On a night everything finally clicked for Chuma Okeke, nothing went right for anyone else in orange and blue.
That extended to the fans, as well. No one in Auburn Arena could get a basketball into a hoop.
During the musical chairs game at halftime, an Auburn fan missed six straight shots from directly under the basket. The game of “Knockout” that followed went nearly 60 seconds before any of the three participants made a shot from the free-throw line. An Auburn student missed three straight layups at the start of the tuition shootout. Not even the “Cookie Crumble” challenge was safe as the student chose incorrectly as to which cookie the Full Moon logo was hiding behind.
In terms of the actual on-court action, Auburn players not named Okeke shot a combined 21 percent from the floor and 3-for-17 from 3-point range as the Tigers had one of their worst offensive outings this season in a 60-55 loss to Ole Miss on Wednesday night.
The Rebels (17-7, 7-4 SEC) have now swept Auburn this season, holding the Tigers to their two lowest point totals of the year in the losses (67 points in first loss).
“When you play Auburn here, you have to play different than you do at home," said Ole Miss head coach Kermit Davis.
The writing was on the wall from the opening tip. The teams combined to start 0-for-7 from the floor. Auburn’s offense started the game 3-for-16 from the field and 0-for-4 from 3-point range with five turnovers. Whatever Rebels coach Kermit Davis schemed up was working to near-perfection.
"I said, 'Guys, if you're really trying to win the game, you have to take oppurtunities in the break, but you also have to limit possessions,'" Davis said.
Uncharacteristically, it was junior point guard Jared Harper who was the most to blame in the turnover department, tying a season-high in giveaways with six. He turned the ball over on 35 percent of Auburn’s offensive possessions with him at the point. The Tigers are now 2-4 across Harper’s three seasons in games he turns the ball over five-plus times.
"As much as I would like to win a basketball game in which Jared Harper doesn't play well, I don't think we've been able to do that in the last two years," said Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl.
After the first 20 minutes, trailing 30-24, Auburn (16-8, 5-6 SEC) had turned in its lowest point total in a first half since scoring 24 in a 29-point loss to Vanderbilt in February 2016.
Not much improved in the second half other than Okeke. Senior guard Bryce Brown shot 2-for-12 from the floor to go with Harper’s 1-for-8 clip. Center Anfernee McLemore, who shot 0-for-5 for the game, was held scoreless for third time this season and the second time against Ole Miss. Austin Wiley played his most minutes (8) since returning from a lower right leg injury three games ago but contributed just one point and one rebound.
So, it was up to Okeke to attempt to cut into Ole Miss’ second half leads, which seemed to perpetually hang in the four- to eight-point range.
Those leads normally are minuscule to Auburn, especially at home, where the Tigers feast in the 3-point transition game. But Wednesday, it took 13:55 of game time for Auburn to hit its first triple.
The sophomore Okeke began showing the aggression and NBA-level offensive game Auburn knows has been lying dormant inside his 6-foot-8 frame since he arrived on The Plains two seasons ago.
With a poster dunk over Ole Miss’ KJ Buffen with just over 12 minutes left, that potential came to a head and exploded. From that point on, Okeke did everything in his power attempting to will the Tigers to victory — whether it be touch-pass inbound plays with a second left on the shot clock, quick hands on an Ole Miss inbound play to force a turnover, or a help-side block to give Auburn possession down three points with 45 seconds left.
The Atlanta product finished with a career-high 23 points — 16 of which came during the second-half takeover — and 11 rebounds.
"Chuma is going to be a great player as he keeps going," said Auburn senior forward Horace Spencer. "The sky is the limit for Chuma. He's only a sophomore so I feel like if he keeps developing his game, he's going to probably be one of the best players I've seen in a long time. I had a lot of teammates in the NBA playing for Finley Prep. I feel like he's better than some of those guys I played with.
"Chuma has unlimited potential. I love seeing him play. I love watching him go. He's capable of more. I was telling him during the game, 'Keep going, don't let anyone stop you. Nobody can stop you.' Us having confidence in him, gives him more confidence I feel like."
After Okeke’s block, Harper missed a pull-up triple just a few seconds into the shot clock. Pearl said postgame he would have rather seen Harper take it to the hoop.
When Ole Miss corralled the board, Auburn waited to foul until 12 seconds remained in the game. All of Auburn Arena — including Pearl — scratched their heads.
"Probably should have fouled earlier," Pearl said.
Now back under .500 in SEC play, Auburn gears up for a must-win road matchup with Vanderbilt (0-11 SEC) this Saturday. Having now matched his loss total from last year’s SEC regular season championship squad, and without a notable win its schedule so far, Pearl knows this team is playing for its NCAA Tournament life.
“We’re not going to panic," Pearl said. "We’re going to grind. This is a really good league. These are really good teams, and we’re going to focus on the next one.”
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
Nathan King, senior in journalism with a minor in business, is The Plainsman's sports editor.
