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Pearl predicts Missouri at Auburn will be 'fun game to watch' Mark Murphy 4–5 minutes AUBURN, Alabama–Two teams currently heading in opposite directions in the SEC basketball standings will meet on Tuesday at Neville Arena as Auburn played host to Missouri on Valentine’s Day evening. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CST with TV coverage on ESPN2 as Coach Bruce Pearl’s Tigers look to change how they are trending. Missouri has won its previous two contests and five of its previous six. Dennis Gates, in his first year as head coach at Mizzou, has produced a team that is 19-6 overall and 7-5 in the Southeastern Conference. Auburn has lost five of its previous six games and is 17-8 overall and 7-5 in the league. Coach Bruce Pearl’s team will be trying to end a three-game losing streak during its only regular season matchup this season vs. Missouri. Pearl predicts it will be a fun game to watch. “They are not a great defensive team, but they lead the league in turning you over because they press you, they make you go faster. I will tell you it will be as exciting and as up-tempo a contest as we will play at home all year long. “They play a very exciting brand of basketball. Their tempo is second only to Alabama. Even though they have a couple of bigs, they play what amounts to like a five-guard type system.” Pearl noted that Missouri is a very experienced team that features “almost all seniors.” Auburn’s coach said, “They have done a great job in the transfer portal. Coach (Gates) brought three of his former players over from Cleveland State.” Pearl noted that another reason Mizzou is having a strong season is that Kobe Brown is having a strong season worthy of consideration for SEC Player of the Year honors. Brown, a 6-7, 250 senior from Lee High School in Huntsville, leads Missouri with team-high averages of 16.5 points and 6.1 rebounds. He is making 46.9 percent of his field goals, is 35-76 on threes for 46.1 percent and is connecting on 72.2 percent of his free throws. D’Moi Hodge, 6-4, 188 graduate transfer guard, made the move to Missouri along with his head coach, Dennis Gates who spent the previous three seasons in charge at Cleveland State. Hodge is the second-leading scorer at 14.1 points per game. He was the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year last season. DeAndre Gholston, a 6-5, 215 graduate transfer guard from Milwaukee, is averaging 10.5 points. A key to success for Missouri has been its ball-handling. As a team the Tigers are turning the ball over 11.4 times per game and forcing 17.4 turnovers. Combine that with 48.2 percent shooting from the field, 36.6 percent from three-point range, and Missouri is out-performing preseason expectations. Wendell Green (1) is the No. 1 scorer for Auburn at 14.3 points in all games and 16.4 in league plays. (Photo: Petre Thomas, USA TODAY Sports) Pearl is asking fans to be in Neville Arena on Tuesday night despite the lack of recent wins and despite it being Valentine’s Day. “I am calling out The Jungle,”?he said. “I am calling out our season ticket holders to use their tickets and give their tickets away to give us the best chance we possibly can. Why? Because Missouri is the No. 2 scoring team in the country. They just went to tennessee and beat Tennessee. They scored 86 at Tennessee, we scored 43. You do the math. “This is a really, really good offensive team–a really talented team, a really hard to guard team,” Pearl added. “They are No. 1 in free throw percentage (in the SEC), they are No. 2 in getting to line and we foul people too much and send them to the line too much. They are No. 5 in three-point percentage.” 6COMMENTS Auburn will be trying to bounce back from a 77-69 home loss on Saturday to league leader Alabama.

Pearl deems Missouri a 'must-win' game for Auburn Nathan King 5–6 minutes AUBURN, Alabama — Intensity is never lacking for Bruce Pearl. But he was extra fired up Monday ahead of what he deems his team's most important game of the season thus far. Yes, Auburn just hosted its biggest rival, now-No. 1 Alabama, in a 77-69 loss on Saturday. It was yet another close loss for the Tigers in a Quadrant 1 opportunity. But Pearl's team continues to hang around in NCAA Tournament projections, considering the quality of opponents it's losing to. The Tigers' resume isn't dropping much, despite four losses in five games. And although Missouri (19-6, 7-5 SEC) is one of the better teams in the SEC this season, the Valentine's Day matchup for Auburn (17-8, 7-5 SEC) is the first of three straight games where the competition level has dipped. Pearl will be the first to say a loss would deal a major blow to Auburn's postseason aspirations. "They're all big," Pearl said Monday, "but I think this is the biggest game of the year for us this year. ... This is a must-win for us." Why is that? Pearl laid out a few reasons: Missouri is a composite 7-seed in bracketologies right now, per BracketMatrix.com. Auburn is an 8-seed. Missouri, Auburn and Kentucky are all tied for fourth in the league at 7-5, and depending on what plays out in the midweek games, Auburn could find itself at No. 3 in the SEC standings heading into the weekend. So could Arkansas, Florida and Vanderbilt, all of whom are 6-6. " "There's a lot in the mix," Pearl said. Most notably, it will be Auburn's first departure from a Quad 1 game since its last win, at home against Georgia at the start of the month. Auburn checked in at No. 35 in Monday's NET ratings, and Missouri is close behind at No. 45. It would be a Quad 1 win for the visiting Tigers, and a high Quad 2 victory for the home team. A win is what Auburn is expected to do. A loss makes more some added stress down the stretch. Pearl is always transparent with his teams about their standings in league play and the March