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How Educators Secretly Remove Students With Disabilities From School Erica L. Green 15–19 minutes Dakotah LaVigne, 15, at home in Roseburg, Ore., Oct. 3, 2022. (Ricardo Nagaoka/The New York Times) ROSEBURG, Ore. — Jessica LaVigne was nervous but hopeful on a recent afternoon that the team managing her son’s education plan at Roseburg High School would tell her something she had dreamed of for more than a decade: He would be able to attend a full day of school for the first time since second grade. During her son’s elementary years, LaVigne was called almost daily to pick him up hours early because he was having “a bad day.” By middle school, he was only attending an hour a day. By high school, he was told he had to “earn” back two class periods taken off his schedule by proving he was academically and socially ready. As she and her son, Dakotah, 15, entered the school for the meeting, LaVigne, 37, a banquet server at a local casino, felt she had run out of time. “I used to want him to go to college, but now I just want him to live a normal life in society,” she had said earlier. “If he doesn’t go to school, I don’t know how that can happen.” Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times Dakotah’s tumultuous educational journey has been marked by a series of tactics, known as informal removals, that schools secretly and sometimes illegally use to remove challenging students with disabilities from class. The removals — which can include repeated dismissals in the middle of the day or shortening students’ education to a few hours a week — are often in violation of federal civil rights protections for those with disabilities. In a report last year, the National Disability Rights Network, a national nonprofit established by Congress more than four decades ago, found informal removals occurring hundreds and perhaps thousands of times per year as “off-the-book suspensions.” The report said the removals also included “transfers to nowhere,” when students are involuntarily sent to programs that do not exist. The removals largely escape scrutiny because schools are not required to report them in the same manner as formal suspensions and expulsions, making them difficult to track and their impact hard to measure. But interviews with families, educators and experts — as well as a New York Times review of school emails, special education records and other documents — suggest that informal removals are pernicious practices that harm some of the nation’s most vulnerable children. Students are left academically stifled and socially marginalized. Their families often end up demoralized and desperate. “The reality is that there are children in this country who are still considered of insufficient quality to go to school,” said Diane Smith Howard, a lawyer with the National Disability Rights Network. “This would never be deemed acceptable for students without disabilities.” Russell J. Skiba, a professor emeritus at Indiana University and an expert in special education, said informal removals reflected the “precarious balance” that school districts must strike between discipline and education for disabled students. Some children with disabilities might benefit from a different class schedule, he said, but in practice many are removed from school to solve problems. “Until we have a method of measuring sincerity,” Skiba said, “I don’t know how we get at what percentage are for the benefit of the student, what percentage can be to the benefit for the safety of the school and what percentage are ways of maintaining our status quo.” The Education Department warned schools last summer that informal removals — including shortened school days — could violate federal civil rights laws. The year before, the Justice Department reached a settlement with Lewiston Public Schools in Maine after the department found that the district had violated the civil rights of students with disabilities without “considering their individual needs or exploring supports to keep them in school for the full day.” Catherine E. Lhamon, the assistant secretary for civil rights at the Education Department, said schools were often unaware of how such practices could infringe students’ civil rights. “It is uncommon in my experience for educators to try to hurt kids,” Lhamon said in an interview. “Still, the continuation of the practice sends a terrible message to students and to school communities about which students deserve an education.” Informal removals only increased during the coronavirus pandemic, advocates say, as students with disabilities regressed the most during prolonged school closures. “I’ve never seen this level of incorrect management of many of our patients in the school system, kids slipping through the cracks,” said Dr. Jenny Radesky, a developmental behavioral pediatrician at the Ypsilanti Health