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AUBURN, Ala. -- Bruce Pearl understands if you arent sure what to expect from Auburns basketball team.Most of the roster is comprised of underclassmen and newcomers, including top recruit Mustapha Heron, redshirt freshman Danjel Purifoy and two graduate transfers.Pearl has gotten used to the mystery created by newness since taking over the Auburn program three years ago.For the third straight year, we have six or seven new guys on scholarship, so how could you possibly know as a person, as an observer, as somebody in the media or even me as a coach? he said. Part of the real challenge in building the program is just the fact that the roster has had to be reconstructed, and yet I wouldnt have done it any other way, because there really werent any other options.While it may be restructured and very new, weve got eight very, very solid freshmen and sophomores that are all good players. And so now the foundation is built and a good percentage of our team will return next year, and thats not something weve had yet.It still makes for an uncertain present even if the future seems bright. The Tigers are picked to finish 11th in the Southeastern Conference.Pearl has experienced the first two losing seasons of his 21-year head coaching career since taking over Auburns downtrodden program.The Tigers were 11-20 last season amid injury problems and the early departure of star Kareem Canty. Guard T.J. Dunans is back after averaging 11.6 points in 16 games before going down with a left knee injury.Freshman Bryce Brown also averaged double digits scoring while setting a freshman record with 78 3-pointers. While the talent infusion appears substantial, Auburn must replace starting interior players Tyler Harris and leading rebounder Cinmeon Bowers from a seemingly perpetually undersized team.Auburn also brought in graduate transfers Ronnie Johnson (Houston) and LaRon Smith, who was tied for third nationally in blocked shots last season at Bethune-Cookman. Horace Spencer returns after ranking third in the SEC in blocks as a freshman, giving Auburn a couple of shot swatters inside. The Tigers still dont have a scholarship player taller than 6-foot-8.Here are some things to watch in Auburns 2016-17 season:PURIFOYS PRESENCE: Last years top recruit sat out the season after he wasnt cleared academically by the NCAA. The 6-foot-7, 230-pounder will likely play out of position frequently at power forward but could fill some of the scoring void.Hes got a really complete offensive skill package, Pearl said. Hell be a very difficult matchup.WHOS THE POINT: Injuries and Cantys early departure left the Tigers playing power forward Bowers at point guard at times. Pearl has more options now for the position, including newcomers Johnson and freshman Jared Harper.I would say that were going to get really solid point guard play, the coach said. Ronnie and Jared, although ones a senior and ones a freshman, are both really fast and really quick offensively and defensively. We should be able to fly up and down the floor with the ball in their hands. Well be hard to press.Theyre both really good playmaking guards and they can both shoot it.TOUGH SCHEDULE: Auburn has a difficult nonconference schedule that includes games with Texas Tech, Oklahoma, UConn and UAB.BIG CROWDS? Pearls promotional efforts and recruiting have generated some excitement. 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The gold medal went to Swiss snowboarder Iouri Podladtchikov.SAN ANTONIO -- The NBAs Competition Committee is recommending an expansion of instant replay to include late-game reviews of block/charge plays, the first time the league is considering reviewing judgment calls by a referee. NBA executive vice-president of basketball operations Stu Jackson announced the decision on Wednesday after the committee met during the NBA Finals. Current rules only allow officials to see if a players feet are in the restricted area under the basket or out of it in the final two minutes of the game or in overtime. The change would allow officials to get a closer, slow-motion look at a collision between two players to deem if it was a blocking foul on the defence or a charging foul on the offence, one of the most disputed and difficult-to-call plays in the game. "This is significant," Jackson said at an NBA Cares event to celebrate a new learn and play centre at Wheatley Middle School. "Its our first foray into utilizing instant replay for a judgment call. It at least cracks the door open." When Commissioner David Stern addressed the media before the start the finals, he said that expanding replay and using the technology that was available was a priority. "Weve always taken the stance that we want to look at ways to expand instant replay review, just because it makes sense," Jackson said. "The referees themselves have supported it because they just want to get the plays right. Were constantly looking for ways to utilize review." The committee also is recommending to the NBAs board of governors that replay be expanded to include off-the-ball fouls on inbounds plays and made free throws. The committee discussed an idea by Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle that would give each coach one challenge to in the last 2 minutes of playoff games to contest calls. If a coach has a timeout and the balll during that time, he could challenge a play.dddddddddddd The play would then be reviewed off site by a group of league officials, similar to the way the NHL handles replays. But those ideas are still under discussion. "Its not fleshed out enough to make a recommendation, but were going to continue to talk about it," Jackson said. The committee is also recommending that a new rule be put in place to prevent players from standing out of bounds on offence in halfcourt sets. Jackson said this is an increasing trend that they have seen this season, with players on offence standing out of bounds in half-court offence in an effort to suck the perimeter defence further away from the paint and create better spacing. Under the proposed change, any player committing what would be a new infraction would be whistled for a violation, and the ball would change possession. Jackson said this wouldnt apply to a player who runs out of bounds while curling around a screen or trying to separate from a defender, only when he is stationary and standing out of bounds during a halfcourt offensive set. Stern also said last week that he thought the league has made great strides by instituting a fine system for players who flop, but felt even more needed to be done to continue to discourage the behaviour. Jackson said the committee discussed increasing the fines or other punishments, but was not making any recommendations for changes at this time. "It was unanimous among the committee that the flopping system, the policy, has worked this year," Jackson said. "But there was also an acknowledgement that were open to discussing how we continue to enforce the flopping policy." The committee also is recommending a change in the wording for clear-path fouls that it hopes will eliminate some of the need for replay reviews of those plays. ' ' '
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