No. 22 Auburn banking heavily on Jabari Smith, transfers

FILE - Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl argues a call during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Baylor in Waco, Texas, in this Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021, file photo. earl has rebuilt Auburn's roster once again, only this time with expectations for immediate success. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)

FILE - Then-Georgia guard K.D. Johnson (0) celebrates after a dunk during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Missouri in Athens, Ga., in this Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, file photo. Bruce Pearl has rebuilt Auburn's roster once again, only this time with expectations for immediate success. The preseason No. 22 Tigers' coach restocked his team with talented transfers like North Carolina 7-footer Walker Kessler, Georgia guard K.D. Johnson and five-star recruit Jabari Smith after a down year that followed the program's best three-year run in history. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)

FILE - Then-North Carolina forward Walker Kessler (13) grabs a rebound over Louisville forward JJ Traynor (12) while North Carolina guard Anthony Harris (0) reaches in during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Chapel Hill, N.C., in this Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021, file photo. Bruce Pearl has rebuilt Auburn's roster once again, only this time with expectations for immediate success. The preseason No. 22 Tigers' coach restocked his team with talented transfers like North Carolina 7-footer Walker Kessler, Georgia guard K.D. Johnson and five-star recruit Jabari Smith after a down year that followed the program's best three-year run in history. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, File)