In No. 2 Auburn’s 84-68 win over Missouri to tip off conference play, the orange and blue Tigers’ depth continued to be Auburn’s strength down the stretch of Saturday afternoon’s game and, perhaps, could be throughout the SEC gauntlet ahead.
“We have a special team,” Johni Broome said following Saturday’s win. “I think it's our foundation. And like, that's a good way to start it off. But you know, we're not satisfied with just this game.”
Missouri entered SEC play ranked 258th nationally amongst D-I teams in rebounds and 204th nationally in offensive rebounds averaging 10.6 per game. The road Tigers were able to out-rebound Auburn by a +2 margin, collecting 13 offensive rebounds – marking only the second time this season Auburn has lost the rebound battle.
“He was already harping on them in the locker room after the game. I mean, BP expects the most from his team, and it's our job to give him what he expects. So, tomorrow go watch film, learn what we get better and get ready for Texas,” Chaney Johnson said.
Dennis Gates’ squad was also able to turnover Auburn over 16 times – a season high for the home Tigers – and collected 13 steals. And yet, it was another 16-point win for the orange and blue Tigers.
“My thinking for the last five or six minutes, we turned it over maybe four or five times. So you go in the last four or five minutes having only turned it over 10 times. I thought we did a pretty good job overall taking care of the ball, but that was a factor,” Pearl said. “They didn't get a ton of offense from their defense.”
The home Tigers had six players score five-or-more points for Auburn in the league opener with five scoring in double-figures. Pearl’s squad was able to knock down seven first half 3-pointers made by seven different Tigers.
Auburn ended the day with 10 made shots from deep on 21 attempts with three players hitting two-or-more 3-pointers.
“With our shooters you're kind of darned if you do, darned if you don’t. You play them one on one, he's [Johni Broome] going to take advantage of you. You go down and get him too often. He's going to kick it out and we're going to beat you from three,” Pearl said.
National player of the year front-runner Johni Broome still led all scorers with 24 points – his ninth 20-plus point performance of the season in just 14 games – shooting 9-of-13 from the field even with all of the Tigers’ success beyond the arc.
“We have the best backcourt in the country. I mean, we got Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell at the head of that snake,” Johnson said.
“And Chaney Johnson,” Broome interjected.
“I mean, just imagine opposing teams seeing our roster, and then trying to go up on guys like that,” Johnson said.
Auburn’s backcourt combined for 39 of the Tigers’ 84 points on Saturday night with 30 points in the paint and nine blocks.
And while the orange and blue Tigers’ strength will continue to be its big men, as it has in seasons past, Auburn’s front court knocking down seven threes and combining for 39 points could be the difference for the Tigers in their title run.
“We're good enough to win every game on the road. We're good enough to lose every game at home. Did you understand what I said? I mean, that's how good the league is,” Pearl said of the caliber of opponent upcoming for Auburn.
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Patrick is a junior from Auburn, Alabama, double majoring in journalism and marketing. He started with The Plainsman in the fall of 2022.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @patrickabingham