Center, a clinic primarily serving low-income families and people of color in Ypsilanti, Michigan. In October, federal lawmakers called for the department to specifically include informal removals as a type of prohibited discrimination in revisions to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the landmark disability civil rights law. Lhamon called the removals “an incredibly damaging practice that we very much want to see ended.” Dakotah’s Journey Dakotah was diagnosed as a preschooler with Chromosome 4q deletion, a rare genetic disorder that affected his vision, speech and cognitive and fine motor skills. But with minimal exceptions like a nasal voice and developmental delays, he appeared like any other child. In Head Start, Dakotah was described as a sociable boy who showed promise. His teachers reported that he had learned the rules and routines, and although he appeared less mature than his peers, he understood what was expected of him. In kindergarten he became eligible for special education for what school officials described at the time as a “communication disorder,” but they opted instead to place him in a regular classroom and have him pulled out for instruction in a smaller group. In school records that asked about the possible harmful effects of the plan on Dakotah, the assessor noted only one: “Not being with peers 100% of the time.” By first grade Dakotah was thriving and on track academically. Although a progress report noted that he would “often exhibit inappropriate behaviors to gain attention and will mimic the bad behavior of others,” the year ended with his teacher declaring: “Anyway, great kid! We love having him.” Things started to go awry in second grade. “His behavior gets in the way of his learning daily,” a progress report noted. “He laughs, thinks things are silly and often doesn’t respond to teachers and peers. He has more ability than he shows.” In an interview at his grandparents’ house, Dakotah said he stopped liking school that year. He said he spent hours away from his classmates in a “safe room” because of his outbursts, which he said happened when he had to do classwork that was too hard, with no help. “They started doing this to me,” he said, as he wrapped his arms tightly around himself and squeezed, imitating being restrained. The disciplinary reports started to pile up in third grade, including one reporting that Dakotah had picked up a classmate and hugged him so hard that the classmate cried out in pain. He bounced around districts, causing him to miss nearly a year’s worth of school. By middle school, he was attending class only one hour a day and was performing at a kindergarten level. School officials said he had bitten through a classmate’s shoe, made “rude finger gestures” and engaged in other behavior that made him unfit for a general education classroom. LaVigne, who struggled to reconcile her son’s disruptive and sometimes violent behavior at school with his easy disposition at home, would pick him up embarrassed. She asked the school if they could provide him with an aide who could help him get through his classes, but school officials said they could not afford one. “I do not like when people are mean to me,” Dakotah said when asked about his behavior at school. During the interview, Dakotah scribbled out his name to show his progress in writing and then headed outside to show how he could throw a football. One of his dreams is to become a quarterback. “He’s never had a friend,” LaVigne said. “I watch him throw a ball and play catch by himself.” Jasim’s Story School districts have faced growing pressure from advocates and the federal government in recent years to cut the high suspension rates of students with disabilities, who are estimated to lose millions of instruction hours per year. To avoid such scrutiny, experts say, schools resort to the largely undocumented informal removals as workarounds. Some districts acknowledge that they have come up short. Such was the case with Jasim McDonald, a Black 14-year-old eighth grader with autism at Alice Birney Waldorf School in Sacramento, California. Records show that the Sacramento City Unified School District has a history of disciplining students with disabilities, particularly those who are Black, at a higher rate than most other public schools in the state. The district is facing a class-action lawsuit alleging that it “disparately subjected” Black students with disabilities “to exclusionary school discipline and other tactics that remove them from school.” From early on Jasim exhibited the fidgeting, rocking and pacing behavior characteristic of children with autism. In his first-grade reports, his white teacher at the predominantly white Alice Birney deemed him “disruptive,” or said he “needed a day off” or “wasn’t ready to learn.” On one occasion, the records show, Jasmin was sent out of class for an outburst and