AUBURN

ESPN's LaPhonso Ellis criticizes Jabari Smith's use at the end of Auburn basketball games

Erik Hall
Montgomery Advertiser

ESPN college basketball analyst LaPhonso Ellis appeared on Monday's "Bald Men On Campus" podcast with Jay Bilas and Seth Greenberg, and Ellis was pretty critical of the way Auburn men's basketball has been using freshman forward Jabari Smith. 

Bilas, Ellis and Greenberg were talking about the SEC, and Greenberg asked, "Any concerns from you two guys as we finish up with the SEC about Auburn, the way they lost games recently?" 

Auburn has lost three consecutive road games — at Arkansas on Feb. 8, at Florida on Feb. 19, and at Tennessee on Saturday. 

"Wendell Green Jr. has been struggling to say the least," Greenberg said continuing from his question before reiterating it. "His confidence never struggles. He's not afraid to go make plays and be aggressive. Do you guys have any concerns about them?"

Feb 12, 2022; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl talks with host LaPhonso Ellis on the set of the ESPN College Gameday broadcast before the game between the Auburn Tigers and the Texas A&M Aggies at Auburn Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports

"Well, I love them for the first 36 minutes of games," Ellis said. "It's the last four minutes of the game where I think Jabari Smith should have the basketball in his hands a lot more — certainly the last two minutes. So until the guards of Auburn can get that resolved — in money time your best player on the floor has to touch the basketball — I'm going to always have a question mark about Auburn. As you know, that started with me several weeks ago." 

In the final four minutes of Auburn's loss at Tennessee on Saturday, Smith made a 3-pointer, a two-point basket and three free throws with one missed 3-pointer. 

Also in the final four minutes vs. Tennessee, Green missed two shots, committed a turnover and had an assist on Smith's 3-pointer. K.D. Johnson in the final four minutes at Tennessee made a basket and went 1-for-2 on free throws. 

Bilas didn't speak specifically about Auburn, but he answered Greenberg's question generally. 

Auburn forward Jabari Smith (10) works for a shot as he is defended by Tennessee forward Jonas Aidoo (0) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, in Knoxville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

"There's not a team out there I don't have concerns over that they can get beaten in a given game," Bilas said.

Auburn is scheduled to face Mississippi State in Starkville at 8 p.m. CT on Wednesday. Auburn, ranked No. 5 in the Ferris Mowers Men's Basketball Coaches Poll powered by USA Today Sports, enters the matchup 25-4 overall and 13-3 in the SEC.

Ellis has worked at ESPN since 2009 as a college basketball analyst, and he's been a college basketball analyst on "College GameDay" since the 2019-20 season. 

Here's more Auburn men's basketball news: 

Ellis played in the NBA from 1992-2003 with the Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Miami Heat. Ellis played college basketball at Notre Dame from 1988-92. 

Erik Hall is the lead digital producer for sports with the USA Today Network. You can find him on Twitter @HallErik.