For the fifth time in program history, Auburn will play for an SEC Tournament championship.
The Tigers won their rubber match against Mississippi State, downing the Bulldogs 73-66 in a physical battle to win their second game in as many days and advance to the title game. It was the Tigers’ 26th win of the 2023-24 season and their first by single digits.
“It was good to be in a close game. I thought down the stretch obviously we didn't turn the ball over late, and we made our free throws,” said head coach Bruce Pearl. “Got the ball to Jaylin Williams, Chad Baker-Mazara, and they did a great job closing it out.”
The Tigers took advantage of their depth and balance, as five Tigers reached double figures in the game. Only two Tigers played greater than 25 minutes in the game after none did so on Friday – Williams played 30 minutes and Denver Jones played 29.
Denver Jones lines up a three pointer during the first half of the SEC Tournament Semifinals vs Mississippi State on March 16, 2024
“It was a rock fight because both teams were playing really, really physical,” Pearl said. “That's Mississippi State's MO. Our MO is playing hard all the time, not always quite as physical. They beat us on the boards, but we hung in there. We hung in there. I thought that was really important. Our balance really, really paid off.”
Baker-Mazara came to life late in the game to lead Auburn with 14 points. Baker-Mazara scored eight points in the second half, all in the final 3:23 of the game. Jones and Williams each scored 13, while Johni Broome and Tre Donaldson scored 10 each.
Tre Donaldson hustling to the basket during the second half of the SEC Tournament Semifinals vs Mississippi State on March 16, 2024
Auburn had to overcome a slow start, as Mississippi State built an eight-point lead just under six minutes into the game. The Tigers’ offense was particularly hurt by turnovers, as it committed six turnovers in the first seven minutes of the game.
“We knew it was going to be a dogfight. We played them twice,” Baker-Mazara said. “We already seen what they're capable of. So we just had to come out there and basically execute.”
Over the last 14 minutes of the first half, the Tigers outscored Mississippi State 27-19 to earn a tie going into the locker room, with a Williams buzzer-beating layup evening the game at 31 going into the break.
Auburn came out hot in the second half, building a nine-point lead midway through the half. During a rare long stretch without a whistle, however, Mississippi State began to close the Tigers’ lead. With 5:01 to play, Auburn was up just one point, 57-56.
Out of a timeout, a pair of Dylan Cardwell dunks got the Tigers back on track, a big 3-pointer by Baker-Mazara as the shot clock expired broke the Bulldogs’ back and the Tigers sealed the game at the free-throw line to advance to Sunday’s title game.
“To be honest, (Cardwell’s dunks) was really a game changer. I feel like that gave us a spark, to everybody,” Baker-Mazara said. “Helped us, like, get the crowd involved, too. It was a really big play. He came in, basically came in clutch, turned the whole momentum around. At that point, they came from a nine-point lead. I feel like that really helped us a lot.”
The physical game saw a combined 39 fouls called, with five technical fouls being issued – three on Mississippi State and two on Auburn. After Baker-Mazara was shoved during a dead-ball period, a fight nearly broke out in front of the Auburn bench, resulting in a double technical foul.
Auburn went 17-of-22 from the free-throw line while the Bulldogs were 17-of-27. Auburn had an assists on 15 of its 25 made baskets, with Aden Holloway dishing out six assists himself.
Defensively, Auburn forced 14 turnovers and scored 15 points off of turnovers. In addition, Auburn blocked eight Mississippi State shots, with three blocks each from Broome and Cardwell.
After a first half in which it struggled mightily in the rebounding battle, being outrebounded 22-10 and giving up 10 second-chance points on 12 offensive boards, the Tigers turned it around in the second half. In the first half, Mississippi State’s 12 offensive rebounds surpassed the Tigers’ 10 total rebounds.
After the break, the Bulldogs got just five offensive boards and two second-chance points. Auburn got 19 boards to the Bulldogs’ 15 in the second half.
“Man, we knew they were dominating us on the offensive glass. I was like, let me just jump up, use my athleticism, go grab the rebounds. That was really key. At halftime, we talked about that. They had more offensive rebounds than we did rebounds total,” Williams said. “We had to put our pants on, go out there and show them Auburn basketball.”
The Tigers did not get many second chances, getting just eight offensive rebounds and scoring just five second-chance points. Chris Moore had two of Auburn’s eight offensive boards, the most by an Auburn player in the game.
Auburn will play the No. 6 seed Florida Gators in the championship as the Tigers look to avenge their most lopsided loss of the season. Auburn lost on the road to the Gators, 81-65, on Feb. 10.
The SEC Championship game will tip off at noon CT and will be nationally televised on ESPN.
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Matthew is a senior from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in journalism. He started with The Plainsman in fall 2021.
Twitter: @mattwallaceAU