returned to find that his teacher had locked the doors and closed the curtains to her window, which brought about fears among his classmates that they were on lockdown. Jasim’s mother, LaRayvian Barnes, a longtime classroom assistant who had worked with special needs students at Alice Birney for 22 years, pleaded with Jasim’s teacher and school administrators to stop excluding him from class. “People would say what a shame it was that she didn’t have more support,” Barnes said in an interview. “But neither did he.” By fifth grade, when Jasim had accumulated more than 80 removals, his longtime teacher — the same one who had been instructing him since first grade — gave the school an ultimatum: Either Jasim had to leave or she would. Barnes, outraged, was determined that her son would not be another statistic showing that informal removals disproportionately affect Black and low-income students. “She made him the bad, scary Black kid,” Barnes recalled of the teacher. “I knew there was no coming back from that.” She filed a formal complaint with the Sacramento school district in 2019, alleging that Jasim had been denied an equitable education because of the frequent removals, which Barnes said were based on his disability and race. In an investigative report issued that year, district officials found that while the teacher’s actions “may not have been perfect, there is no evidence to suggest that her actions are motivated by race or disability.” But they acknowledged that the removals occurred with “measured frequency” and were used by school principals trying to avoid on-the-book suspensions. In a statement this year, the district said that although not all of Barnes’ complaints were substantiated, “there were clear areas for improvement identified and actions taken.” Jasim now has a different teacher who tells him he belongs, and assures him if he gets anxious when he leaves the classroom for periods of special instruction that his classmates will not move on without him. He is for the first time testing at grade level and is working on a capstone project about being a Black male student with autism. He said he wants it to show how people of different races and with disabilities can learn. “Everything will be fine,” he said, “if you have people who support you.” A New School Dakotah was cautiously optimistic as he headed with his mother at the end of the school day into the meeting at Roseburg High. If his team determined he could attend for a full day, he said, “it’ll be like going to school for the first time.” Once everyone was settled, the team reported that Dakotah could write one paragraph and would soon move to two. He could add and subtract numbers from zero to 30. His reading level had dropped from third grade to second, but he was starting sentences with capital letters. Dakotah’s classroom aide, who was finally assigned after Dakotah had been assaulted in the bathroom the previous winter, reported that he had just had a good day. If he had to rate his behavior, he said, he would give him 70 out of 100. But the team said Dakotah still needed to show consistent progress and was not ready for a full day. They also said that because he had not been attending the first three hours of school for more than a year he was no longer a “morning person.” It was all cold comfort for Dakotah. “I wanted to hear ‘full day,’” he said as he stood outside the school after the meeting. “All I heard was ‘earn, earn, earn.’” A few weeks later, the school team emailed LaVigne to set up another meeting, offering to add one class to Dakotah’s schedule in December. “There will be a huge gap in time if Dakotah transitions to a full day at once,” a school official wrote. The team asked LaVigne to reply “agree” or “disagree.” By then she had reached out to a lawyer. “I do NOT agree to this plan,” she wrote back. “The only thing a reduced schedule has done for him is rob him of time that could’ve been spent learning. In the last several meetings, I’ve been told how he has met his goals, or most of them.” She added that “I’d like to be provided with prior written notice” — a legal term that sets off alarm bells among educators — if the team did not add a class to his schedule immediately. The school gave in. On Dec. 5, Dakotah started a full day at Roseburg. He spent most of the mornings helping out in the office. But he was there, finally, at the same start time as his peers. But in early January LaVigne received a familiar phone call. A school principal reported that Dakotah had an altercation with his aide and an assistant principal after being called “a little boy” and was placed in a seclusion room to settle down. He was bound for an in-school suspension. Something in LaVigne finally snapped. She told the school she would come get Dakotah and he would not return. This time it was school administrators on the other end pleading and protesting, expressing