Survive and advance! That's what March is all about and the Auburn Tigers know all about this. On Friday, Auburn went head-to-head with Ole Miss, with the Rebels giving Bruce Pearl and Co. everything they could handle. In the end, the Tigers posted a 62-57 win.
Before the opening tip-off, though, plenty of eyebrows were raised when senior Chad Baker-Mazara was out of the starting lineup. What was going on? Following the final whistle, Pearl revealed to the ESPN crew that he indeed kept Baker-Mazara off the floor in response to his flagrant 2 against Alabama last weekend.
It was a message sent by Pearl, but one that paid off, as Baker-Mazara was back out with the starters to open the second half. Pearl and Johni Broome both had solid things to say about CBM, as they know this team needs him at his best to help push not only for an SEC title, but a natty too.
Bruce Pearl says on the ESPN broadcast that Chad Baker-Mazara didn't start today due to the Flagrant 2 against Alabama
— Peter Rauterkus (@peter_rauterkus) March 14, 2025
Chad Baker-Mazara was benched to start the game against Ole Miss
Hopefully this gets a lot of people off Pearl's back. Over the last week or so, countless fanbases have been going after him for not disciplining the veteran guard. Baker-Mazara made loads of headlines when he fired off the dirty elbow on Chris Youngblood.
Pearl doubled down on saying it was completely unacceptable and something that CBM should have never done. This wasn't the first time he's been part of a controversial play like this either, which only made things even more disappointing.
Thankfully, he was able to keep his emotions in check against the Rebels and more of the same is going to be needed the rest of the season. Next up is a showdown with either Tennessee or Texas in the semifinals.
Then in the SEC Tournament final, a date with Alabama and Youngblood could be on the way. Obviously, Pearl will be sure to sit down with Baker-Mazara before that potential matchup and remind him to be smart from start to finish.