Madness picture, so he doesn't need to create any added motivation for the team's final six games. "They know exactly where we are and who's who and what's at stake," Pearl said. "Honesty is the best policy. We communicate, and they understand everything about the position we're in and what we've done. Yesterday, Northwestern beating Purdue was a good thing. I told our guys that it was gonna be a great win. I didn't know it was gonna be as good of a win as it is. But I also reminded them that we held Northwestern to 42 points. That's still part of this year's resume. Obviously, they understand that." Auburn takes things a game at a time, of course, but it's also a roster full of upperclassmen who understand the season is getting to crunch time. "It most definitely helps us, because we have to always know what the goal is — what the end goal is — and that's to make it to the tournament," forward Chris Moore said Monday of Pearl's message. "So with him telling us where our seeding would be after certain results of games really helps us and really shows us the picture that we've got to paint." The final third of Auburn's SEC schedule is organized rather simply: three games the Tigers should win, and three games they'll likely be underdogs in. Sweeping the next three — Missouri, at Vanderbilt and back home against Ole Miss — won't be easy, but it will secure 10 SEC wins, with a chance to steal one of the last three at Alabama, at Kentucky and Tennessee at home. A 10-8 SEC record might be good enough to go dancing, but it could get dicey. An 11-7 clip would certainly punch the ticket. And it starts with a matchup Tuesday (6 p.m. CST, ESPN2) that Pearl hopes has some pressure behind it for his squad. "Win this game, (we) have a chance to go to the tournament," Pearl said. "Don't win this game, we're in sixth place, seventh place and we have an upfield battle. That's just where we are. We worked so hard to put ourselves in a great position. We're still in a great position, and we've earned the position we're in by virtue of our record and the quality of some of our wins. "But if we don't start winning, then the NCAA Tournament is not going to be available to us."

WR Nick Mardner reunited with Marcus Davis at Auburn, also 'wanted a challenge' Published: Feb. 13, 2023, 3:00 p.m. 4–5 minutes Auburn Football Transfer WR Nick Mardner ‘wanted a challenge’ while reuniting with Marcus Davis at Auburn Hawaii wide receiver Nick Mardner (84) makes a catch at the goal line as he is closely defended by Colorado State defensive backs Robert Floyd (25) and Jack Howell (17) to score a touchdown during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Darryl Oumi)AP Marcus Davis doesn’t take lightly what it means to play wide receiver at Auburn. The Tigers’ new wide receivers coach has been there, done that. Before he took over the room as part of Hugh Freeze’s inaugural staff at Auburn, Davis was on the other side of the equation as a wide receiver on the Plains from 2013-16. So, when Davis had the opportunity to go out and add a wide receiver to Auburn’s roster not long after being hired at his alma mater, he already knew the type of person and player he had in mind. Read more Auburn football: Auburn AD John Cohen “very comfortable” with process that led to hiring of Hugh Freeze Ron Roberts’ goal for Auburn’s defense? Cause plenty of havoc Why Cadillac Williams was “ecstatic” that Auburn landed USF running back transfer Brian Battie “This place means a lot to me, so it had to be the right fit and the right person,” Davis said. Davis wasted little time in approaching one of his former players for the opportunity to join him on the Plains. Nick Mardner played wide receiver for Davis at Hawaii in 2021 before transferring to Cincinnati last season. Mardner entered the portal again in early December, this time as a grad transfer. Davis was hired at Auburn on Dec. 27, and within a week and a half, Mardner was on campus for a visit. “He wanted a challenge for himself,” Davis said. “…I think he checked all those boxes (of what I was looking for), and that’s what was more of the conversation than anything: him being the right fit and him wanting this challenge.” In transferring to Auburn as part of the Tigers’ impressive haul during the first transfer portal window, Mardner reunites with the position coach under whom he had his most productive season. Mardner comes to Auburn with 81 career receptions for 1,488 yards and 11 touchdowns, with the majority of that production coming during Davis’ lone season as an assistant at Hawaii, which was also his first as a full-time on-field coach. During their 2021 campaign together, Mardner finished with career highs in receptions (46), receiving yards (913) and touchdowns (five). He had three 100-yard performances, and he was also 10th among all qualifying FBS receivers in yards per reception that season, averaging 19.8 yards per catch. “What I think he brings is the combination of size and speed,” Davis said. “He’s every bit of 6-5, and he can run.” RELATED: “That was wild”: How Auburn climbed the 2023 recruiting rankings after late-season coaching change Mardner’s experience will be welcome at Auburn, which doesn’t return another wide receiver on the roster whose career production compares to Mardner’s best season at Hawaii. Ja’Varrius Johnson is the closest in that regard, with 45 receptions for 767 yards and five touchdowns over the last two seasons. Mardner, who is listed at 6-foot-6 and 215 pounds on Auburn’s official roster, will also be the tallest and rangiest receiver in the room for the Tigers this season, with the type of frame that the program hasn’t seen at the position in years. With spring practices just around the corner, Davis and Mardner will soon be reunited on the field — and the veteran wide receiver will have his first opportunity to show he’s up for the challenge of playing at Auburn and in the SEC. “I’m looking forward to it,” Davis said. “…That’s something he definitely can bring to the room — and we’ve got other guys in the room that can do some things, as well, that probably didn’t have the opportunity. The biggest thing for me is getting everybody together, getting them on the same page — because competition is going to bring the best out in everybody.” Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

