aubiefifty

si.com Takeaways: Tigers Use Strong First Half to Push Past St Bonaventure in Legends Classic Championship Lance Dawe 3–4 minutes Auburn basketball got off to a hot start once again. The Auburn Tigers have now won three straight in convincing fashion following their season-opening loss to Baylor. Tonight, Bruce Pearl and the Tigers were once again victorious, defeating St Bonaventure 77-60 in the Legends Classic championship game. It was a contest dominated by Auburn for 25 minutes before the Bonnies finally woke up in the second half. It was too little too late as Auburn rode strong performances from Johni Broome, Jaylin Williams and Denver Jones to a win. Here are four takeaways from the victory. Johni Broome cleaned house Everyone be thankful the Tigers were playing St Bonaventure and not the No. 1 seeded Houston Cougars. Despite an extremely poor performance from the foul line (4-of-11), Broome finished the game with 18 points, and five rebounds on 7-of-11 shooting. Denver Jones stepped up Aden Holloway had his first off night in an Auburn uniform, shooting 2-of-10 from the floor - but FIU transfer Denver Jones stepped up in his offensive absence, scoring 12 points and hitting all three of his outside shots. The Tigers are going to need players like Jones to rise to the occasion when the talented freshman guard is in a slump. Tre Donaldson also went 1-of-2 from beyond the arc. How will Auburn respond in tougher second halves? The Tigers shot sub-40% from the floor and just 1-of-10 from deep in the second half. The Bonnies, who also shot poorly in the final 20 minutes, were still able to crawl back into the game and cut the lead to 11 at one point. Auburn will face much better teams with significantly better three-point shooters. They were able to control the game and maintain their lead in the end... but how will Pearl and the team respond to more serious adversity down the road? Getting games like this one under the belt should help. The Legends Classic field simply could not shoot Outside of Auburn, the three other teams in the Legends Classic field shoot an average of 22.3% from beyond the arc (including tonight's two contests of Oklahoma State/Notre Dame and Auburn/St Bonaventure. The Bonnies went 3-of-24 against the Tigers tonight. Yikes. The field could not shoot the rock. Is it Auburn's improved three-point defense after a disappointing performance against Baylor? Or is it because none of the other three teams here can't shoot at all? What's next? The Tigers return to Neville Arena next Tuesday, November 21st, to play Alabama A&M. Tipoff time is at 7:00 pm CT and can be seen on ESPN+. Alabama A&M is currently ranked No. 339 nationally on KenPom.

247sports.com Tigers start strong defeat St Bonaventure to win Legends Classic Matthew Wallace 5–7 minutes For the second time in program history, Auburn walked away from Brooklyn as the champion of the Legends Classic. The Tigers earned the title of the event by defeating the home-state St. Bonaventure Bonnies 77-60 on Friday night. "That's a good St. Bonaventure team," said head coach Bruce Pearl. "Everybody knows what a great coach Mark Schmidt is, the job that he does...Overall, good win for us and proud of our kids for making history." The score was tied at six just over three minutes in. Then, Denver Jones hit a 3-pointer, St. Bonaventure turned it over twice, Johni Broome scored a pair of close-range baskets, and the Tigers led the rest of the way. A pair of Aden Holloway free throws capped off the 9-0 run. The run was Auburn’s first of three sustained scoring runs in the first half. The Tigers also put up a 13-4 run midway through the period and an 8-0 run to close out the half. Against Notre Dame, Auburn held a 15-point lead with 3:51 to go, only to surrender a run and see the lead reduced to six at the half. Against the Bonnies, it was the Tigers who went on the late first-half run. Ahead by 10 with 3:14 to play in the half, Auburn scored 13 of the final 16 points before going to the locker room. "The last few minutes of the first half was pretty exciting basketball," Pearl said. The Tigers shot 54.8 percent in the first 20 minutes, going 17-of-31 from the field, with Broome scoring 13 in the frame to lead his team. In the first half, Auburn made 50 percent of its 3-pointers, going 7-of-14 behind the arc. The second half was not as kind to the Tigers, with the Bonnies outscoring Auburn 32-29, but the Tigers’ strong first half was too much for their opponent to overcome. The Tigers shot just 38.1 percent in the second half, and made just one of 10 3-pointers in the frame, factoring into the team’s failure to reach 80 points for the first time this season. Auburn also hurt itself with eight turnovers in the second half of play. "We didn't shoot the ball as well in the second half," Pearl said. "That's probably the first half all year we really didn't shoot it well...that may have been a factor in our not continuing to build our lead." Holloway, who came into the game shooting just over 52 percent from 3-point range, was just 2-for-7 from behind the arc. Jones, however, picked him up, shooing 3-for-3 from 3-point range. Broome led the Tigers with 18 points, with Jaylin Williams and Jones joining him in double figures. Broome was 7-of-11 from the field and Williams led the Tigers with 10 rebounds, earning a double-double for the first time this season. Though Broome came into the game shooting just over 64 percent from the foul line, he made just four of his 11 free-throw attempts in the game. As a team, Auburn was 19-of-27 from the foul line. The result was largely skewed due to Broome’s output, however, as four Tigers were perfect on free