how much they liked Dakotah, and that Roseburg was where he belonged. But it was too late. LaVigne picked up her son and pulled away from the school, heartbroken. Jill Weber, the Roseburg High School principal, declined to comment on Dakotah because of privacy laws, but said in a statement that “my staff and I care deeply about every single student who comes through our doors.” “We do everything we can to build relationships with them,” she said, “so that they know our school is a safe and supportive environment where they can grow and succeed.” In a separate statement, district officials said abbreviated school days were used sparingly, with the goal of moving students to a full day. The statement added: “We have a responsibility to ensure high quality support and instruction for all students. We need to take into account the rights of all students to be able to access and participate in school in a safe, predictable and welcoming environment.” Last month Dakotah started in a new school, in a new district. So far he has attended a full day without issue. This week LaVigne, who is now connected with a group of attorneys, testified to the Oregon Legislature in support of a bill that would limit the use of abbreviated school days in the state. It is one of several efforts in Oregon, including a closely watched class-action lawsuit, to curb or eliminate the practice. “It might not help Dakotah,” LaVigne said of her testimony. “But hopefully it will do something for kids in the future.” © 2023 The New York Times Company

What does the Bible say about homosexuality? For starters, Jesus wasn't a homophobe Gerald West, Senior Professor of Biblical Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal 7–9 minutes Getty Images Pope Francis was recently asked about his views on homosexuality. He reportedly replied: This (laws around the world criminalising LGBTI people) is not right. Persons with homosexual tendencies are children of God. God loves them. God accompanies them … condemning a person like this is a sin. Criminalising people with homosexual tendencies is an injustice. This isn’t the first time Pope Francis has shown himself to be a progressive leader when it comes to, among other things, gay Catholics. It’s a stance that has drawn the ire of some high-ranking bishops and ordinary Catholics, both on the African continent and elsewhere in the world. Read more: Pope Francis' visit to Africa comes at a defining moment for the Catholic church Some of these Catholics may argue that Pope Francis’s approach to LGBTI matters is a misinterpretation of Scripture (or the Bible). But is it? Scripture is particularly important for Christians. When church leaders refer to “the Bible” or “the Scriptures”, they usually mean “the Bible as we understand it through our theological doctrines”. The Bible is always interpreted by our churches through their particular theological lenses. As a biblical scholar, I would suggest that church leaders who use their cultures and theology to exclude homosexuals don’t read Scripture carefully. Instead, they allow their patriarchal fears to distort it, seeking to find in the Bible proof-texts that will support attitudes of exclusion. There are several instances in the Bible that underscore my point. Love of God and neighbour Mark’s Gospel, found in the New Testament, records that Jesus entered the Jerusalem temple on three occasions. First, he visited briefly, and “looked around at everything” (11:11). On the second visit he acted, driving “out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves” (11:15). Jesus specifically targeted those who exploited the poorest of the people coming to the temple. On his third visit, Jesus spent considerable time in the temple itself (11:27-13:2). He met the full array of temple leadership, including chief priests, teachers of the law and elders. Each of these leadership sectors used their interpretation of Scripture to exclude rather than to include. The “ordinary people” (11:32 and 12:12) recognised that Jesus proclaimed a gospel of inclusion. They eagerly embraced him as he walked through the temple. In Mark 12:24, Jesus addresses the Sadducees, who were the traditional high priests of ancient Israel and played an important role in the temple. Among those who confronted Jesus, they represented the group that held to a conservative theological position and used their interpretation of the Scripture to exclude. Jesus said to them: Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not understand the Scriptures or the power of God? Jesus recognised that they chose to interpret Scripture in a way that prevented it from being understood in non-traditional ways. Thus they limited God’s power to be different from traditional understandings of him. Jesus was saying God refused to be the exclusive property of the Sadducees. The ordinary people who followed Jesus