Suddenly a veteran, Jarquez Hunter 'does everything right' in Auburn's building Nathan King 5–6 minutes Cadillac Williams has two sons, Cole and Cuin. They were right by his side during his four-game stint as Auburn's interim head coach, before and after games. And Williams has said at the end of the season that if they grew up to be like Jarquez Hunter, he'd be more than thrilled as a father. “Well, I don’t have a girl, but if I did have a girl, he would be that guy I would want my daughter to date," Williams joked. "He’s that kind of guy." As Hunter prepares this offseason to take Auburn's starting running back mantle, which Tank Bigsby leaves behind after three successful seasons and the seventh-most rushing yards in program history, the junior is considering his status around Auburn's buildings — in meetings, in workouts, in conversations with coaches and freshmen — as equally important as his growth as a ball-carrier. In many ways, Williams sees Hunter trying to be like Bigsby, who was a leader on the roster as soon “I see it each and every day," Williams said of Hunter's leadership earlier this month. "He’s a guy that’s always around the building. What’s good about it is he’s not always in my office; he’s in Coach Montgomery’s office, he’s in Coach Thornton’s office, he’s in Coach Freeze’s office. ... Now it’s just challenging him to get on that leadership role, being more vocal, but man, I’m excited for Jarquez. There’s not a better human being in the world than that young man. Just does everything right, treating people the right way, so those are the type of guys you definitely root for." The former 3-star recruit from Mississippi bided his time behind Bigsby for two full seasons, and now it appears he's in line to be Auburn's lead tailback for Hugh Freeze's offense in 2023. There are plenty of reasons for the Tigers to be excited about that: Hunter was an effective runner as a freshman, then made more strides last year, finishing with 675 yards and seven touchdowns, plus 17 receptions and two more scores through the air. Hunter's 6.5 yards per carry in 2022 are the second-most by a returning SEC running back who had at least 100 carries (Arkansas' Raheim Sanders). At 5-foot-10 and 202 pounds, Hunter was one of the best tailbacks in the country after Williams took over as interim head coach. In Auburn's final four games, Hunter went for 411 yards, including three straight 100-yard performances to end the year, and 134 yards against Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Williams said Hunter still has the same grind-it-out mindset he's touted since he was that under-recruited prospect from Philadelphia, Mississippi, who chose the Tigers over Ole Miss and Mississippi State. They've known each other since Auburn first started recruiting him in 2020. "Jarquez was very under-recruited," Williams said. "Thank God that we needed a need, and he wound up choosing us. But honestly, I could tell probably about after that second day in pads, guys just bounced off of him. He had this awkward running style where, like, he’s strong as an ox, and when he puts on pads, he’s going to break tackles. I could just remember telling Coach (Mike) Bobo, like, you know, ‘That guy is going to be a real dude. He’s a dude.’" Of course, like every role on the roster, Auburn isn't guaranteeing anything to Hunter. He'll have to compete against USF transfer Brian Battie, who was a 1,000-yard rusher last season, while youngsters Damari Alston and Jeremiah Cobb will be hungry to see the field in their redshirt freshman and freshman seasons, respectively. Hunter has been groomed for the No. 1 running back job at Auburn for some time, but it's not one he's assuming he has locked down. "I think he’s ready to carry on any type of role that we’re willing to give him," Williams said. "I definitely think he can be that lead dog. I think he’s one of the most talented backs in the country. I think he’s one of the better backs in the country — great contact balance, a guy who runs behind his pads, breaks tackles, can catch out of the backfield, can pass-protect, so he’s a back that can do it all. I’m just looking forward to his development. I’m continuing to look forward to his growth, continuing to look forward to his role that he creates for himself this year.” Added Williams: "I don't think he knows how good he is. I don’t think he even knows the intangible and the traits that he’s got, and I love it. He’s all ears. He’s like a sponge. He’s soaking everything up you tell him. He’s soaking everything; he wants to be the best."

i just believe in second chances and i believe in my heart freeze will reward us for our faith in him. i was kinda shocked that many religious folks were not big on giving him a second chance. i think freeze will do more than just recruit well and win ballgames. i think he will teach these kids how to be great people and to tackle life with a little swagger. from what i have read the players are super happy with him and with his staff as well. anyway i believe coach will behave and will take this chance and show folks how powerful forgiveness can be. and at the end of the day IF coach was to slip it would be on him and not us. we stood up and gave him a second chance. it is a feel good story to me. i am also smart enough to know if freeze was not a good coach we would have never reached out.

