Observations: Ole Miss 72, Auburn 61

A first-half slump and a second-half surge came together again for another tough SEC loss for a young Tigers team that has to roll with the punches.

C Jaylin Williams (Ole Miss Athletics)

During this out-of-the-ordinary Auburn basketball season, Bruce Pearl has made a regular habit of hitting the nail on the head with his opening statements after games.

“I suppose that, I guess, these games are starting to look a little bit alike, huh?” Pearl said Wednesday night. “Certainly the results.”

For the third SEC game in a row, Auburn struggled to take care of the ball early against a veteran defense that thrives on creating chaos. Undermanned and out-experienced, the Tigers punched back in the second half again, but it wasn’t enough.

Auburn’s 72-61 loss at Ole Miss hit some familiar notes. It also produced another impressive individual performance while reinforcing a common theme that will help a young team stick together during what is looking like an increasingly tougher conference slate.

Here are three key Observations from the Tigers’ third straight loss, along with the rotation chart, nerd stats and a rather honest quote of the night fr…