Observations: Auburn 92, Ole Miss 82
For the second time this week, the Tigers won an SEC road game (by double-digits) by answering everything from the hosts. And this one was tougher.
(Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers)
OXFORD, Miss. — You’re supposed to get rattled at some point.
You’re on the road in the SEC. You’re playing in front of the third-biggest crowd in the history of the arena, one that’s matching every positive moment for the home team with an explosion of noise.
You’re playing one of the nation’s best defenses when it comes to cranking up the pressure, defending the 3-point line and forcing turnovers.
You’re giving up scoring runs, too: A 7-0 spurt in less than a minute early in the second half, a 9-2 surge minutes later, several 5-0 punches to cut the lead to a single possession.
You’re supposed to break. You’re supposed to give up the lead. You can’t play with fire that much.
But Auburn is far from your typical basketball team.
The far-and-away best NCAA Tournament résumé in the country and the unanimous No. 1 spot in the AP poll were already enough proof. Yet it’s how Auburn responded to those runs on the road that spoke at an even greater volume Saturday afternoon.
That quick 7-0 Ole Miss run? Answered by an 8-0 Auburn run in 51 seconds.
That 9-2 surge? Answered by a Dylan Cardwell layup and a Miles Kelly 3-pointer to stretch the lead back out.
Ole Miss’ next two moves toward a one-possession game? Answered by a pair of Chad Baker-Mazara 3-pointers, then an audacious alley-oop from Denver Jones to a soaring Tahaad Pettiford.
That Ole Miss lead never came — not after the first seven minutes of the game.
“Whenever we're in tough positions, or the other team is on a run, nobody panics,” Baker-Mazara said after Auburn’s 92-82 win at Ole Miss. “Everybody stays composed. … That's the good thing about the guys: We may have a little breakdown, but it's a game of runs. It's going to happen. The guys know how to be mature on the court, not let their energy go down because somebody hits a shot.
“That's big-time.”
As Bruce Pearl has said, Auburn is well aware that it’s going to get every team’s best effort for 40 minutes, especially when it hits the road.
And these Tigers openly welcome that challenge, to the point where they’re popping their jerseys at a hostile student section, dancing on the bench and motioning toward the crowd like Hulk Hogan after the final buzzer.
“BP recruited some killers,” Cardwell said. “We've got some guys that just aren't right in the head.”
You can say that again.
“Tahaad and CB, they love a hostile environment,” Cardwell continued. “I've never seen a group of guys embrace this. It seems like sometimes, when we have to play on the road, it's more enticing. We love our fans, we love what we have in the stadium.
“But, sometimes on the road, these guys just get going.”
Auburn did this three nights earlier, answering LSU punch after LSU punch with big shots on the other end of the floor. But this was a Saturday road game against a surefire NCAA Tournament team — and one that beat rival Alabama not too long ago.
It was the same result. What’s that thing Auburn fans say online? Not special, just next.
“Guys just made plays,” Pearl said. “They want to win for Auburn. They recognize this is a special team, and they want to make history. We played some beautiful basketball. I think the coolest thing about this was that (in front of) ESPN's national television audience, every time Ole Miss made a run, we answered.
“We led the game for like 34 or 35 minutes. And that's just hard to do on the road. But that is how the No. 1 team in the country acts.”
This Auburn basketball team keeps acting up in the best possible way. With back-to-back road wins by double-digits this week, the Tigers became the first team in the country to reach 20 victories on the season. They’re still the only ones in the sport that haven’t taken a second loss.
And they’ve got 13 Quad 1 wins — just one away from tying the SEC record for a season.
“This is probably one of the biggest games in the last 20 years at Ole Miss,” Pearl said. “And I know they're disappointed. I know they're disappointed. They’ve got a really, really good basketball team.
“We're working to try to be a great basketball team.”
Here are four Observations from Auburn’s 10-point road win at Ole Miss, along with the Rotation Charts, Nerd Stats and the Quote of the Day.
(Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers)
Repeat after me: Shooters shoot
Last Saturday against Tennessee, Auburn’s guards went a combined 2-15 (13.3%) on 3-pointers. On Wednesday against LSU, they went a combined 5-20 (20%).