What Bruce Pearl and Auburn basketball players said about officiating in Alabama loss Richard Silva, Montgomery Advertiser 2–3 minutes AUBURN — In a 77-69 loss to No. 3 Alabama on Saturday, Auburn basketball held the Crimson Tide to just six attempts from the free-throw line in the first half. In the final 20 minutes, however, that total ballooned to 23. Coach Bruce Pearl doesn't fault the officials as much as he puts the blame on his team, though. "Teams average, I don't know whether it's 17 or 18 free throws a game roughly, I don't know what the national average is, but something in that high teens," he said. "So, to send them to the foul line 17 times in the second half, we fouled too much. We sent Texas A&M to the foul line 39 times (on Tuesday). We have to defend without fouling." On the other end, the Tigers finished with 26 free throws, but fans let the referees have it in Neville Arena after Allen Flanigan grabbed an offensive rebound late in the game and went back up at the rim. He missed, and there was certainly contact, but the officials decided it wasn't enough to constitute a foul. THE GAME:Auburn basketball threatens No. 3 Alabama, but Tigers lose another close one late ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT:Auburn athletics operated at a record $22.9 million profit in 2022: A look at the numbers Johni Broome grabbed Flanigan's miss, but he couldn't finish on a layup at the rim, either. Alabama went down the court and threw down a dunk to extend its lead to six with under a minute remaining in the game. "I'm not trying to cry for no fouls," Auburn forward Jaylin Williams said. "We've got to finish through contact, that's on us. We've just got to finish through contact, just keep going to the rim even if we don't get a whistle. Like, it's part of the game. Refs are human, too." Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18. This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Bruce Pearl, Auburn basketball players on officiating in Alabama game

'We can be great:' Dominant Auburn softball team crushes Illinois ByPhillip Marshall 19 hours ago 20 Aspyn Godwin hit a 2-run homer, her second of the season. (Photo: Auburn University) Junior right-hander Maddie Penta was overwhelming in the circle again. Auburn hitters swung hot bats, hitting three home runs. When it was over, when Illinois had been taken down 10-0 in five innings, softball coach Mickey Dean said his sixth Auburn team can do much more. “I told them I didn’t care what the score was, I liked our team today,” Dean said. “I liked the way they were around each other, the way they supported each other. That is what I like to see. We are a good team right now, but we can be a great team. That’s in our hands.” Auburn finished 4-1 in the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Fla. The only loss came 8-7 to Pittsburgh when Dean sent his No. 4 and No. 5 pitchers to the circle. In the other games, the Tigers were dominant, not giving up a run. They beat St. John’s 6-0, Fordham 9-0, Indiana 9-0 and Illinois 10-0. Penta was too much for them all. In 15 scoreless innings, she struck out 31, gave up seven hits and walked three. She got three wins. She leads the SEC in strikeouts. “It’s not about all that,” Dean said. “She can be great. She can be something people haven’t seen before. That’s what I am looking at.| Penta said she was focused on her third Auburn team having success. “Now that I am a junior, I have more of a leadership role, more of a guiding role for the sophomores and the freshman. I try to make sure I am being a great teammate. Handling business. “ Junior Shelby Lowe, coming back strongly from offseason forearm surgery, gave up one hit and struck out eight. She did not walk a batter. Sophomore Annabelle Widra, a transfer from Michigan, pitched a two-hit shutout in the tournament opener. She struck out struck out 10 and issued no walks. “We have a great staff,” Penta said. “I got a lot of help. We have some very talented ladies on this team. Annabelle did a great job. Shelby and I worked together real well. “ In Sunday’s finale, senior Aspyn Godwin hit a two-run homer, her second. Widra, getting the start at third base, hit her second home run. Sophomore Icess Tresvik, a transfer from North Carolina A&T, hit her first Auburn home run. Widra finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Sophomore Nelia Peralta was 2-for-3 with an RBI and batted .500 for the tournament. Senior Carlee McCondichie was 2-for-2 with an RBI and batted .533 for the tournament. 20COMMENTS In four innings, Penta gave up two hits, struck out nine and walked one. Lowe closed it out with a perfect fifth inning. Auburn returns to the field for its home opener Friday at 3 p.m. against Austin Peay in the Tiger Invitational. The Tigers play Villanova on Friday at 5:30 p.m. On Saturday, they play Villanova at 3 p.m. and Dayton at 5:30 p.m. On Sunday, they play Austin Peay at 2:30 p.m.