throws, including a 6-for-6 performance from Dylan Cardwell. "When Johni had missed some free throws, we played the last four minutes with Dylan Cardwell in there and Dylan made all of his free throws," Pearl said. "Dylan's a career 40 percent free-throw shooter, he went 6-for-6 tonight. I know Dylan's shooting coach is smiling somewhere and look at the work Dylan has done, but he was poised and played great defense down the stretch." The Tigers were active on the offensive glass, getting 11 offensive rebounds and turning those into 16 second-chance points. Williams had three of Auburn's offensive boards. The Bonnies were equally active on the offensive boards, though they did not take advantage as well as the Tigers, scoring 11 second-chance points from 12 offensive rebounds. The active Auburn defense factored into the win, affecting the Bonnies, who committed several uncharacteristic miscues. St. Bonaventure came into the game averaging 11 turnovers per game but had 11 turnovers in the first half alone. For the game, the Bonnies had 16 turnovers, resulting in 24 Auburn points. For the second straight game in Brooklyn, Auburn benefitted from its opponent’s inability to make 3-pointers. One day after Notre Dame finished 2-of-26 from behind the arc, the Bonnies made just three of their 24 3-point attempts. Combined, Auburn's opponents in the Legends Classic were just 5-of-50 from 3-point range. Auburn, for the first time this season, was able to consistently get stops without fouling in the second half. Auburn’s first three opponents combined for 56 second-half free-throw attempts, but the Bonnies shot just 13 free throws in the entire game, with just ten attempts in the second half. After scoring a combined 33 points in the two tournament games, Broome was named MVP of the Legends Classic, with Williams also making the all-tournament team. "Honestly, I didn't know I was going to get MVP," Broome said. "I was focused on my teammates and celebrating a win. I was trying to get hyped." From 2005 to 2018, Auburn did not win a multi-team tournament event. The Tigers’ victory in the Legends Classic, however, was their third win in such events since 2019, and their second straight. The Tigers won the Legends Classic in 2019 and the Cancun Challenge in 2022. The Tigers outscored their two Legends Classic opponents by a combined 41 points, beating Notre Dame by 24 and the Bonnies by 17. After three neutral-site contests in four games, Auburn returns home to face Alabama A&M on Tuesday evening.

3 takeaways from Auburn’s 77-60 win against St. Bonaventure Updated: Nov. 17, 2023, 8:23 p.m.|Published: Nov. 17, 2023, 8:17 p.m. 5–6 minutes BROOKLYN, NY - NOVEMBER 17 - Jaylin Williams (2) during the game between the Auburn Tigers and the St. Bonaventure Bonnies at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY on Friday, Nov. 17, 2023. Photo by Steven Leonard/Auburn TigersSteven Leonard/Auburn Tigers Auburn won the Legend’s Classic on Friday with a 77-60 win over St. Bonvanenture. Auburn blew out its opponents in each of the two games it played this week, beating Notre Dame on Thursday before St. Bonaventure. Auburn rides a serious wave of momentum with one more game before a short Thanksgiving break. It is 4-1 overall this season and winners of three straight after letting the opener against Baylor slip away. Auburn’s offense? Elite Should it be maintained, Auburn’s offense makes it a serious contender in the SEC this year. But what makes it so dangerous is that Auburn doesn’t just rely on one thing or one player. Auburn can score from anywhere, and it can do so efficiently and quickly. Take the end of the first half tonight. Over the final 11 minutes of the first half, Auburn outscored St. Bonaventure 26-11. Eight Auburn players scored in the first half. Auburn made 7-14 3-pointers. It assisted on 15 of 17 made field goals. That came against only five turnovers. Auburn had already been among the top 25 teams in the nation in terms of assists per game. That stretch put Auburn put by 20 at halftime, a cushion that helped it pull away for good. Auburn shot 9-15 over the final nine minutes of the first half. That’s 60%. As a team, Auburn is shooting close to 50% as a team this season and more than 40% from deep. The fact that Auburn has that offense in its arsenal, and can unleash it pretty much at any moment is an incredible asset. St. Bonaventure is a quality opponent, and Auburn blew past it. At least it did in the first half. Auburn’s offense had possibly its worst half of the season in the second half against St. Bonaventure, but even as the gap closed slightly, Auburn had played well enough offensively in the first half that Auburn never seemed in danger of losing the lead. Auburn’s 3-point defense this week was incredible — albeit unsustainable Auburn nearly went an entire 40 minutes without allowing a 3-pointer. Notre Dame’s Braeden Shrewsberry made a shot from deep with 1:19 to go in the first half of Auburn’s win Thursday. Notre Dame didn’t make a 3-pointer in the second half. St. Bonaventure then didn’t make a 3-pointer until Moses Flowers made one with 1:57 before halftime. In the two games, Auburn allowed a combined 5-53 from deep. Obviously, that’s incredible. And obviously, that’s unsustainable. But the point here is Auburn is figuring things out on defense. It’s not really that Notre Dame and St. Bonaventure were missing open looks — though both teams did, in fact, miss open — but more that Auburn’s closeouts at the perimeter have been greatly improved. Even if that type of defense is impossible to keep up, for that to extend against two different teams in two different games means that Auburn maintained its perimeter