With its 84-66 win over the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday, Auburn extended its nation-long winning streak to 17. The Tigers became the first squad to reach the 20-win mark in college basketball this season a day after head coach Bruce Pearl was awarded an eight-year extension with the program.
The Tigers got the SEC on the board with the conference’s first win of the day in the Big 12 versus SEC challenge.
“This challenge matters," Pearl said. "It matters on selection Sunday."
The game began with Walker Kessler getting the crowd active early, as he grabbed a lob from Zep Jasper and slammed it home to put the Tigers on the board first. The lead belonged to Auburn throughout the rest of the game.
The big man did not slow down from there, he recorded a dominating first half performance, consisting of a team-leading 13 points and seven rebounds.
After a tough shooting night against Missouri on Tuesday, things opened up early for Jabari Smith Jr. He scored 11 points in the opening half and added six rebounds. He shot 4-for-4 from the free-throw line as well. He and Kessler led the scoring effort for Auburn.
“It’s a long season, I try not to dwell on [a bad game] too much and not let it affect my confidence," Smith said. "Just get ready for the next game."
The Tigers were able to establish a physical presence inside early, leading the Sooners 21-12 in rebounds in the opening half with eight of them coming on offense.
This led to easy, efficient looks in the paint for Auburn, resulting in a 42% shooting effort in the first half.
The Tigers were also stingy on the defensive end. They swiped five steals from the Sooners and forced seven first-half turnovers.
The early effort from Auburn gave it a 39-27 lead going into the break — a lead that it did not relinquish.
Although Oklahoma came out firing in the second half, Auburn never lost its steam. Jacob Groves caught fire for the Sooners and brought the game within three with 12:24 remaining.
With Oklahoma on its heels, Devan Cambridge answered the call. He provided Auburn with a spark, tallying five consecutive points to put Auburn up by eight. The lead was safe from that point. The Tigers put Oklahoma in a 15-point hole and did not look back.
Smith took it from there. He secured a double-double in the second half, hauling in his 10th rebound with 8:46 left on the clock. He went 9-for-10 on free throws and shot 6-for-14 from the field en route to leading the Tigers with 23 points and 12 rebounds in the freshman’s bounce-back performance.
“[Smith] has been in the gym, just doing what he does," Pearl said. "Got to the free-throw line, which was very significant today.. Really, really nice job. He’s 6-foot-10, and he played like it today."
Kessler finished his strong performance with 21 points and nine rebounds. The player with the second-most blocks in the country, with 81 this season, continued the block party in the contest with four of the team’s six.
The center also hit multiple 3-pointers for the first time this season.
“It was only a matter of time before they started falling,” Kessler said. “As a shooter, as a player it helps a lot when the coaching staff believes in you and encourages you to keep shooting.”
Auburn’s backcourt were bullies inside. It continued its first-half surge, bringing in 41 total rebounds, opposed to Oklahoma’s 29. The Tigers also led in offensive rebounding 14-to-9.
January 29, 2022; Auburn, Alabama; Walker Kessler (13) slams the ball into the net during a match between Auburn and Oklahoma in the Auburn Arena.
“They’re (Kessler and Smith) the best back court I’ve ever coached, for sure,” Pearl said. “Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler were dominant, and that was really the key.”
While the big men stole the spotlight, K.D. Johnson was able to stay hot with another scoring performance in double figures with 13. Zep Jasper also added nine points. The duo combined for both three assists and steals against a talented Oklahoma back court.
“Oklahoma’s guards are as good of a collection of guards I think, the three or four guys that get out there defensively were really good," Pearl said. "You can see are able to keep us in front a lot."
The Auburn bench also checked in and made a big difference in the second half. It was held to two points in the first half, but elevated its play after the break and put up 15 in the second half. Devan Cambridge ignited the team with seven points and five rebounds off the bench.
Auburn’s depth has played a huge role for them down the stretch because it is able to rest its starters without losing production.
“So many of those guys on the bench were starters last year. Now, they’re coming off the bench, and I expect them to play well,” said Pearl.
The home-court advantage was good to them. The Tigers were efficient from the field after having its worst shooting percentage of the season in their last game at Missouri. They shot 46% from the floor, an improvement of 16% from their last game.
Auburn took advantage of its opportunities at the free-throw stripe as well, converting on 22-of-26 shots from the stripe for a total of 84.6%.
The Sooners shot 38.9%. Their scoring effort was headed up by guard Jordan Goldwire, who led the way with 19 points and four assists in an effective 60% shooting effort.
As a result of the win, Auburn improves to 20-1 on the season, and Oklahoma falls to 13-8.
The No. 1 Tigers shift their focus to rival Alabama, who comes to Auburn Arena for a rematch on Tuesday at 8 p.m. CST.
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