

Auburn had the No. 160 adjusted tempo last season, but the Tigers are back to playing with pace. They currently sit at No. 60, with only three teams in the SEC — Florida (12), Kentucky (13) and Alabama (36) — being above them.

Playing with speed, but while also being able to take care of the basketball, makes keeping up with Auburn difficult. That's why the Tigers are averaging 84.1 points per game, the second-best mark of the Pearl era through 16 games. Which team was No. 1?

The Final Four team.

Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: The stats behind Auburn basketball's roaring start to SEC play