defense. And that comes after Baylor blitzed Auburn to make nearly half of its 3s. Southeastern Louisiana made greater than 35%. Auburn has an identity Auburn has played its best defense of the season in the two Brooklyn games this week. As a whole, that may still be something Auburn is going to keep building on as it didn’t exactly play two offensive powerhouses this week. But what is maybe more notable is the offensive identity Auburn is already finding through just four games. Pearl discussed this after the win against Notre Dame. And that identity appears to be an ability to play team basketball. To be balanced. To be efficient from all parts of the floor. “Obviously, if you’ve got to guard in the perimeter, it opens up driving lanes,” Pearl said after beating Notre Dame. “It opens up Johni Broom on the inside, Dylan Cardwell. I just think we’ve had great spacing and we’re getting open looks. We’re getting open looks and that’s what you want. Try to get a feel for how other teams are going to guard. It does look like in November this team has got an idea of what we want to try to do offensively.” As discussed above, Auburn’s offensive numbers this season are among the best in the nation in numerous categories — before considering that Auburn has not played cupcakes to open the season. To have the same tropes discussed after each game — high assist rate, high shooting percentage, reliable from beyond the arc — is a further sign of the consistency and identity Auburn is finding. Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

auburnwire.usatoday.com Recap: Auburn Basketball cruises to Legends Classic Championship Brian Hauch ~2 minutes The Auburn Tigers have won their first trophy of the season. Bruce Pearl’s squad improved to 3-1 on the young season Friday Night, defeating the St. Bonaventure Bonnies 77-60 in front of a large crowd at the Barclays Center. The win secured a “Legends Classic” Championship for Auburn. They won both games by double digits and were clearly the best team in the tournament. Johni Brrome once again led the Auburn offensive attack, muscling his way to 18 points and 5 rebounds. As will normally be the case this season. plenty of Tigers stuffed the stat sheet in the win. Aden Holloway, Jaylin Williams, Denver Jones, K.D Johnson, and Dylan Cardwell all contributed 8 points or more and could have done more if not for the blowout nature of the second half. Auburn’s offense was great, but the real story of their early season continues to be the perimeter defense of Tre Donaldson, Aden Holloway and Denver Jones. Tiger guards held the opposition to under 15% from the 3-point line for the second night in a row, as the Bonnies shot just 3/24 from deep. Auburn also out-rebounded, out-assisted, and out-blocked St. Bonaventure. The Orange and Blue also had one less turnover. St. Bonaventure’s premier player and Atlantic 10 Preseason First-Team guard Daryl Banks III had just 4 points, giving the Bonnies virtually no chance at making a comeback. Auburn will enjoy this early season championship before they return to action Tuesday at Neville Arena to take on Alabama A&M.

the tiger is looking at that dude like he smells...........lol

si.com Auburn's Best-Case Scenario at WR in the 2024 Recruiting Class Lance Dawe 3–4 minutes Auburn is in need of some new wideouts in 2023. The Tigers have struggled at the position for a couple of seasons now, and Hugh Freeze is doing his best to bring in some fresh talent while keeping some of the production that's currently on the roster. The 2024 class already features five-star Perry Thompson, who Auburn flipped from Alabama earlier this year. Four-stars Bryce Cain and Malcolm Simmons are also committed. However, there are a couple of massive potential additions that Auburn could flip from SEC schools over the next few weeks. Here's the best-case scenario for Auburn if they land all of the receivers they want. Perry Thompson, Five-star (No. 6 WR) Thompson flipped from Alabama back in July and gave Auburn their first five-star commit since the 2019 recruiting class. The No. 32 overall prospect is a big, physical receiver with a large catch radius. Just how Freeze likes his receivers. Auburn desperately needs some height and aggression on the outside, and Thompson provides that. Ryan Williams, Five-star (No. 1 WR) Williams is currently committed to Alabama, but Auburn is pushing Williams and could be in position to flip him away from the Tide as well within the next few weeks. He's the No. 1 receiver in the nation and provides insane speed and elusiveness. This is a surefire first-round receiver that would be a demon in Freeze's offense. Cam Coleman, Five-star (No. 3 WR) It surprised everyone when Coleman committed to Texas A&M in the summer, but now that A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher is out of the picture, Auburn is right back in the race for Coleman. We could see a flip coming soon from Coleman, a tall vertical threat that is compared to former Georgia receiver George Pickens. Bryce Cain, Four-star (No. 33 WR) Cain has risen in the rankings since his commitment to Auburn. The elite route runner from Baker High School (Mobile, AL) showed off great hands and coordination during a camp at Auburn in the summer. He may get overlooked because of the high-end talent the Tigers may pull, but Cain is smooth and possesses track speed. Malcolm Simmons, Four-star (No. 16 ATH) Criminally underrated. That's what Malcolm Simmons is. He's a track star, but Simmons also has hops. He was 6A state champion as a junior in both high and long jump. The six-foot 165-pound athlete/wide receiver chose the Tigers over Arkansas, Georgia Tech, and West Virginia.