247sports.com Veterans providing strong leadership for Auburn baseball heading into 2023 season Jason Caldwell 4–5 minutes AUBURN, Alabama—This time last season both Nate LaRue and Bobby Peirce were hoping for a shot while Kason Howell was back for his fourth year as a starter for the Tigers. Heading into the 2023 Auburn baseball season all three are now building blocks for Coach Butch Thompson’s program as the legacy leaders (captains) for the team as voted on by their teammates. “As much as we have a good amount of new players, we do have experience,” Auburn assistant Karl Nonemaker said. “Nate is a fourth-year player. Kason is a fifth-year player. Bobby is a fifth-year college player and third year in our program. We’re not young on the field. We have some guys that haven’t played every day at this level, but we also have four or five guys that have.” With 113 consecutive starts in center field for the Tigers, Howell enters his fifth-year having played in 191 games at Auburn. While he has been productive at the plate with a .276 average, 10 home runs and 99 runs batted in, it’s Howell’s defense and leadership that stands out to Gabe Gross. “I told him, I think I’m going to leave when he leaves,” Gross said of Howell. “I haven’t had to worry about that in so long. Positioning, I do some stuff during the game, but he is so good at reading swings and knowing approaches and pulling guys with him, he’s the quarterback out there.” The quarterback on the infield and of the pitching staff is LaRue. Still doubling as a relief pitcher early last season, LaRue jumped into the starting role and never gave it back in 2022 and was a big reason why the Tigers advanced to the College World Series. Gross said the Mobile native has been a huge part of things for the program and shows it every day. “In terms of leadership we’ve got a guy with a year of experience that was maybe the best defensive catcher in our league in Nate LaRue,” Gross said. “That’s the most important leadership position on the team. He kind of does the same thing. He’s going to call a lot of games. Already Rock relies on him a ton on how to pitch guys. He shuts down running games and he has become the commander of our pitching staff. Those guys really respect them and he can really get their minds right when he needs to.” Rounding out the trio is Peirce. A player who had a strong freshman season in junior college before a hand injury cut short his sophomore season, the Arizona native played sparingly in his first season at Auburn before undergoing double knee surgery that ended his year. Not in the mix early last season, Peirce didn’t get his first start until April 1 at LSU and still ended up with 10 home runs, a team-high four triples, and 31 runs batted in. Now coming off a full offseason for the first time and with experience under his belt, Peirce is someone Gross said he believes is ready to take the next step for the Tigers. “His confidence, his leadership, which we had to have grow on this team losing all the people we lost last year,” Gross said of Peirce. “Part of the greatness of him as a player is that he’s locked in. I don’t know if it shows, but his motor runs very, very hot. He’s another guy that competes very, very hard, but I think he’s learned within that how to control that a little bit better. He’s learned during an at-bat how to have a two-strike approach instead of a swing on a 2-0 count is the same one you’re getting on a 2-2 count. He’s learned how to face different pitchers and what they’re trying to do to you. “It’s the maturity that comes with playing and playing at a high level. Not only that, but being in the middle of the lineup. I think him hitting behind Sonny in four-hole is huge dividends this year of what to expect. He’s going to be one of the guys in the lineup that coaches circle and say, ‘Hey, we may not want to let this guy beat us.’ He’s going to have to handle that.” 4COMMENTS Auburn opens the 2023 season on February 17 against Indiana in the first of three games at Plainsman Park.

Top Auburn Players to Watch vs. Missouri - February 14 Auburn guard Allen Flanigan (22) dribbles during an NCAA college basketball game against LSU in Baton Rouge, La., Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)(APMedia) By Data Skrive Published: Feb. 12, 2023 at 5:29 AM CST|Updated: 7 hours ago Neville Arena is where the Auburn Tigers (17-8, 7-5 SEC) and Missouri Tigers (19-6, 7-5 SEC) will clash on Tuesday at 7:00 PM ET. Wendell Green Jr. is one of the players to watch when these two squads hit the hardwood. In the article below, we'll give you all the info you need to know about who to look out for in this matchup on ESPN. Use our link to get a free trial of fuboTV, where you can watch college hoops and tons of other live sports without cable! How to Watch Auburn vs. Missouri Game Day: Tuesday, February 14 Game Time: 7:00 PM ET Arena: Neville Arena Location: Auburn, Alabama TV: ESPN | Watch live on FuboTV Watch college hoops all season without cable on all your devices with a seven-day free trial to fuboTV! Auburn's Last Game On Saturday, in its most recent game, Auburn fell to the Alabama 77-69. With 24 points, Green was its top scorer. Name PTS REB ASST STL BLK 3PM Wendell Green Jr. 24 3 2 2 0 4 Jaylin Williams 16 0 0 2 0 3 K.D. Johnson 12 7 3 2 0 0 Auburn Players to Watch Johni Broome is tops on the Auburn Tigers at 9.0 rebounds per game, while also averaging 1.3 assists and 13.5 points. Jaylin Williams posts 10.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Defensively, he posts 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocked shots. Allen Flanigan posts 9.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists per contest, shooting 43.2% from the field and 32.1% from beyond the arc with 1.0 made 3-pointers per game. K.D. Johnson is averaging 8.3 points, 1.3 assists and 2.0 rebounds per contest. Top Performers (Last 10 Games) Name PTS REB ASST STL BLK 3PM Johni Broome 14.3 9.2 1.3 0.9 2.1 0.0 Wendell Green Jr. 16.6 3.0 5.3 2.3 0.0 1.8 Jaylin Williams 12.1 4.9 2.7 1.1 0.9 1.3 Allen Flanigan 11.2 5.8 1.1 1.2 0.1 1.1 K.D. Johnson 7.4 2.2 1.0 1.1 0.0 0.6 © 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved.