understood that he represented a different understanding of God. This message of inclusion becomes even clearer when Jesus is later confronted by a single scribe (12:28). In answer to the scribe’s question on the most important laws, Jesus summarised the theological ethic of his gospel: love of God and love of neighbour (12:29-31). Inclusion, not exclusion Those who would exclude homosexuals from God’s kingdom choose to ignore Jesus, turning instead to the Old Testament – most particularly to Genesis 19, the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Their interpretation of the story is that it is about homosexuality. It isn’t. It relates to hospitality. The story begins in Genesis 18 when three visitors (God and two angels, appearing as “men”) came before Abraham, a Hebrew patriarch. What did Abraham and his wife Sarah do? They offered hospitality. The two angels then left Abraham and the Lord and travelled into Sodom (19:1) where they met Lot, Abraham’s nephew. What did Lot do? He offered hospitality. The two incidents of hospitality are explained in exactly the same language. The “men of Sodom” (19:4), as the Bible describes them, didn’t offer the same hospitality to these angels in disguise. Instead they sought to humiliate them (and Lot (19:9)) by threatening to rape them. We know they were heterosexual because Lot, in attempting to protect himself and his guests, offered his virgin daughters to them (19:8). Heterosexual rape of men by men is a common act of humiliation. This is an extreme form of inhospitality. The story contrasts extreme hospitality (Abraham and Lot) with the extreme inhospitality of the men of Sodom. It is a story of inclusion, not exclusion. Abraham and Lot included the strangers; the men of Sodom excluded them. Clothed in Christ When confronted by the inclusive gospel of Jesus and a careful reading of the story of Sodom as one about hospitality, those who disavow Pope Francis’s approach will likely jump to other Scriptures. Why? Because they have a patriarchal agenda and are looking for any Scripture that might support their position. But the other Scriptures they use also require careful reading. Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13, for example, are not about “homosexuality” as we now understand it – as the caring, loving and sexual relationship between people of the same sex. These texts are about relationships that cross boundaries of purity (between clean and unclean) and ethnicity (Israelite and Canaanite). In Galatians 3:28 in the New Testament, Paul the apostle yearns for a Christian community where: There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. Paul built his theological argument on the Jew-Greek distinction, but then extended it to the slave-free distinction and the male-female distinction. Christians – no matter which church they belong to – should follow Paul and extend it to the heterosexual-homosexual distinction. We are all “clothed in Christ” (3:27😞 God only sees Christ, not our different sexualities. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. Like this article? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter. It was written by: Gerald West, University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Scouting Auburn Softball’s NFCA Leadoff Classic opponents Taylor Jones Thu, February 9, 2023 at 8:00 AM CST The long-awaited debut of Auburn Softball’s 2023 season is set for Friday afternoon, as the Tigers are slated to compete in the NFCA Leadoff Classic at the Eddie C. Moore Complex in Clearwater, Fla. Auburn will face five opponents during their three-day stay in Clearwater, two of which competed in the NCAA Tournament last season. The Tigers will kick off the weekend on Friday by facing St. John’s at 12:30 p.m. CT. Last season, Auburn defeated St. John’s twice during the Tiger Invitational at Jane B. Moore Field, outscoring the Red Storm, 23-0. Auburn will close the day by facing Fordham, the defending Atlantic 10 Conference Champions. Then, on Saturday, the Tigers will face Power Five teams in Pittsburgh and Indiana. The Hoosiers ended last season with 27 wins in 2022, but a short stay in the Big Ten tournament erased their chances of making the NCAA Tournament. - ADVERTISEMENT - The final game of Auburn’s portion of the NFCA Leadoff Classic will feature Auburn’s toughest test of the weekend, Illinois. The Fighting Illini won 34 games last season, earning wins over teams such as Arkansas and LSU in nonconference play, and made a postseason appearance in the Columbia Regional hosted by Missouri. To watch Auburn compete in the NFCA Leadoff Classic, download the GameChanger app and search “Auburn Tigers NFCA.” Auburn Sports Network will also have coverage of this weekend’s tournament locally on Tiger 95.9 as well as AuburnTigers.com. Here’s a more in-depth look at Auburn Softball’s weekend schedule, as well as their opponents. More