With a new No. 1 ranking tacked on to their name and their best player out, the stakes were high for the Auburn basketball team heading into last night's matchup with No. 15 Mississippi State. The Bulldogs had lost only two games before facing the Tigers, one of which was a five-point loss to Kentucky.
But the Tigers rose to the occasion and stepped up big time in Johni Broome's absence and pulled off a dominant 88-66 victory over the Bulldogs. Five Auburn basketball players scored double figures, and the whole team came out with a chip on their shoulder, in no way relaxing into the No. 1 spot.
It was Auburn's fifth-ranked win, and with the Missouri win moving up it is the Tigers' ninth quad-1 win. Here is how head coach Bruce Pearl and his team reacted.
Pearl on staying out of foul trouble, per Auburn Undercover:
"I thought the defensive game plan was great. But more than anything, Chaney and Dylan, their ability to stay down, be second off the floor, blocked all those shots. Just really worked hard at defending without fouling. That was the difference in the game."
Chaney Johnson on taking down No. 15, per Auburn Rivals:
"Knowing that Mississippi State is a physical team and knowing that they have great energy ... we knew we had to come box out and be the most physical team. I think we did that today."
Pearl on Chad Baker-Mazara's improvements, per Auburn Undercover:
"He's starting, and he did not start the first 20 or 21 games a year ago. So, he's just, he's training. He's locked in in practice. He's got, Chad Baker's got stuff you can't teach. Like he's got IT. There's an IT factor in sports, and the great ones have it. He's got it. You can't explain it. But when you see it, you know it. Other players know it. Coaches know it. He's got it. [Long pause] That was pretty good."
The Auburn Tigers will hit the road again for their next game and will face Georgia in Athens this Saturday at noon.