Jabari Smith Jr. showed why he is the real deal on Wednesday.
Down 11 in the opening minutes against Vanderbilt, Smith missed two straight threes and turned the ball over, giving way to Scotty Pippen Jr. and the Commodore offense to run up the score early.
But Smith hit his next seven straight threes, and No. 2 Auburn rolled to victory 94-80.
"I feel like I have not been shooting it like I am capable of as of late,” Smith said. “I got hot a little bit."
Smith totaled a career-high 31 points against the Commodores, shooting 62.5% from the field. Sixteen of Smith’s points came in the first half, which was also a career-best.
The freshman buried seven total threes, grabbed four rebounds and dished out three assists in front of yet another sold-out Auburn Arena and in front of over half a dozen NBA scouts.
"He showed why everybody is so excited about him at the next level,” said head coach Bruce Pearl.
Smith led all scorers, while only playing 28 total minutes. The former 5-star recruit is now one of only four Auburn players in the Bruce Pearl era to eclipse the 30-point mark.
"We did good with [3-stars] and 4-stars, and we're a lot better with 5-stars,” Pearl said. “That’s why we got Jabari. I'm a lot better coach with great players, I can tell you that."
Smith is the first Auburn freshman in over 15 years to score over 30 for the orange and blue.
Another 5-star player that had an outstanding night was UNC transfer Walker Kessler.
Kessler also put up a career-high, with a career best 21 points. The big man also threw in seven boards and seven blocks.
Kessler has now scored in double-digits in 10 straight games.
When asked about his stellar front court, Pearl was almost blushing.
“It's the best frontcourt I've ever had,” Pearl said. “Anywhere. These guys are the best I've ever had."
Kessler and Smith shot a combined 69% from the field and went 10 of 14 from the free throw line. If you removed Pippen’s 29 points for Vanderbilt, Kessler and Smith outscored the entire Vandy team on their own.
"I have no doubt in my mind that our front court is one of the best in the nation, if not the best,” Kessler said.
Auburn sent the game to halftime on a 7-0 run over the final minute of play. Once the Tigers took the lead with 45 seconds to go, behind a Kessler free throw, they never relinquished it.
In the second half, Auburn scored 52 points, compared to Vanderbilt’s 42, and shot 70.8% while doing so.
Wendell Green Jr. had seven of his 12 in the second half, playing most of the game for Zep Jasper, who found himself in foul trouble.
Green and Devan Cambridge both tied for Auburn’s team high in the plus/minus category with plus-25.
In 31 minutes, Auburn’s highest total, Green tied the team lead in rebounds with seven and dished out nine assists, while only turning the ball over twice.
"He is our best facilitator,” Smith said. “He is a play-maker, he makes plays. He did what we needed of him."
All around, Auburn had an excellent shooting night. The team went 50% from three, making 11-for-22 shots, which is significantly better than its previous highest total of 37.5% against Florida, the team’s next opponent.
Vanderbilt boasts the SEC's best 3-point defense, but could not seem to find an answer for Smith and the rest of the Tigers.
"We could have gotten closer on some of Jabari Smith's shots," said Vanderbilt head coach Jerry Stackhouse. "He is as good as advertised. No doubt he will be one of the first few picks in the draft. He showed why tonight."
A total of 80.8% from the free-throw line was also key for the Tigers, as their last two games saw them shoot 64% and 47%.
"It was nice to see us finally make shots,” Pearl said.
With the Tigers victory, they have now won 16 straight in Auburn Arena dating back to last season. The conference win also boosts Auburn to a two game lead over Kentucky, which essentially acts a three game lead since Auburn owns the tie-breaker over the Wildcats.
Auburn will next travel to Gainesville on Saturday, for an away matchup with the Gators. In the two team’s previous meet-up, Auburn won 85-73.
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Henry Zimmer is from Jacksonville, Florida, and is currently in his fifth year with The Plainsman. He is currently the Assistant Sports Editor and can be followed on Twitter here: @henryzimmer
