A constant trend held strong a couple of hours up the road at Legacy Arena on Saturday afternoon in the No. 2 Tigers’ blowout 87-69 win over No. 16 Purdue – Auburn’s guard play is elite and dependable on both ends of the court, which isn't something head coach Bruce Pearl has had in years.
After a less-than-desirable start to the season, senior guard Denver Jones has heated up in recent weeks, tallying 15 points on 6-of-10 from the field and 3-of-6 from deep against the Boilermakers. Jones also recorded four rebounds and one assist. Recently making the transition from the two-position to point guard this season, Jones averages 10.9 PPG, supported by a 43.8 FG% and 44.0 3P%. In Auburn’s last three outings against Purdue, Georgia State, and Ohio State, Jones managed to shoot 68.0% from the field and 66.6% from three-point range, including a season-high 17 points against the Panthers on Tuesday.
Jones’ scoring ability is complimented with his stout play on the defensive end of the floor, which Pearl praised highly following the win.
“Denver Jones is one of the best defensive guards in college basketball,” Pearl said. “I don’t know how many times he got scored on. He didn’t get scored on very often.”
Jones defended Purdue standout point guard Braden Smith for much of the contest and held him to just eight points, two rebounds, and six assists on 3-of-12 from the field in 37 minutes played. Smith – the 2024-25 Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year and named first-team All-Big Ten last year – averages 13.4 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 8.5 APG — 4th in D-1 — through 12 games this season. Jones finished the night with a +/- rating of +26.
“When your best guard – like Denver Jones – and your senior is putting that much effort into it, and you’re not Denver Jones and you’re somebody else, you’re going to put in that kind of effort,” Pearl said.
Building off the effort of the starting point guard, star freshman Tahaad Pettiford continued to shine on the national stage, racking up 18 points, five assists, and three rebounds off the bench. Shooting 7-of-12 from the floor and 50.0% from behind the arc, Saturday’s performance was Pettiford’s sixth in double-figures of his inaugural campaign, and already his third to reach 18+ points. The other two came at No. 9 Duke (20) and vs. No. 4 Houston (21). Complimented by much improved defensive play on the perimeter, including a couple forced shot clock violations, the former McDonald’s All-American is shooting 52.5% from the field and 50.0% from three in matchups against AP Top-16 opponents.
Jones and Pettiford contributed 33 of Auburn's 87 points, shooting 13-of-22 from the field and 5-of-10 from three-point range combined.
“He’s special, he’s talented,” preseason All-American Johni Broome said about Pettiford. “I know he’s gonna come with it – he has that edge, that dog to him. I know when the lights are bright, he’s gonna shine as well because that’s just how he is and who he is as a person.”
Senior guard/forward Chad Baker-Mazara is another key contributor to the Tigers’ success thus far. Although he generated just eight points, Baker-Mazara assisted his team in other ways, as he recorded six assists (tied career-high), five rebounds, four steals (season-high), and two blocks (tied career-high).
“Chad Baker-Mazara is instinctively one of the best players in our league,” Pearl said. “He just flat out is. And he impacts the game in so many ways.”
In addition to averaging 13.2 PPG and shooting 53.1 FG% this season, as Baker-Mazara demonstrated on the court yesterday, his effort and energy -- offensively and defensively -- is contagious to the rest of his team. His ability to guard any position effectively, make tough shots, facilitate the basketball, and create open looks for his teammates has played a massive role in Auburn's historic offensive production.
“Chad is a huge part of our team,” Broome said. “A lot of people may not see the things he does – the little things he does – but having a 6’7” wing who can come off ball screens and throw lobs and at the same time get a backdoor cut and finish on the other side of the rim. And then on the defensive side, being in pass lanes and then go get blocks, there aren’t that many people in the country, if there is one, at the wing position.
After the Tigers' 18-point dismantling of Purdue, Auburn holds a 131.2 offensive efficiency rating per KenPom, ranking first in the nation by almost seven points (UConn is second with 124.8) and is the highest-rated offense ever of the KenPom era.
The Tigers look to build off of their sixth quad-one win of the season as they wrap up non-conference play with Monmouth on Monday, Dec. 30.
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Gunner is a freshman majoring in journalism. He started with The Plainsman in the fall 2024.
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