247sports.com The Real Deal New Mexico State week Jason Caldwell 3–4 minutes Auburn tight end Luke Deal gives us his thoughts as the Tigers get ready for New Mexico State. AUBURN, Alabama—Don't take your foot off the gas. That's the message from Auburn tight end Luke Deal as the Tigers get ready to face New Mexico State in the final non-conference game of the regular season. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. on the SEC Network as Hugh Freeze's team looks to win its fourth straight game following victories over Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Arkansas. A team that comes in 8-3 overall and heading towards its conference championship game, New Mexico State knows how to win and is a confident team heading into the Saturday showdown. Deal said that shows when you watch the Aggies and they have Auburn's attention this week. For Auburn, the message is straightforward. Just keep doing what you've been doing. Focusing on improvement each week has worked well for the Tigers and Deal said that's the goal once again. Watch as we catch up with Deal for this week's The Real Deal. Jason Caldwell's Friday Auburn mailbag column Talking plenty of Auburn football as the Tigers prepare for NMSU M5guy: What if?? Thorne had been the starter all along & we had been fast paced. Would we have 2 more wins or lost by larger margins to A&M, Georgia & OM because the offense would have been 3 & out a bunch & defense would have been tired? Your best educated guess!! I think because of the issues executing the offense earlier in the season, going fast-paced might have helped you beat Ole Miss but you might have lost the game to Cal playing that way. Just no way of knowing how it’s going to go. I 100 percent believe that playing the way they did gave them the best chance to beat that Georgia team. Now, sticking with one quarterback could have impacted things a lot more as they got more reps together. Probably the biggest thing they've done is simplify things to allow guys to play fast. Not sure that would have happened early in the year, so there could have been some issues no matter how things went. BayEagle: Jason, after going through 11 weeks of College Football Season. Has your opinion changed on the New Clock Rule or is it working out better than you anticipated? Thanks. Honestly, it hasn’t been that noticeable in terms of the game itself. Where I have noticed it is in the number of timeouts. Being on the field, every time I turn around I’m seeing the clock guy walk out and set the timer at 3:00. It’s just beyond infuriating to have a TV timeout on third down, a punt, and then another TV timeout. That’s probably been the biggest issue for me. To read this full article and more, subscribe now — SALE: One Month for Only $1 Get access to this article and all of the in-depth coverage from the 247Sports Network with this special offer. Join Today Already a subscriber? Login

How much is New Mexico State getting paid to play Auburn this weekend? Published: Nov. 17, 2023, 12:39 p.m. 2–3 minutes Auburn Football What is Auburn paying New Mexico State to play this week? Here’s what the contract says Head to Head: Auburn vs. New Mexico State Auburn is set to write a $1.85 million check to the New Mexico State athletics department for this weekend’s game at Jordan-Hare Stadium, according to the game’s contract acquired by AL.com through a public records request. This matchup, which was agreed upon in March 2019, will kick off at 3 p.m. Saturday and will be aired on the SEC Network. The money is owed to New Mexico State on or before March 1, 2024. Auburn is providing 300 complimentary tickets to New Mexico State, according to the contract, and up to 419 seats for the New Mexico State band. Any tickets the band does not use are not to be used to New Mexico State’s ticket allotment. Cheerleaders and “mascots in uniform” will be admitted free of charge. The contract does allow for an undetermined number of consignment tickets — meaning tickets Auburn did not sell — to be given to New Mexico State. However, Auburn sold out the game, so there were no additional tickets provided. Auburn enters this weekend on a three-game winning streak and a 6-4 overall record. It clinched bowl eligibility last week with a win over Arkansas. Nex Mexico State comes in on a six-game winning streak and with an 8-3 overall record. These two schools have played three times before and Auburn won all three matchups — all at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The most recent game was a 42-7 Auburn win in 2012. Auburn also won in 2007 and 1993. Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

theplainsman.com Players to watch, keys to victory against New Mexico State 4–5 minutes With its crushing defeat over Arkansas, Auburn won its third straight game against an SEC opponent, raising its season record to 6-4 and giving the Tigers bowl eligibility. Auburn comes back to Jordan-Hare Stadium after two weeks on the road to face the New Mexico State Aggies, who are doing well on their own with an 8-3 record on the season. The Aggies have won their past six games, with their recent victory coming against Western Kentucky 38-29. The Aggies are led by head coach Jerry Kill who has an overall record of 14-9 at the school over two seasons. Auburn leads the series 3-0 all-time, where all the games have been played on its own turf and its last win coming in 2012 42-7. With a win in Jordan-Hare this weekend, the Tigers would be on a four-game win streak heading into the Iron Bowl. PLAYERS TO WATCH AUBURN: Jarquez Hunter Hunter is continuing his pursuit of a 1,000-yard season on the ground with a great performance last week against Arkansas, rushing for 109 yards on 16 carries for his third straight game with at least 100 yards rushing. If Hunter can carry his momentum into the game against