Top-ranked Tigers roll over the Tide with efficient offensive effort

It was not only a battle of the No. 1 and No. 2 team’s in the nation, but a showdown between two of the top offenses in the country.  

In a high-scoring affair, the most efficient offense in the country – owned by the top-ranked Tigers –  outmanned No. 2 Alabama in Coleman Coliseum behind a barrage of threes and six Tigers scoring 13 or more points in the 94-85 win. 

“Alabama played drop and not hit back screens, and you've just got to bang shots behind them, and I thought our guys did. I thought our bigs set good screens. I thought we mixed up enough perimeter stuff where we could get clean looks with letting Chaney (Johnson) and Johni (Broome) kind of go down in there and do some work. We had a nice balance of some inside-out stuff,” said Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl. 

Auburn shot out to a quick 9-0 lead behind a trio of threes from Miles Kelly and Broome and watched its opponent miss its first nine attempts from beyond the arc as the Tigers never relinquished their lead. Auburn went on to shoot 46 percent from the field and 40 percent from deep. 

“I think what it does is it sends a message that we came here with the idea that we were going to try to win the game,” Pearl said of the fast start. “We knew we'd have to play really well. We knew we'd have to bang shots. We knew we were going to get some clean looks.” 

Broome recorded eight of the Tigers’ first 11 points and ended his night with a 19-point, 14-rebound double-double performance. He led all scorers and recorded his 75th career double-double, continuing to make his case for National Player of the Year. 

“I just came in being aggressive. I came in trying to be aggressive, and I was kind of feeling it a little bit. I just made some plays,” Broome said. 

After notching just three points in the first 20 minutes of play, Denver Jones came out of the locker room ablaze as he knocked down three 3-pointers in less than four minutes en route to a 13-point second-half performance. 

“Honestly, I was just coming out aggressively. If I had an open look, I was taking it. I was just trusting myself and trusting my teammates. I know my teammates believe in me. Then it's just taking that shot, honestly,” Jones said. 

Marked as a game-time decision on the SEC’s pregame availability report, Chad Baker-Mazara poured in 15 points, five rebounds and three assists. Baker-Mazara scored six points combined in the Tigers’ last two outings. 

“Chad is so banged up, and I just wasn't sure he was going to play tonight. He got hurt yesterday in practice. But he's a gamer, and he's got some toughness, and he's got some real skill. He knows how to play and he's such a great passer. He's a dangerous player,” Pearl said. 

Tahaad Pettiford continued his prolific play on the big stage as he scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half, knocking down big shots down the stretch for the Tigers. As the Crimson Tide was in the midst of a 15-2 run, it was Pettiford who silenced the home crowd with a net-ripping three, swinging the momentum in favor of the Tigers. 

“Man, that just goes to show you how great of a player he is. Tahaad, he's young, but he's got a lot of things that you just can't teach,” Broome said of Pettiford. 

Kelly and Chaney Johnson tallied 15 and 14 points, respectively, each knocking down a pair of threes. 

“It's a good win,” Broome said. “That just shows how good the SEC is. We're gonna enjoy it for a little bit, but then it's on to a good Arkansas team. Credit to them, they played well. I'm proud of my teammates for putting up the fight that we did.”