Auburn vs. Alabama basketball: Bruce Pearl addresses skid, March Madness hopes after 77-69 loss Grant Hughes 6–7 minutes Manage Trending Exclusive The ice keeping Auburn's NCAA Tournament hopes afloat drew thinner Saturday with a 77-69 rivalry loss to Alabama, the Tigers' fifth defeat in their past six games. After the game, Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl reflected on his team's recent losing streak and where they stand as March rapidly approaches. "Auburn coaches, Auburn players, Auburn fans ... Auburn doesn't like to lose to Alabama," Pearl said in his postgame press conference. "We've had such a good year from the standpoint of beating teams we're supposed to beat. The margins that we've lost have been close. The NCAA Tournament is in play and on the line. We talked about that after the game." Auburn led for 25 minutes of the game and clung to a one-point advantage with 6:12 left in regulation before missing nine-straight shots down the stretch. The Tigers were paced by Wendell Green Jr.'s 24 points and held the No. 3 Crimson Tide's leading scorer Brandon Miller, who was 0-for-7 on 3-pointers, to 13 points. Get the fastest scores, stats, news, LIVE videos, and more. CLICK HERE to download the CBS Sports Mobile App and get the latest on your team today. Here is everything else Pearl said afterward: "Auburn coaches, Auburn players, Auburn fans ... Auburn doesn't like to lose to Alabama. The win means a lot. It especially means a lot when the opponent is so good. Alabama has been a really, really good basketball team for the last four years. We've had great games with them. We've had some success. We've had some losses. We put ourselves in a position to win the game. We just didn't make shots at times. That's the tough part of it. "The last six minutes or so, our defense in the second half wasn't as good as it was in the first half. I talked to the entire team about what that looks like, and the importance of the bench, and that the bench needs to feel as responsible for not winning as the starters. If the bench plays better, then I'm able to rest those guys to win at the end. It's a shared responsibility. Our team has played a lot of good basketball and is playing well, just not well enough to beat them, arguably the best team in the country." "We've lost to five NCAA Tournament teams. We've had such a good year from the standpoint of beating teams we're supposed to beat. We've got some great road wins. The margins that we've lost have been close. Our NET is not getting destroyed, which keeps you where you need to be. We've got some games coming up this week that we need to win. That's the mindset. The mindset is how quickly can we learn from the plays that we didn't make that are continuing to cost us from winning on both ends of the floor?" "I thought that we could have made more plays defensively. We obviously chose not to come off shooters and make them beat us from two, and they did. They got downhill and attacked. If we'd come off, they'd be banging threes, and the margin would be more than what it is. On the offensive end, when we get a good inside touch, we need to get a bucket or foul. When we get a jump shot off a ball screen, we need to make a bucket. We obviously weren't able to do that." "We recruited Rylan Griffin. What a great kid. He's got a great, great future. He's a great shooter. He's not afraid to make plays. That's one of the things about Alabama; they've got great depth. They've got three elite playmaking guards in Jaden Bradley, Jahvon Quinerly and Mark Sears. Quinerly is a great player, and he didn't play well. To go on the road at Auburn and win, and he'll be fine the next game. ... That's what Alabama has. They've got a closet full. They don't drop off when they go to the bench. "I thought our guys did a pretty good job on Brandon Miller. We did a good job guarding him from three, but they have a lot of weapons." ON JOHNI BROOME'S PLAY "He got some pretty good looks in there. We got him some deeper touches. If I could have done a better job of getting him deeper touches and better looks, he might have shot a better percentage. I wanted to go to him more in the second half. I think we started the second half trying to get it to him but didn't stick with it." "Missouri will come in on Tuesday. They are absolutely on fire. They are trying to get themselves on the bubble. I'm not sure exactly where they're at. They're really close, and they're fighting to go to the tournament. They are right there with the first four in or the first four out. It's going to be a really, really hard-fought game. The NCAA Tournament is in play and on the line. We talked about that after the game." 1COMMENTS "I promise you, don't worry about me getting them ready. Missouri is really good. We will respect them. They understand, especially with Tennessee and Alabama coming up. We need to be more than ready to play. We need to play better. We need to shoot better. We need to make plays on both ends of the floor better. We need more guys to step up. I've got to do a better job. We need all that. It doesn't matter who we're playing." ">247Sports

guys yesterday tigerland did not even have a football section yesterday and youtube was the same ol so i did not find anything worthy of posting. so on days i do not post which will be few it is because i have found nothing worthy. i am human and it is possible i missed something. i will always try to bring something you guys can browse through. thanx for the support.

