Don't look now, but Auburn is inching closer to the .500 mark in the SEC after a 13-point victory against Arkansas on Wednesday at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum.Big bench night for the Tigers (15-9, 4-5 SEC), who got 26 points, 12 rebounds and a strong defensive effort from the trio of Lucas Hargrove, Frankie Sullivan and Brendon Knox. This was after the Auburn bench scored one point in 32 minutes against Tennessee on Saturday.
“I like the way we did it tonight,” Auburn coach Jeff Lebo said. “I liked it because it wasn’t the so-called stars that helped us win the basketball game.”
Knox was the most pleasant surprise. Auburn's been looking for some low-post help since Johnnie Lett badly sprained his ankle 10 days ago, keeping him in street clothes the last three games.
Knox, a 6-foot-10 junior college transfer from Spartanburg Methodist College, finished with six points, four rebounds and two blocks Wednesday. He swatted Arkansas big man Michael Washington twice, and was instrumental in holding the Razorbacks' leading scorer to six points, 11 below his season average.
“When Knox plays, man, we can get it going down there,” Hargrove said. “It’s such a big body down there. There’s not too much you can do with him when he plays as hard as he can.”
Some other thoughts ...
- It was a fairly even night for Auburn scorers. Hargrove and Tay Waller led the way with 14. Rasheem Barrett added 13 and DeWayne Reed 11. Korvotney Barber added eight points and a team-best 11 rebounds.
- Waller, despite his 14 points, didn't have a great offensive night, going 2-for-8 from 3-point range. But he contributed in other ways, especially on defense. On one possession he notched a steal and turned it into a layup at the other end.
- Arkansas' Rotnei Clarke was a beast in the first half, making four 3-pointers and scoring 14 points. The second half? He was 0-for-4 for zero points.
- Auburn settled down after a sloppy first half, committing just six second-half turnovers. Arkansas had 11 after the break.
- A big sequence in the game was when Arkansas freshman guard Courtney Fortson fouled out with 4:32 to play (it should be noted this was a pretty bad call). Fortson slowly walked back to the Arkansas bench with his head down and apparently said something to the official, because he got T'd up. Auburn made three free throws on the possession to push its lead to 67-60.
- Quantez Robertson minutes: 11. He was 1-for-2 for three points (he made his only free throw), adding three rebounds. He must still be in Lebo's doghouse. Putting him in the game during the final seconds along with walk-on Jake Drum has got to be a slap in the face for someone who has made 113 career starts.
- It was the third time in its history Auburn has swept the season series with Arkansas and the first time since 2003. It is also the first time the Tigers have won back-to-back conference games since January of last year.
- Next up: Mississippi State (16-8, 6-3 SEC) at home on Saturday. Tip-off is 5 p.m. EST. This one could mean a lot as far as Auburn's postseason hopes (read: NIT). A win would get the Tigers to .500 in conference play, a rarefied air not often seen since Lebo inherited the program five years ago.
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