New Mexico State and get the Tigers some easy opportunities in the red zone, this game could go to the Tigers early. Payton Thorne Thorne is fresh off last week’s game where he had a solid performance with a four-touchdown showing against the Razorbacks in which he threw for three and rushed for one. He also tacked on 163 yards passing and threw one interception. Look for Thorne to get some more looks down field in the passing game to open the field and get some big plays early. This is the kind of game where Thorne can show what progress he has made as a passer throughout the season. NEW MEXICO STATE: Diego Pavia The Aggies' quarterback has thrown for 2,257 yards and 19 touchdowns along with six interceptions this season. He is also their leading rusher with 705 yards on five scores. It will be essential for the Aggies' offense to get started early with a score to keep the Tigers on their heels and alleviate some pressure from the Aggies defense. Keys to Victory AUBURN: No turnovers. One interception or one fumble could allow the Aggies to get the ball one more possession than they should have, which would keep the game from being won early on and force the Tigers to keep their starters in for longer than they would like. The defense will also look to get off the field on third down to give the offense more chances to stretch a potential lead. NEW MEXICO STATE: The Aggies have lost each of their 27 meetings against SEC opponents. To get their first win, the Aggies will have to establish their running game. The Aggies have run for 170 or more yards in 14 consecutive games – looking to extend that streak to 15. Auburn and New Mexico State kick off Saturday, Nov. 18, at 3 p.m. CST in Jordan-Hare Stadium. The game will be televised on SEC Network. Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Auburn Plainsman delivered to your inbox Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman. William Halliday | Sports Writer William Halliday started with The Plainsman in fall 2022. He is a journalism major from Memphis, Tennessee. Twitter: @wphalliday3 Share and discuss “Players to watch, keys to victory against New Mexico State” on social media.

247sports.com PMARSHONAU Phillips gameday musings Phillip Marshall 11–14 minutes #PMARSHONAU: Phillip's gameday musings An interesting weekend on and off field, a significant game for Auburn and more Games and more in season’s home stretch It’s an interesting time of year in college football. Rival games are fun. Much remains to be decided in the race for the final four-team College Football Playoff. And, as always, many of the headlines are about coaches on the move, voluntarily or otherwise. I have talked to a few coaches still in the business, and I have heard some interesting things. Some examples: --Gus Malzahn, who recently received a contract extension at Central Florida, will be highly interested if Arkansas moves on from Sam Pittman. A fact: Since going 12-2 and winning the SEC championship in his first Auburn season, Malzahn has lost four or more games in 10 consecutive seasons at Auburn and UCF. --An ESPN report that Bobby Petrino, as Texas A&M offensive coordinator, was essentially running Jimbo Fisher’s offense was accurate. It didn’t work, just like such setups usually don’t work. --It is believed by other coaches that Hugh Freeze has taken over play-calling at Auburn, though he continues to say it is a collaborative effort with offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery. --Freeze and Auburn have gotten the attention of other programs with their efforts on the recruiting trail. “Some people are surprised,” one SEC assistant coach told me. “I don’t know why. Not many are better at it than Hugh.” NMSU’s Kill ‘will have a plan for winning’ No one expects New Mexico State to beat Auburn today at Jordan-Hare Stadium, but Aggies’ head coach Jerry Kill is highly respected as a person and as a coach. “They probably don’t have enough to win, but he will have them ready to play and believing they can win,” one coach said. “He’ll have a plan for winning. Auburn best be ready to play.” Much to be gained for Auburn Today’s game really is an important one for Auburn. The Tigers have an opportunity to win their fourth straight and get to seven wins for the season, better than most expected. That could enhance their bowl standing, regardless of what happens against Alabama next Saturday. Some big SEC games today The penultimate weekend of the regular season has become known as “cupcake week” for the SEC. We get games like Alabama-Chattanooga, Arkansas-FIU, Texas A&M-Abilene Christian, LSU-Georgia State and Ole Miss-ULM. Auburn’s game against New Mexico State was scheduled to be one of those kinds of games, but it remains to be seen if it will be. But there are some significant SEC games, too. No. 1 Georgia goes to Tennessee. Florida goes to Missouri and Kentucky goes to South Carolina. The biggest of those games is in Knoxville, though that one lost some of its shine when Tennessee was blown out 36-7 at Missouri last Saturday. Former Auburn coach leads Mississippi State Greg Knox, Auburn’s wide receivers coach for all of Tommy Tuberville’s tenure, is Mississippi State’s interim head coach for the second time. In the wake of Zach Arnett being fired before the end of his first season, Knox will lead the Bulldogs in today’s game against Southern Mississippi. The Golden Eagles aren’t much, but who knows how Mississippi State players will respond? Reality of coaching searches As coaching searches heat up, it gives reality a chance to catch up. Maybe the No. 1 reality is that success in the Group of 5 often does not translate to success in the Power 5, especially for coaches without Power 5 experience. Remember when Scott Frost was the coach everybody had to have? Billy Napier? Tom Herman? That’s certainly not to