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Auburn Basketball: Recapping the win over LSU

By Ty Roush

Feb 21, 2017; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; Auburn Tigers guard Ronnie Johnson (35) dribbles the ball past LSU Tigers guard Skylar Mays (4) during the second half of a game at Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Auburn defeated LSU 98-75. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 21, 2017; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; Auburn Tigers guard Ronnie Johnson (35) dribbles the ball past LSU Tigers guard Skylar Mays (4) during the second half of a game at Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Auburn defeated LSU 98-75. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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Here we discuss Auburn basketball’s win over LSU on Feb. 21 which completed the sweep and secured a winning season for the first time since the 2008-09 season.

Senior guard Ronnie Johnson got it going for Auburn basketball last night as he led the Tigers in scoring with 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Johnson was joined by dominant performances by Bryce Brown and Danjel Purifoy who scored 15 apiece. Brown returned to his hot shooting groove, shooting 5-of-8 from 3-point land. Auburn was able to get their shooting hot and ready against the Tigers, shooting 33-of-64 (51.6 percent) from the field and 14-of-31 (45.2 percent) for 3-pointers.

As Auburn was just one shot away from its first 100-point performance since 1999, the Tigers took the win and its first winning season since the 2008-09 season. Whether or not Auburn will continue to progress on its hot streak of shooting will determine the possibility of an unprecedented 20-win season.

Pieces on offense are slowly connecting, and it feels as if cohesion is developing in terms of what works and what does not on the offensive side of the ball. Defensively the team continues to struggle, often joining LSU with poor play in the front court.

Regardless of how poorly the defense was run, Auburn looked like a dominant team on offense that could potentially topple any giant. These Tigers are looking to take that 20-win season with wins over Arkansas, Georgia and Missouri — which should be easy victories. A 20-win season would not only be a milestone for Bruce Pearl as head coach, it would represent a transformation of this faulty basketball program into a potential threat in the future.

Moving on to the SEC Tournament

Although many believe that Auburn will falter and fall away from a bubble position in the NCAA Tournament, but any possibility of making it will come with 20 wins and a presence in the SEC Tournament. These outcomes will come with effective 3-point shooting along with a more developed defensive mindset.

Reliability on presence down low with Austin Wiley and Anfernee McLemore can only be great if partnered with defensive guard play. Despite Mustapha Heron‘s professional ability to score the ball, he does not defend as well as he could. Johnson has come off the bench and slowed down the tempo for the Tigers, often being the age and experience needed to bring a battle-tested mindset to the defense. I would like for Johnson and Brown to earn more playing time in order for both the offense and defense to find its grooves. It seems that when both of these players are on the court together, good things happen for Auburn.

Next: All-Time Auburn Baseball Rotation

For the game against Arkansas, I predict more McLemore SAT comments — don’t forget MIT — and more on Heron’s driving ability from the commentators.

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