Softball! D1Softball lists Bri Ellis as SEC's top first baseman SEC coaches pick Auburn to finish 9th in preseason poll Ellis, Penta earn national preseason recoginition St. John's (Friday, 12:30 p.m. CT) Photo: St. John’s Athletics Series record: Auburn leads, 3-0 Last meeting: Auburn 9 St. John’s 0 (Feb. 12, 2022, in Auburn) Last season’s record: 12-35 Top returning hitter: London Jarrard (.400/HR/25 RBI) Top returning pitcher: Carolina Zumudio (4.90 ERA/83 K) Fordham (Friday, 3 p.m. CT) AP Photo/Vera Nieuwenhuis Series record: Auburn leads, 1-0 Last meeting: Auburn 18 Fordham 0 (Feb. 21, 2016, in Auburn) Last season’s record: 30-22 (A10 Champions, Stillwater Regional) Top returning hitter: Bailey Enoch (.309/7 HR/28 RBI) Top returning pitcher: Devon Miller (2.97 ERA, 111 K) Pittsburgh (Saturday, 10 a.m. CT) Matt Hawley/Pitt Athletics Series record: First meeting Last season’s record: 14-27 Top returning hitter: Cami Compson (.274/7 HR/22 RBI) Top returning pitcher: Dani Drogemuller (3.51 ERA, 147K) Indiana (Saturday, 12:30 p.m. CT) Indiana Athletics Series record: Auburn leads, 4-0 Last meeting: Auburn 8 Indiana 7 (March 4, 2016, in Auburn) Last season’s record: 27-22 Top returning hitter: Cora Bassett (.400/13 HR/34 RBI) Top returning pitcher: Heather Johnson (3.89 ERA/88 K) Illinois (Sunday, 11:30 a.m. CT) David Craan/Illinois Athletics Series record: Series tied, 1-1 Last meeting: Illinois 2 Auburn 0 (Feb. 9, 2020, in Clearwater, Fla.) Last season’s record: 34-22 (Columbia Regional) Top returning hitter: Kelly Ryono (.320/5 HR/35 RBI) Top returning pitcher: Tori McQueen (2.41 ERA/126 K) Story originally appeared on Auburn Wire

What the SEC tournament would look like if season ended today Nathan King 4–5 minutes Against the nation's toughest remaining schedule outside of the Big 12, Auburn is now in a rut, having lost four of its last five games. And next on the docket is the class of the conference. Alabama comes to town Saturday, with College GameDay kicking off the festivities in what should be an intense clash on the Plains. The Crimson Tide's latest victim Wednesday night was Florida, which the Crimson Tide waxed 97-69 en route to an 11-0 start in SEC play. Nate Oats' team has a firm grip on first place in the SEC, and if it stays on its current trajectory, Auburn and Alabama will have accounted for four of the past seven SEC regular-season titles. Suffice to say Auburn could be staring a three-game SEC losing streak in the face, after a five-game winning streak last month helped buoy the Tigers in the upper rung of the conference. A win, of course, would be a signature notch in Auburn's NCAA tournament resume for a team that's still expected to go dancing, but has missed on its last few opportunities to grab quality wins. No one will fault Auburn for dropping a game Saturday to a historic Alabama team, but even heading into next week, the margin for error is razor thin. Auburn hosts a Missouri team with its own tournament aspirations next Tuesday, then has to travel to Vanderbilt next Saturday — and the Commodores just snapped an 11-game losing streak to Tennessee on Wednesday. Depending on what happens down the stretch this season, this year's SEC tournament — which returns to Nashville after a pitstop in Tampa last season — could provide Auburn an opportunity for more important wins, as opposed to previous seasons, where the Tigers' resume was already strong enough that the conference tournament results had little bearing. Since the 2020 postseason was canceled — when Auburn was set to be the No. 2 seed in the SEC — the Tigers self-imposed a ban on the 2021 postseason, and Bruce Pearl's team made an immediate exit as the top seed last year in Tampa, Auburn still hasn't won an SEC tournament game since it beat Tennessee in the championship in 2019, before the program's first-ever run to the Final Four. The first round is set to tip off March 8 at Bridgestone Arena. With seven regular-season games remaining, here's how that SEC bracket would look if the five-day tournament began today. Wednesday, March 8 (first round) Game 1: No. 12 Ole Miss vs. No. 13 South Carolina Game 2: No. 11 Mississippi State vs. No. 14 LSU Thursday, March 9 (second round) Game 3: No. 8 Arkansas vs. No. 9 Vanderbilt Game 4: No. 5 Auburn vs. Game 1 winner Game 5: No. 7 Missouri vs. No. 10 Georgia Game 6: No. 6 Florida vs. Game 2 winner Friday, March 10 (quarterfinals) Game 7: No. 1 Alabama vs. Game 3 winner Game 8: No. 4 Kentucky vs. Game 4 winner Game 9: No. 2 Texas A&M vs. Game 5 winner Game 10: No. 3 Tennessee vs. Game 6 winner Saturday, March 11 (semifinals) Game 11: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner Game 12: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner Sunday, March 12 (championship) Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner Projected end-of-season SEC standings (ESPN BPI) 1. Alabama (16-2) 2. Tennessee (15-3) 3. Texas A&M (13-5) 4. Kentucky (11-7) 5. Auburn (11-7) 6. Florida (11-7) 7. Arkansas (10-8) 8. Missouri (9-9) 9. Mississippi State (8-10) 10. Georgia (7-11) 11. Vanderbilt (6-12) 12. Ole Miss (5-13) 13. LSU (4-14) 14. South Carolina (2-16) *** Subscribe to Auburn Undercover for the latest news and intel, podcasts, recruiting coverage and more *** *** Get Auburn news straight to your inbox with the Auburn Undercover newsletter *** ">247Sports