say that some Group of 5 coaches have not made the transition smoothly. But how many have been long-term success? I don’t have any numbers, but it seems to me Power 5 coaches that were assistants when they were hired have more success. Three of the top six teams in the latest CFP rankings – Georgia, Ohio State and Oregon – are led by first-time head coaches. According to reports, Texas A&M has interviewed Texas-San Antonio coach Jeff Traylor. He has been highly successful at UTSA, but that doesn’t mean he is prepared to take over an SEC program outsized expectations. Maybe he is, but maybe he’s not. No more ‘receipts’ for Prime Time The Prime Time football show is officially over. The 56-14 beating the Buffaloes took from Washington State, loser of six straight going into the game, was the final chapter in what was always a make-believe tale. They have one game left, another likely blowout at Utah. But they have now lost seven of eight. There will be no bowl game, no “receipts” to show. The game was already getting away when Shedeur Sanders, son of the coach and a heck of a quarterback, finally succumbed to a season-long pounding and had to leave the game. In 11 games, he has been sacked 53 times. Had he played the entire game, it might have been a little closer. But it wouldn’t have mattered. Washington State edge rusher Brennan Jackson returned two fumbles, one of them by Sanders, for touchdowns. Leyton Smith returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown. Without Shedeur Sanders, I am not certain this Colorado team would have done any better than last season’s 1-11 record. Deion Sanders likes to say that people who know football can see what is being built at Colorado. Maybe so. But I don’t see much. Sanders’ celebrity, his entourage of entertainers and his boasting created interest in Colorado football. But the harsh glare of the spotlight has not been kind. Michigan saga a long way from over The Michigan saga has reached the point of absurdity. Having seen damning evidence, Michigan suddenly decided maybe the Big Ten had it right all along when head coach Jim Harbaugh was suspended for three games and dropped its lawsuit. A linebackers coach was fired. That was after the president and the AD trashed the Big Ten and did their best to make Michigan a victim. The Wolverines still can win the national championship. Harbaugh can return for the Big Ten Championship Game if they get there. They have actually gotten off easy so far. But it is far from over. The NCAA will have its say and isn’t likely to be so kind. Tigers start strong, defeat St. Bonaventure to win Legends Classic Johni Broome was named the event's MVP For the second time in program history, Auburn walked away from Brooklyn as the champion of the Legends Classic. The Tigers earned the title of the event by defeating the home-state St. Bonaventure Bonnies 77-60 on Friday night. "That's a good St. Bonaventure team," said head coach Bruce Pearl. "Everybody knows what a great coach Mark Schmidt is, the job that he does...Overall, good win for us and proud of our kids for making history." The score was tied at six just over three minutes in. Then, Denver Jones hit a 3-pointer, St. Bonaventure turned it over twice, Johni Broome scored a pair of close-range baskets, and the Tigers led the rest of the way. A pair of Aden Holloway free throws capped off the 9-0 run. The run was Auburn’s first of three sustained scoring runs in the first half. The Tigers also put up a 13-4 run midway through the period and an 8-0 run to close out the half. Against Notre Dame, Auburn held a 15-point lead with 3:51 to go, only to surrender a run and see the lead reduced to six at the half. Against the Bonnies, it was the Tigers who went on the late first-half run. Ahead by 10 with 3:14 to play in the half, Auburn scored 13 of the final 16 points before going to the locker room. "The last few minutes of the first half was pretty exciting basketball," Pearl said. The Tigers shot 54.8 percent in the first 20 minutes, going 17-of-31 from the field, with Broome scoring 13 in the frame to lead his team. In the first half, Auburn made 50 percent of its 3-pointers, going 7-of-14 behind the arc. The second half was not as kind to the Tigers, with the Bonnies outscoring Auburn 32-29, but the Tigers’ strong first half was too much for their opponent to overcome. The Tigers shot just 38.1 percent in the second half, and made just one of 10 3-pointers in the frame, factoring into the team’s failure to reach 80 points for the first time this season. Auburn also hurt itself with eight turnovers in the second half of play. "We didn't shoot the ball as well in the second half," Pearl said. "That's probably the first half all year we really didn't shoot it well...that may have been a factor in our not continuing to build our lead." Holloway, who came into the game shooting just over 52 percent from 3-point range, was just 2-for-7 from behind the arc. Jones, however, picked him up, shooing 3-for-3 from 3-point range. Broome led the Tigers with 18 points, with Jaylin Williams and Jones joining him in double figures. Broome was 7-of-11 from the field and Williams led the Tigers with 10 rebounds, earning a double-double for the first time this season. Though Broome came into the game shooting just over 64 percent from the foul line, he made just four of his 11 free-throw attempts in the game. As a team, Auburn was 19-of-27 from the foul line. The result was largely skewed due to Broome’s output, however, as four Tigers were perfect on free throws, including a 6-for-6 performance from Dylan Cardwell. "When Johni had missed some free throws, we played the last four minutes with Dylan Cardwell in there and Dylan made all of his free throws," Pearl said. "Dylan's a career 40 percent free-throw shooter, he went 6-for-6 tonight. I know Dylan's