There is no doubt that Auburn's loss to rival Alabama in one of the biggest college basketball games of the season last Saturday was attributable in part to the ejection of Tigers' forward Chad Baker-Mazara. Early in the second half, the senior was tossed out after being assessed a Flagrant-2 foul for elbowing an Alabama player in the head as the two jostled for position on a rebound.
Without one of its most important players on the court for the final 15 minutes of the game, Auburn came up just short in a 93-91 home loss. For the game, Baker-Mazara played only 18 minutes and scored just seven points while grabbing two rebounds and handing out three assists.
Given the emotion of the loss to its most despised rival, many Auburn fans were not happy about the situation, and some even voiced their anger toward Baker-Mazara. However, many showed their support for Baker-Mazara following a social media post he made.
Monday, he wrote on X a post in Spanish that translates to "Thank God for all the good and bad things you have put in my path!! I know that without those battles, I would not be in the position you have put me in!"
Naturally, that post elicited some strong comments from people of all perspectives online. Fortunately, many Auburn fans showed their support for Baker-Mazara.
"Chad, you are my favorite player on the team. I love your fire and laughter, your passion and fun. We all want you and the team to succeed. God will give you self control if you ask Him. He loves you and so do we!l," one person wrote.
Another wrote, "Ly bro keep pushing, idk how y’all do it because I would hate for all my highs and lows to be so public. I know it comes with the territory but we’re all human."
Someone else replied, "Still love you, CBM. We need you for this championship run! The Auburn family still loves you. Time to lock in."
"Keep your head up!! The Auburn fam is behind you!! And the team needs you to help win it ALL!! Go get those rings," wrote another fan.
Certainly, Baker-Mazara is going to be key for Auburn in the postseason. Averaging 12.9 points per game, he is second on the team in scoring, and by handing out 2.6 assists per game, he ranks third for the Tigers. What's more, Baker-Mazara is also an excellent defender, as he leads the squad with 1.2 steals per game.
Of course, Baker-Mazara likely wishes he could have a do-over for Saturday's actions. However, all will be forgotten if he helps his team capture the National Championship this year. Regardless of how the rest of the season plays out, though, it is clear that Baker-Mazara will have the support of his Auburn family.