When Tay Waller and Frankie Sullivan are hitting their shots, and DeWayne Reed is setting up those looks at point guard, life has been good for Auburn.

But when those shots don’t connect, and Auburn is left looking for an offensive rebound with three players just a shade over 6 feet tall trying to body up against bigger players, going small can have its consequences.

“We are really, really small defensively when the shot goes up,” coach Jeff Lebo said. “You are looking at 6-foot-1 and 6-foot-2 at the shooting guard and small forward spots.”

Auburn has just as many offensive rebounds (30) as its opponents so far this season, but is still feeling the effects of the 46-21 advantage Mercer had in last week’s loss.

With his three small guards playing so well in the first few games, it’s been tempting for Lebo to put all three on the floor at the same time, even with the noticed size advantage the opponent will likely have.

“When they are making shots, we can really spread some things out with two shooters out on the court,” Lebo said. “It opens up some things for us hopefully inside for our guys to be able to score in and around the bucket.”

The Tigers resume their non-conference schedule tonight at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum when they take on Bethune-Cookman of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Tip off is set for 7 p.m.

Waller leads all Auburn scorers, averaging 18.3 points per game in Auburn’s first three regular season games. Sullivan, who missed the Tigers’ home opener because of a high ankle sprain, scored 17 points off the bench in Auburn’s win Saturday against George Washington.

Combined, the duo has accounted for all but six of Auburn’s 27 3-pointers.

DeWayne Reed has taken much better control of the ball this season, and could be a legitimate starting option down the road, as Rasheem Barrett is still nursing a sore groin. Lebo said Barrett could play tonight, but was unsure how much time he will see on the floor because of the amount of practice he has missed.

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