shooting coach is smiling somewhere and look at the work Dylan has done, but he was poised and played great defense down the stretch." The Tigers were active on the offensive glass, getting 11 offensive rebounds and turning those into 16 second-chance points. Williams had three of Auburn's offensive boards. The Bonnies were equally active on the offensive boards, though they did not take advantage as well as the Tigers, scoring 11 second-chance points from 12 offensive rebounds. The active Auburn defense factored into the win, affecting the Bonnies, who committed several uncharacteristic miscues. St. Bonaventure came into the game averaging 11 turnovers per game but had 11 turnovers in the first half alone. For the game, the Bonnies had 16 turnovers, resulting in 24 Auburn points. For the second straight game in Brooklyn, Auburn benefitted from its opponent’s inability to make 3-pointers. One day after Notre Dame finished 2-of-26 from behind the arc, the Bonnies made just three of their 24 3-point attempts. Combined, Auburn's opponents in the Legends Classic were just 5-of-50 from 3-point range. Auburn, for the first time this season, was able to consistently get stops without fouling in the second half. Auburn’s first three opponents combined for 56 second-half free-throw attempts, but the Bonnies shot just 13 free throws in the entire game, with just ten attempts in the second half. After scoring a combined 33 points in the two tournament games, Broome was named MVP of the Legends Classic, with Williams also making the all-tournament team. "Honestly, I didn't know I was going to get MVP," Broome said. "I was focused on my teammates and celebrating a win. I was trying to get hyped." From 2005 to 2018, Auburn did not win a multi-team tournament event. The Tigers’ victory in the Legends Classic, however, was their third win in such events since 2019, and their second straight. The Tigers won the Legends Classic in 2019 and the Cancun Challenge in 2022. The Tigers outscored their two Legends Classic opponents by a combined 41 points, beating Notre Dame by 24 and the Bonnies by 17. After three neutral-site contests in four games, Auburn returns home to face Alabama A&M on Tuesday evening.

auburnwire.usatoday.com Recap: Auburn blows out Notre Dame in Legends Classic Brian Hauch 2–3 minutes Auburn Basketball is one win away from adding to its trophy case. The Tigers blew the roof off of the Barclays Center on Thursday Night, cruising past ACC opponent Notre Dame 83-59 Auburn was incredible on the offensive end in this one, shooting 54% from the field and 45% from the 3-point line. Freshmen Aden Holloway was again the star, scoring 15 points while also dishing out 4 assists. He turned the ball over just once. Forward Johni Broome has become “Mr. Reliable” for head coach Bruce Pearl. The junior crossed the 15-point plateau for the third straight time this season, finishing with 15 points on the dot in this one. Broome did miss his third straight double-double of the season, but made up for it by dishing out a season-high 4 dimes. Forwards Jaylin Williams and Chris Moore and guard Tre Donaldson also scored in double figures, shooting a combined 12/19 from the field. Auburn’s offense was great in the blowout win, but the real story was the Tigers defense. The Orange and Blue held Notre Dame to just 2/25 from the 3-point line and 34% from the field. Fighting Irish star-freshman guard Markus Burton came into this game averaging 24 points in his collegiate career. He had just 12 on Thursday night, shooting an atrocious 4/19 in the loss. This game showed how good this Auburn team can look when they are playing well on both ends of the floor. Results like this are great to see after the Tigers struggled on the offensive end at many points last season. Bruce Pearl has a chance to lead his team to its first trophy of the season on Friday, when Auburn takes on the St. Bonaventure Bonnies in the Championship game of the Legends Classic. The Tigers should be favored. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch

al.com 3 takeaways from Auburn’s 83-59 win against Notre Dame Updated: Nov. 16, 2023, 10:05 p.m.|Published: Nov. 16, 2023, 10:02 p.m. 5–6 minutes BROOKLYN, NY - NOVEMBER 16 - Dylan Cardwell (44) during the game between the Auburn Tigers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023. Photo by Steven Leonard/Auburn TigersSteven Leonard/Auburn Tigers Auburn headed to its second neutral site location in as many weeks Thursday as it took on Notre Dame at the Barclays Center. It was as dominant as Auburn has looked in its first three games of the season, beating Notre Dame 83-59. Notre Dame has struggled to begin the year and has a new look under first-year coach Micah Shrewsberry. But that doesn’t take away from the improvement Auburn showed compared to its first two games. The Tigers are now 2-1 overall this season. It was the most complete Auburn has looked this season. Here are our three takeaways. Auburn’s defense looked the best it has all year Let’s start by noting Notre Dame has not shown to be a great offense this year. But that doesn’t take away the fact tonight showed the most growth in Auburn’s defense at any point this year. After two games where Auburn played poorly on defense and admitted as much. So it has been a significant focus for this Tigers team to work on. Much of Auburn’s defensive work to get better defensively has come in its movements, and making sure they properly communicate and play off one another. So it would make sense that Auburn’s defense against Notre Dame looked its best rotating in any game this season. Auburn forced three shot clock violations in the first 12 minutes. Largely, it was because early in the game Auburn hardly allowed anything inside. It forced Notre Dame to shoot 3-pointers over Auburn’s defense. The Irish missed