Auburn AD John Cohen ‘very comfortable’ with process of Hugh Freeze hire Published: Feb. 12, 2023, 7:00 a.m. 10–12 minutes John Cohen knew his decision wouldn’t be universally well-received, regardless of who he tabbed as Auburn’s head coach. The Tigers’ new athletics director was tasked with making a major hire — arguably the most important personnel choice his position entails — immediately upon taking over the reins of Auburn’s athletic department. Cohen was hired Oct. 31, just hours after Auburn fired then-coach Bryan Harsin and named Cadillac Williams as interim coach for the remainder of the season. Read more Auburn football: Ron Roberts’ goal for Auburn’s defense? Cause plenty of havoc “That was wild”: How Auburn climbed the 2023 recruiting rankings after late-season coaching change Why Cadillac Williams was “ecstatic” that Auburn landed USF running back transfer Brian Battie What followed was a four-week long search by Cohen, aided by the search firm TurnkeyZRG, a pair of analytics firms in Matrix Analytical Solutions and SportSource Analytics and a bevy of industry experts, that led Auburn to hiring Hugh Freeze as its next head coach. “You have to be comfortable with the process,” Cohen told AL.com this week. “And I’m very, very comfortable with the process we went through.” Auburn’s hiring of Freeze came with its share of backlash from fans and outsiders alike. Freeze has a well-documented and complicated past that included his resignation at Ole Miss amid personal and professional controversy in July 2017, which led to a two-season exile from coaching before he resurfaced at Liberty and spent the last four seasons working to rehabilitate his career and image. After not fielding questions at Freeze’s introductory press conference Nov. 29, delivering only a prepared statement that lasted nearly five minutes, Cohen discussed with AL.com the search process that ultimately led Auburn to Freeze, and why despite Freeze’s checkered past, the Tigers’ new athletics director is at peace with how the search unfolded and the hire he made. “Every athletic director has this very long list of things, criteria that is very important to them,” Cohen said. “Well, as you go through that criteria, it was really important to me that, you know, we dove into Coach Freeze’s history as much as we possibly could.” RELATED: Freeze, Auburn staff face time crunch with spring practice just around the corner Cohen’s criteria included a detailed list of 58 traits — which he held up on a sheet of paper during his own introductory press conference in early November — that he wanted to identify in a candidate. Among those characteristics and qualifications Cohen sought were SEC experience, quarterback development, recruiting prowess, community involvement, family background, relationships and social media presence. According to Cohen, Auburn identified Freeze as a viable candidate “very early” in the search, even as interviews were conducted with 18 different coaches. The interest was mutual; Freeze has not shied from the fact that he coveted the Auburn job if and when it came open. Freeze checked many of the boxes for Cohen off the bat: He had SEC experience at Ole Miss, where he had a 10-win season in 2015, made two New Year’s Six bowl games, twice defeated Nick Saban’s Alabama teams and got the most out of his quarterbacks. The advanced data from the two analytics firms Auburn enlisted only backed that up. “He was the highest-ranked coach, analytically, on our board,” Cohen said. “That was a factor. It was not the factor. But statistically, he was the highest-ranked coach on our board.” Of course, Auburn still needed to do a background check and its due diligence when it came to Freeze, who’s a polarizing figure in college football given his past. While Freeze has had success at every stop of his career, including a 34-15 mark at Liberty while winning at least eight games a season, controversy has often followed him. He resigned at Ole Miss during just a couple months before the start of the 2017 season after program administrators and then-AD Ross Bjork became aware of a pattern of concerning behavior. Not long after Freeze’s resignation at Ole Miss, it was discovered that he made at least a dozen calls to escort services from his university-issued cell phone. Following his resignation, which came during NCAA investigations into the Ole Miss program, USA Today published a story reporting alleged inappropriate behavior by Freeze during his time as a high school coach at Briarcrest Christian in the Memphis area. Freeze vehemently denied those allegations. After spending two seasons away from coaching, Freeze was hired at Liberty in December 2018 following a very brief stint with the AAF’s Arizona Hotshots. Freeze again found himself involved in controversy last July, when he sent unsolicited direct messages to a former Liberty student. The student was an outspoken critic of Flames athletics director Ian McCaw — who hired Freeze — and other university leadership, and she was among the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Liberty for its handling of sexual assault claims and Title IX cases. Freeze was not involved in that lawsuit, which has since been settled, but his unsolicited messages in defense of McCaw, whom he described as “the most Jesus-like leader” he’d been around, sparked discourse. Freeze issued an apology for the messages during a one-on-one interview with ESPN on the day he was introduced at Auburn, calling them “an inadvertent misstep with no ill intent.” “One of the most important things was our investigation,” Cohen said. “Our research showed that his transparency — these two things are happening at the same time: Tell us what happened; he tells you, you research it, it’s identical to what he’s saying. So, there’s some trust involved there. There’s some integrity. I find it interesting that — and I’m not talking about Hugh’s situation here, but in life — a lot of folks who might criticize, who want to come up with their own set of facts, then you do the actual work, and you ask all the questions, and you dive into the history and you get to find out the actual facts — some of the very people who might want to cast stones are the same people who have some things that they might want to cover up themselves. “So, when you’re talking to people, this person over here, and you say, ‘I want to know the answer these 20 questions about Hugh Freeze,’ and then you go 500 miles away 30 minutes later, when these two people don’t know each other, and you get the same set of answers — you’re onto something.” RELATED: Auburn president defends Hugh Freeze hire in email to concerned fans