Observations: Auburn 79, Kent State 56
Despite a rough middle (and rough 3-point shooting), the Tigers avoided any disappointment after their big win from the weekend.
PF Chaney Johnson (Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers)
AUBURN — It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.
And, sometimes, it’s also how you start.
Auburn basketball was a shining example of that Wednesday night. The Tigers scored 30 of the first 38 points of their home matchup against Kent State. They doubled up the Golden Flashes, 38-19, over the final 15:16.
That middle stretch — which lasted from the 7-minute mark in the first half to the initial media timeout early in the second half — was won by Kent State, 29-11. Auburn went from up by 22 to something of a nervy 4-point lead.
But that wasn’t because Auburn eased off the throttle against Kent State. It also wasn’t because the Tigers had looked past the Golden Flashes after their historic road win at Houston last Saturday.
“They made shots, they made plays,” Bruce Pearl said after Auburn’s 79-56 win. “It wasn’t because we let down or anything. … And, so, we did not have a letdown after the big victory on Saturday.”
Auburn was able to avoid the dreaded hangover game Wednesday night. It held Kent State to shoot just 33% from the field, including a 24% mark from beyond the arc. The Tigers kept their foul and turnover counts down, and they won the paint and rebounding battles like a team with their size advantage should.
The offense averaged a healthy 1.317 points per possession and scored on 60% of its trips down the floor despite the fact that it only shot 25% from 3-point range. If just a few of those attempts that rattled out found ways to go through, Auburn would have never even had to sweat much against Kent State.
But Auburn won — and covered, in most places — because it looks like it might have one of the best defenses in college basketball yet again.
“I'd just say give more credit to the defense,” power forward Chaney Johnson said. “Because we're not going to always make shots. It's basketball, at the end of the day. Credit (goes) to us on the defensive end. Because, even if we're not making shots, as long as we're getting stops — if the offense isn't scoring, we'll be fine.”
And it doesn’t hurt to have scorers who can get it done when most of the long-range jumpers aren’t falling. Johnson had 18 points for his best game in an Auburn uniform, while All-American center Johni Broome matched him with another dominant performance in the stat sheet.
“I think we go into each game worried about defense more than offense,” Broome said. “Because offense is going to come, especially when you're in The Jungle. We kind of feed off the crowd, and we just get it going.”
Here are four Observations from Auburn’s 23-point win over Kent State, along with the Rotation Charts, Nerd Stats and the Quote of the Night.
PF Chaney Johnson (David Gray/Auburn Tigers)
This is just what Chaney Johnson does now
Raise your hand if you picked Johnson to be Auburn’s most consistent player — in the non-Broome division — to start the season.
Be honest.