Auburn didn’t make it easy on itself Wednesday night, and for most of the first half it showed. Both teams spent the opening 20 minutes trading runs — Auburn built a lead, NC State answered with a 13–0 burst of its own, and neither side really grabbed control. The game stayed tight until halftime, and the only reason Auburn didn’t fall behind was because Keyshawn Hall and Kevin Overton kept bailing them out possession after possession.
Hall finished with 28 points on 9-of-14 shooting, going 5-of-7 from deep, and added 10 rebounds. He also led the team with six turnovers, but every time Auburn needed a steadying play, he provided it. Sixteen of his points came in the second half, when Auburn finally strung together enough offense to create breathing room.
Overton matched Hall and then some, pouring in a career-high 29 points on 8-of-13 shooting and knocking down 6-of-9 from three. He grabbed nine rebounds and completely took over the game after halftime. Eighteen of his 29 came in the second half, and it felt like every one of them mattered — each time NC State got close, Overton hit the kind of shot that kills momentum.
Head coach Steven Pearl didn’t sugarcoat what the night looked like outside of those two.
"If it wasn't for tough shotmaking by KO and Keyshawn Hall, we don't win that game,” Pearl said after the game. “Two of our best players bailed us out when we had very poor performances from other guys on our team.”
Major test in Tucson up next
The 20 total turnovers were enough to get Auburn beat on most nights. But Hall and Overton erased a lot of problems just by being the two best players on the floor. Auburn hasn’t always known where its offense would come from early this season, but games like this make the picture a lot clearer: when those two are rolling, Auburn looks like a completely different team.
And with No. 2 Arizona up next, Auburn’s going to need Hall and Overton to bring that same punch again — and they’ll have to take much better care of the ball if they want any shot at stealing one from the Wildcats.