By Brant Daughtry
Perhaps I underestimated Tennessee. For what it’s worth, I knew they were good and I fully expected a battle. But the battle we got was closer than I expected. that perimeter defense is spectacular, and they made things difficult on Auburn all night. Getting a good look was like pulling teeth, and knocking one down was even harder. The referees were abysmal, but hopefully that doesn’t distract anyone from the defensive masterclass these two teams put on.
I think the thing that surprises me most is the way this Auburn team continues to find ways to win. Auburn can hang 80 points on just about anyone. According to KenPom, they have the best offense in the country. They can win down low with Broome and Chaney Johnson and Dylan Cardwell. But they’ve shown they can be perimeter oriented too, leaning on CBM and Miles Kelly and the revelation known as Tahaad Pettiford. But this team has also shown with this win their ability to get in the mud and go win ugly too. They rose to the challenge against a really physical and defensive minded Tennessee team who is much more used to winning those rock-fight-style games.
Massive credit goes to guys like Denver Jones and Chad Baker-Mazara. Those two didn’t make a shot from the field the whole game, but still impacted the game defensively. Auburn won because its guards looked in defensively and held the Tennessee scorers down.
Massive credit also to Johni Broome. Obviously his impact in the stats, but also his toughness. I’ve been critical of Broome in the past, saying that as long as you got physical with him, he wasn’t going to be able to hold up well. While I thought that was true then, it certainly isn’t now. Broome was clearly dealing with a bum ankle still, not at 100%. And yet, he played 33 minutes and made an obvious impact. The dude is one of the best players in the country, if not THE best.
Auburn currently sits atop the SEC, undefeated at about the halfway mark. They’ve played the toughest schedule in the country to this point, and they’re the only team in college basketball with fewer than two losses. Bruce Pearl has done something no one though possible, and he’s changed the landscape of Auburn University forever.
Lastly, credit to the Auburn fanbase. That was the biggest game in the history of that venue, and the crowd responded accordingly. That was as loud as that stadium has ever been, and the crowd pop after the Miles Kelly game-winner was as good as that phenomenon gets. This team feeds of the crowd at home, and there’s a lot to feed off of here.
LSU is coached by Matt McMahon, who’s starting to lose steam. He inherited a mess after the ousting of Will Wade, and had a decent amount of success at Murray State. While LSU hasn’t ever been terrible, they’ve yet to break through like it looked like they would under Wade. Now that Wade’s methods are legal in college basketball, there are rumblings LSU wants to bring him back, at least from a few fans. Can’t be fun for McMahon.
This year, it’s more of the same. LSU is far from terrible. According to the NET rankings, they’re the 67th best team in America. In most conferences, that would be good for middle-of-the-pack and a possible NCAA Tournament birth. Unfortunately, this year it ranks them second-to-last and 1-5 in the league, with the lone win coming at home against a horrifically struggling Arkansas team. They lost a heart-breaker on Saturday too, having an opportunity to get back on track against a really good Alabama team and not being able to pull it out in the final minutes.
Players to Watch For:
Guard Cam Carter, #5- Carter is the leader in a lot of things for LSU. Minutes, points, three-point shooting. He’s the scorer on this squad and if he gets hot, Auburn could have a fight on its hands. He went cold shooting against Alabama and still managed to score 17. He’ll be looking for a bounce back.
Forward Daimion Collins, #10- Collins is the big to watch out for. He stands at 6-9, and uses that size to his advantage. While he didn’t start the year for LSU, he’s seen his minutes go up as the year goes on, averaging about 25 minutes a game since the start of conference play. His scoring numbers aren’t super impressive, but he’s capable of scoring in double figures. He’s a capable rim protector as well, averaging more than a block per game. The way Auburn has struggled against really good front court players this year, this is the guy to worry about.
As with all things, this is a road game, and any victory can’t be taken for granted. LSU is down, but remember the South Carolina game. This team is ranked a good bit higher than the Gamecocks, and just pushed Alabama to the brink. There’s no team that you can overlook if you’re Auburn.
I’m curious to see how Broome looks with another few days of recovery. He clearly wasn’t full go against Tennessee, but in his own words, he was good enough to play. Hopefully with a few more days of rest and therapy, he’ll be closer to 100%. LSU isn’t a dominant front court, and it could be a game where Broome really establishes himself and his case for Player of the Year.