their first 11 3-pointers of the game, all coming in the first half. The defense lapsed near the end of the first half without the same speed and physicality that had characterized the first 17 minutes. The Irish closed the lead down to six at halftime. And all Auburn’s defense did was lock back in to begin the second half on an 11-0 run which jump-started Auburn pulling away for good. More on that run below. It said a lot about this Auburn team. Aden Holloway got his first start and still is good at basketball Tre Donaldson had been the leader in Auburn’s point guard battle throughout the fall. Largely that was due to his experience in Auburn’s offense compared to the 5-star freshman Aden Holloway. Holloway, too, dealt with an ankle injury late in the preseason. So it made sense that Donaldson was the starter over Auburn’s first two games. But Holloway had played so well behind him. He won SEC Freshman of the Week after scoring 15 points per game in Auburn’s two first contests. It was thus fairly to plan that he worked his way up into the starting lineup. And he yet again was just the same highly-talented, knock-down shooter he’s quickly proven to be. A wildly exciting player, Holloway scored 15 points and made four 3-pointers. His ability to drain contested 3s remains an elite attribute. He’s got one of, if not the most, pure shots on this team. Donaldson had another good game in his own right. He’s been reliable for Auburn in all three games regardless of his role. He and Holloway combined for 25 points and 10 assists against two turnovers. An opening second-half run that showed Auburn’s early development In some ways, this game mirrored Auburn’s season-opening loss to Baylor. Auburn played well and jumped out to a first-half lead in that game before the defensive wheels came off in the second half — beginning with a Baylor run right out of halftime. Against Notre Dame? Auburn played well in the first half and jumped out to a lead. The Notre Dame run came in the final three minutes of the first half. Auburn didn’t respond when Baylor made a run. Auburn absolutely responded Thursday night. In the second half, Auburn opened up on an 11-0 run and outscored Notre Dame 28-11 over the first 10 minutes. It had 10 rebounds before Notre Dame had a single one in the second half. It had 10 assists to three turnovers over the first 10 minutes. Meanwhile, Auburn forced Notre Dame into 4-14 shooting over that first 10-minute stretch and 0-7 on 3-pointers. It was contributions from all across Auburn’s deep roster as the lead grew from six points at halftime up to double digits and eventually 20+ points before cruising to the finish. This stretch was the best of what Auburn can be as a basketball team. Auburn hadn’t put together much, if any, play with the elite offense Auburn has proven to be capable of alongside dominant defense — let alone an extended stretch like the second-half run. Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com

al.com Auburn’s next big upgrade? The Jordan-Hare Stadium north endzone scoreboard. Updated: Nov. 16, 2023, 6:58 p.m.|Published: Nov. 16, 2023, 6:53 p.m. 3–4 minutes Outside Jordan-Hare Stadium on the Auburn University campus on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023. (Ben Flanagan / AL.com)Ben Flanagan Auburn’s athletic department has made various smaller-scale upgrades to Jordan-Hare Stadium during athletic director John Cohen’s first year. Yet with the announcement of every premium seating addition or concession stand change, fans have frequently commented on the scoreboard in the north endzone at Jordan-Hare Stadium. On Thursday’s edition of Auburn’s Tiger Talk radio show, Cohen said a change is at last coming. The exact details of how and when are not yet clear, but Cohen said he plans on putting a video board to replace the antiquated display on that side of the field. “We’re working behind the scenes to create a plan,” Cohen said. “When does it happen? How long does it take once you start? What is the plan? Is there connective tissue to the university in that plan?” During the show, Cohen said he brought architects and engineers to last week’s game against Arkansas — which has video boards in both endzones — as Auburn continues to seek inspiration. He also mentioned the stadiums at Notre Dame and Florida State as possible concepts to model after. It will help, Cohen said, for students to no longer need to turn all the way around when in their seats to see the current and only video board Auburn has. Included in the concept for the new scoreboard, Cohen mentioned creating additional premium seating in the north endzone as part of a larger renovation project. “We’re going to design a state-of-the-art video board in the north end that’s going to fit in with several premium areas of the north endzone. Hopefully featuring a top level, a mid level with suites and a club. Then a group level, a field-level facility that allows fans to see the game at field level.” In an interview with AL.com earlier this fall, Cohen also mentioned the north endzone as among his top priorities in year two of the job. “I just got out of a meeting where we’re discussing the possibilities in the north end zone. Possibilities of video boards in the north endzone,” Cohen said in September. “The possibility of creating a full-time practice facility for our volleyball team. The possibilities of all these different facilities that we have. How do we tweak this? How do we move this? The baseball facility improvements that were approved before I got here, tweak them and move them to just make them a little bit better. A little bit more cost-effective. A little more economic. A little more functional. I love that. I love the words function, making things functional. And I love the word precision.” Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com