Morning reads: Auburn football under the lights, Jabari Smith the new No. 1, latest baseball projections and more

On3 imageby:Justin Hokanson05/27/22

_JHokanson

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Mercer, San Jose State game times announced

Auburn’s first two games will be played under the lights at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The opener against Mercer will kick at 6 pm CT and be televised on ESPN+. The following game against San Jose State will kick at 6:30 pm CT and be televised on ESPNU.

That’s great news for the fans, who will be able to avoid the September heat during the game.

(Tailgating will always be a hot one.)

Auburn clinging to regional host status

D1Baseball released new Field of 64 projections on Friday morning, and the Auburn baseball team is clinging to a spot inside the top 16.

The projections have the Tigers slated as the No. 14 overall national seed, hosting College of Charleston, Coastal Carolina and Florida State.

Texas’ win over TCU in the Big 12 Tournament vaulted the Longhorns ahead of the Tigers in the projections.

LSU has also moved into the top 16 as the No. 15 overall national seed. That’s something to watch, as LSU gets their crack at Tennessee on Friday night at the SEC Tournament.

If LSU keeps winning, that’s another team that could jump ahead of Auburn in the seedings.

If that happened, Auburn would travel to the No. 3 overall national seed, if they won their regional. In this case, that would be Stanford.

Jabari Smith the new No. 1 in latest mock draft

Kyle Boone of CBS Sports writes:

Our latest mock draft projections for every first-round pick takes all of that into account and features a new No. 1 for the first time this year. The new No. 1 in my mock draft is Auburn forward Jabari Smith Jr., who has consistently been a top-four player on the mock draft all year and a top-three player on the Big Board. Smith bumps Gonzaga 7-foot center Chet Holmgren to the Thunder at No. 2.  Early guesses are the Magic favor Smith’s sharpshooting safety over Holmgren, whose upside comes with some risk given his skinny frame.

Smith scouting profile: Kevin Durant recently said on Twitter that “size for position, shot-making, efficiency, IQ” and being a multipositional defender is most important in determining the best player in the NBA. Smith checks nearly every box there as a prospect. Great positional size, elite shooter for his position, capable defender and just scratching the surface of his All-Star potential. Both a safe pick by Orlando AND a huge swing at a future star.

Of note: CBS Sports’ latest first-round mock draft doesn’t have Walker Kessler slated to goin the first round.

Jared Harper earns G League honors

The former Auburn point guard continues to play really well in the G League. Harper recorded his third straight season of 20+ points and 5+ assists per game. He’s played in 16 career NBA games between the Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks and New Orleans Pelicans. Harper played in five games with the Pelicans last season, averaging eight minutes and seven points per game.

Smoke Monday making an early impression

The New Orleans Saints defensive backfield has undergone some major changes this offseason. Veterans Marcus Williams (Ravens) and Malcolm Jenkins (retired) are gone, with the Saints adding some new pieces, including veteran and five-time Pro Bowler Tyrann Mathieu. While the position might look crowded at the moment, there is one rookie who could force his way onto the depth chart. That rookie is former Auburn safety Smoke Monday.

Per John Hendrix, Mathieu said of Monday during OTA’s on Thursday: “He’s gonna be a good player in this league. He’s a physical player, great length and size, kid studies a lot.”

Not buying the Brian Kelly hype?

Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt would not buy stock in LSU in the SEC’s current landscape despite hiring former Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly to lead the program after two disappointing seasons following the Tigers’ undefeated 2019 national championship campaign.

“It’s hard, man,” said Klatt. “It is cringy. … I thought [Kelly] was a really good fit and was doing an excellent job. We sung his praises many times last year at Notre Dame. I thought he was a really good fit.”

Read the entire story from the On3 news desk here.

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