Alabama at Auburn odds, tips and betting trends DataSkrive ~4 minutes The Alabama Crimson Tide (21-3, 11-0 SEC) will try to extend a three-game winning streak when they visit the Auburn Tigers (17-7, 7-4 SEC) on Saturday, February 11, 2023 at Neville Arena. The game airs at 2:00 PM ET on ESPN. Below, we analyze the Auburn vs. Alabama odds and lines ahead of this contest. No line is set yet for the Tigers vs. the Crimson Tide game. Auburn is 12-12-0 against the spread, while Alabama’s ATS record this season is 15-9-0. The Tigers have hit the over in 15 games, while Crimson Tide games have gone over 11 times. Auburn is 7-3 against the spread and 6-4 overall over its past 10 games, while Alabama has gone 7-3 against the spread and 9-1 overall. Before watching this matchup, here’s what you need to know about Saturday’s college hoops action. Auburn vs. Alabama prediction Alabama 75, Auburn 70 Against the spread Auburn has compiled a 12-12-0 record against the spread this season. Alabama is 15-9-0 ATS this year. The Tigers put up 72.3 points per game, just 3.6 more points than the 68.7 the Crimson Tide give up. Auburn is 10-6 against the spread and 12-4 overall when scoring more than 68.7 points. When Alabama allows fewer than 72.3 points, it is 14-5 against the spread and 19-0 overall. The Crimson Tide average 19.1 more points per game (83.7) than the Tigers give up (64.6). Alabama is 15-9 against the spread and 21-3 overall when it scores more than 64.6 points. Auburn’s record is 12-12 against the spread and 17-7 overall when it allows fewer than 83.7 points.

Can Auburn land the state’s No. 1 RB for the second year in a row? Updated: Feb. 08, 2023, 10:26 a.m.|Published: Feb. 08, 2023, 8:33 a.m. 3–4 minutes Andalusia's J'Marion Burnett celebrates after the Andalusia at Montgomery Catholic high school football 4A playoff semifinal game at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala., Friday, Nov. 25, 2022. (Vasha Hunt | preps.al.com)Vasha Hunt By Nick Alvarez | nalvarez@al.com J’Marion Burnette stood underneath Jordan-Hare Stadium, a few steps from the Auburn football locker room, and scanned his surroundings. His Andalusia Bulldogs had just won its first state title in over 40 years and Burnette’s running ability was a large reason why. In the championship on Dec. 2 though, Burnette was sidelined with a concussion suffered in the third round of the playoffs. He felt proud with his teammates, saying it’s “something that we did and it can’t be taken away,” but it was also important that Burnette retain his senior year to defend it on the field. The 2022 final was held at Auburn, this year will be at Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium. By then, will “Phat” Burnette be committed to the Tigers or Crimson Tide? Burnette, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound four-star, is currently ranked No. 131 nationally on the 247Sports Composite. He’s the 10th-best running back in the country and tops in Alabama. Coaches and scouts rave about Burnette’s explosiveness and power, which produced 17 touchdowns on 187 carries last fall. In November, Burnette released an SEC-heavy top 10, which included Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia and the two in-state favorites. “I’m starting to close out (my recruitment),” Burnette told AL.com. A season with 1,553 all-purpose yards brought attention from Georgia and Ole Miss, which offered him in November and last week, respectively. Hugh Freeze and the Tigers seem to be in the pole position, especially after securing the top running back in the state (Montgomery Catholic’s Jeremiah Cobb). Burnette visited the Plains three times last year, taking in two Bryan Harsin-led gamedays on unofficial visits. Burnette returned on Jan. 28 for Junior Day and days after, followed up with a few tweets at Auburn commits A’Mon Lane, Jayden Lewis, and the latest, four-star quarterback Walker White. With in-state legend Cadillac Williams still on Freeze’s staff, a huge part of Cobb’s securement, the Tigers should have no issue continuing a relationship. Burnette would be Auburn’s highest-rated in-state recruit since acquiring Lee Hunter from Blount in 2021. MORE recruiting: ‘That was wild’: How Auburn climbed 2023 recruiting rankings after late-season coaching change The debate around NIL and Alabama high school athletics is here Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at NAlvarez@al.com.

