Again, I was not allowed to travel to this one (darn these East Coast deadlines of ours), but I tuned in on TV to watch the Tigers on national TV for the first time this year.
Very impressive win. Auburn (20-10, 9-6 SEC) trailed by as many as 13 in the first half but wasn't overwhelmed, slowly but surely getting itself back in the game before grabbing the lead midway through the second half.
The Tigers toughed it out down the stretch, Quantez Robertson of all people made two clutch free throws. Korvotney Barber made a huge tip-in to give Auburn a two-point lead. And after a defensive stop, freshman guard Frankie Sullivan made a tough drive to the basket, hopping past a defender and putting the ball in off the backboard with 11.1 seconds remaining to give the Tigers a 77-73 lead.
It held up, giving Auburn its first 20-win season since the 2002-03 season. It's the ninth time in school history that the Tigers have reached 20 wins.
The ESPN announcer whose name escapes me said that the Tigers were one of the two or three toughest teams he's seen on TV this year. They certainly showed some of that mental toughness Tuesday.
Your leaders:
- Barber: 13 points, 16 rebounds
- Rasheem Barrett: 15 points
- DeWayne Reed: 13 points
- Lucas Hargrove: 10 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks
- Sullivan: 8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 ONIONS! drive
- Free throws changed the game, and Auburn was actually the beneficiary. The Tigers went 8-for-12. Not great. But not terrible. Alabama went 15-for-29. Ouch.
- Alonzo Gee was a beast (17 points and 8 rebounds) everywhere but at the line, where he was 3-for-9.
- Alabama (16-13, 6-9 SEC) was 34-6 all-time against Auburn in Coleman Coliseum, making the Tigers' win all the more impressive.
- Who will Auburn play in the SEC tournament (its first game is Friday at 9:45 p.m. EST)? The winner of the West No. 6 vs. the East No. 3. That's Arkansas for sure. Out of the East, it's wide open. It could be any one of four teams, including South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and Florida. If the tournament started today, it would be Kentucky.
- That's seven wins in eight games for the Tigers, who I'd say aren't in the NCAA tournament picture yet, but certainly are making things interesting. If they beat LSU at home on Saturday -- a marquee win that is certainly lacking from their resume -- they're going to force our hand to start at least bringing them up in conversation for the four-letter tournament. (Be advised that that would still mean a bare minimum of two wins in the SEC tournament.) Remember, the NCAA tournament committee takes into account how a team is playing at the end of the season. Other than LSU, nobody is playing better in the SEC than Auburn right now.
2 comments:
I was pumped up like it was football season during this game!
One thing I didn't understand though...why didn't 'Bama keep giving it to Green on the block? Almost everytime he touched the ball that deep he looked like a man among boys.
Congrats and War Eagle Guys!
sew not sow
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