This weekend, the Auburn basketball team took care of business and proved that they are the No. 1 team in the nation. The No. 1 Tigers took on No. 2 Alabama in their house and walked away with a 94-85 victory over the Tide.
Six Tigers scored in double digits. Johni Broome led the way with 19, and Denver Jones was right behind him with 16 points. Miles Kelly and Chad Baker-Mazara added 15 points apiece, and Tahaad Pettiford logged 13.
The Tigers shot the ball well, but the game was truly won through their impressive defense. The Tide made just five of their 26 three-point attempts, shooting at just 19.2 percent from beyond the arc. Auburn held them to 38.6 percent from the field, their lowest percentage since playing at Houston in November. Here is what the team had to say after the big rivalry win.
Head coach Bruce Pearl on Denver Jones' defense, per Auburn Undercover:
"I don't know when the media's going to talk about him being one of the best defensive players in college basketball. And we'll do the research for you. If you look at his matchups, night in and night out. I mean, Mark Sears is one of the best players in college basketball. Period. And, not that he did it by himself, but he did a great job on Mark. Made his catches tough, stayed down, stayed between him and the basket. You know, how do you stay in front of Mark Sears? Hardly anybody can. Denver Jones did, and nobody talked about it. He doesn't have enough blocked shots, or he doesn't have enough steals. He's one of the best defensive players in college basketball. He needs to be on the Naismith All-Defensive team."
Johni Broome on his performance, per Auburn Rivals:
"I just came in being aggressive. I came in trying to be aggressive, and I was kinda feeling it a little bit. I just made some plays."
Pearl on Chris Moore's contributions, per AL.com:
“He’s such a physical defender, he’s such a great teammate. He’s been in the program five years and the guys all love him. He’s one of the favorite guys in the locker room and he’s so unselfish. He got three open 3s and I want him to take those open shots, and he probably feels bad that he didn’t bang them. But again, that’s part of our chemistry, part of our culture.”
Pearl on remaining focused, per Auburn Rivals:
"I’m happy for the Auburn family but I reminded everybody that it’s February and Arkansas comes in next Wednesday. So I’m shifting gears pretty quick."
The Tigers return to action in Neville Arena on Wednesday for an 8:00 p.m. game versus Arkansas.