Cohen has said he approached the search with the “utmost seriousness” and classified it as a thoroughly vetted process that included a deep dive into Freeze’s past and his background — not just from his time at Ole Miss, but every stop throughout his career: Briarcrest Christian, Lambuth, Arkansas State and Liberty. Cohen reached out to more than 100 sources for references and background on Freeze’s past “from all areas of life.” Among those interviews were some of Freeze’s former women’s basketball players at Briarcrest Christian — some of whom are now mothers and parents, Cohen noted — as well as law enforcement officers who have worked as part of Freeze’s security detail at different schools. He also spoke with administrators and former players from each of the institutions Freeze has been at. Cohen also made a point to reach out to “people who had nothing to do with athletics” and speak to them about their experiences and interactions with Freeze. “We just kept following the trail, as you would with any hiring,” Cohen said. “And I’m accused of being a little bit more tedious about these things than others. You know, with some of the folks that were working with us on this, I’d asked the same question to 50 people, and I might ask it twice, and it’s like, ‘My God, John, we’ve been through this.’ You know, I just wanted to make sure. So, I feel very, very comfortable.” In their discussions about the job prior to Cohen signing Freeze to a six-year contract worth $6.5 million annually, one aspect of Freeze’s past transgressions particularly stood out to the AD: Freeze told him he planned to be open and forthcoming with his players about his mistakes and try to use them as learning opportunities moving forward It’s something Cohen, a former baseball coach and the former AD at Mississippi State, said he has not seen many coaches willing to do. “I think it’s incredibly valuable to do that,” Cohen said. “And it took me a long time as a coach to realize I can admit to my players that I have failings, that I have transgressions, and that I make mistakes. I didn’t want to do that when I was 40 years old. I didn’t want to do it when I was 30 years old, but you get to a point in your life where you feel like this is valuable, because they’re going to make mistakes as well. All of them are. And when you do make a mistake, what’s the next step? “That’s what’s incredibly important — trying to eliminate any issues that you have. But when you do make a mistake, what’s next? And what do we learn from that? I think I think Coach Freeze had a great relationship with his players at Liberty based on that, and I think he’ll have a great relationship with our student-athletes here based on that.” In the two-plus months since he hired Freeze, Cohen has been impressed with the work the Tigers’ new coach has done, particularly on the recruiting and evaluation front. That hasn’t been a surprise to Cohen, but he believes it has validated the process that ultimately led to Freeze being hired on the Plains. “Knowing what I knew, the amount of work that we put into our background check, the amount of work that we did into getting to know Hugh in every way, I felt very, very comfortable with the decision we made,” Cohen said. “…I’m not sure anybody did more work on Hugh Freeze than we did. In that way, I feel very comfortable with him as our head football coach at Auburn.” Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

Auburn football: Greg McElroy grades Tigers' hire of Hugh Freeze after National Signing Day Brad Crawford ~4 minutes Former Alabama quarterback and college football analyst Greg McElroy spoke in-depth on Auburn's coaching hire of Hugh Freeze this cycle and whether the former Ole Miss coach can bring the Tigers back to national prominence in short order. “I think he’s positioned to do well, the one thing I would say — and I do think the fanbase is behind him and that’s very beneficial — he’s equipped, I think, to rebuild the roster in a way that his fanbase will be more comfortable," McElroy said this week on ESPN's Always College Football podcast. "People have said for awhile now, ‘Bryan Harsin couldn’t recruit. Bryan Harsin didn't have any interest in it.' Harsin’s first recruiting class finished No. 19, according to 247Sports. Everyone telling me Hugh Freeze is doing an amazing job. They’re 17th. Two spots better than a guy who supposedly couldn’t recruit. That needs to be acknowledged." McElroy doesn't mind Auburn's hire of Freeze, but didn't give it an exemplary grade, either. "It’s a good hire, it’s a fit, but ultimately, it’s a B at this point, because still, there are some things that went down at Ole Miss in terms of the way they played at time,” McElroy said. “That left me feeling a little bit less than I wanted to feel.” McElroy's colleague Cole Cubelic, who played at Auburn, is a bit more complimentary of the hire and what he's done since his arrival. Last month, Cubelic mentioned Freeze's importance of "starting fast," which the Tigers did in the portal with one of the top-rated transfer hauls. "The line of scrimmage had to be addressed immediately, it wasn’t a position of concern on both sides of the ball, it was almost a position of panic on both side s of the ball based on where it’s been the last few years," Cubelic said in January on The Paul Finebaum Show. "You bring in a tackle from Tulsa who I think will be a starter on the left side, you bring a center from ECU that is athletic and I think has a a chance to start right away and a tackle from Western Kentucky who has a chance to start at right tackle." Freeze landed several defensive stalwarts at the line of scrimmage as well, including Kentucky's Justin Rodgers, one of the top transfers available. Auburn did not sign a quarterback and many assumed Freeze would considering the lack of depth returning at the position. "I know people wanted another quarterback, (Coastal Carolina's) Grayson McCall had some potential issues getting in and Hugh decided to go a different direction with (Oklahoma State's) Spencer Sanders, some of that hasn't worked, but I don't think it was emergency mode there," Cubelic said. "Look at how these quarterbacks are being stocked up at different schools. Hugh just realized we must have as much quarterback talent in that room as possible to give us the best chance to be successful no matter what. "That's whether Robby works or doesn't work. He sees the fact that Robby Ashford still overall hasn't played a ton of football and there's a lot of development there."

glad you made it and was she worth it? inquiring minds and all that.............

holy moly stop the presses! we agree on something.....lol