Why Auburn LB coach Josh Aldridge emulated Ron Roberts' defense at Liberty Nathan King 5–6 minutes While others speculated as to who Hugh Freeze’s top target might be for his first Auburn defensive coordinator, Josh Aldridge had a strong inclination who the hire might be. While Alridge was running the show for Liberty’s bowl as the interim head coach, Freeze was vetting coordinator candidates on both sides of the ball. Aldridge was his defensive coordinator at Liberty in 2022, but Freeze has set on making him his linebackers coach. And Aldridge wasn’t at all surprised to see Freeze ultimately land on Ron Roberts as his DC, after Liberty ran many of the same schemes under Aldridge. “We played a really tough schedule last year at Liberty and I knew we needed to be aggressive and switched a few things,” Aldridge said last week. “And the defense I studied was Baylor, actually.” Not only was Aldridge infatuated with Roberts’ scheme, as one of the more respected and veteran defensive minds in the sport, but he made support staff hires to, well, support that system once Aldridge became Liberty’s defensive coordinator prior to the 2022 season. After three seasons as the Flames’ defensive line coach, Aldridge ran the defense and also coached linebackers last season. Strength of schedule was obviously lower, but Liberty posted a top 20 overall defense, ahead of teams like Clemson, Tennessee, LSU, and not to mention Auburn. Aldridge credits much of the success to studying Roberts’ system and tendencies at Baylor and his other past stops — and when Freeze brought Roberts to Auburn, it was a no-brainer for Aldridge to follow. “I actually copy and pasted Baylor's defense basically and hired some guys who had ran that system,” Aldridge said. “That's what we did. So I had a pretty good idea that (Freeze) was going to hire Coach Roberts. I mean, that really sealed the deal for me about me wanting to come here and learn from him. He's one of the best minds in college football, and it's going to be really neat for me to be with him this year." Auburn’s new defensive assistants are looking to improve a group that had an uncharacteristic 2022 season, finishing No. 62 nationally in total defense and in the bottom third of the SEC in several defensive metrics. That retooling obviously starts with Roberts, who spent the past three seasons as Baylor’s defensive coordinator. Freeze said he wanted to focus on X’s and O’s when it came to his DC hire, and Roberts’ track record certainly checks that box. “He carries enough defense and carries enough scheme to where we can tailor things to what they're good at,” Aldridge said. “There's a lot of pressure on the coaches to have answers within the scheme to put them in a position to make plays. So, I think that's what makes him special, with coach Roberts. When you turn his defense on, I don't think you can say 'They're a this, they're a that.' He's got a lot of answers on how to attack people week to week based on the offense you face, which is great in this league because in this league you're going to face teams that throw it 60 times all the way to the Alabamas and Georgias that'll have three tight ends on the field. I think that's what makes a great coordinator on defense. You've got to have a big enough toolbox to have answers." Aldrige’s new linebacking corps loses just one piece from last season: senior and four-year starter Owen Pappoe, who will likely be a Day 2 draft pick. Cam Riley and Wesley Steiner started most games in 2022, and the Tigers also picked up a couple talented ‘backers in the transfer portal: Austin Keys from Ole Miss, who started last season, and LSU’s Demario Tolan, a former 4-star recruit and Auburn target in last year’s recruiting class. Roberts’ 3-4 base scheme has plenty of variations, and players won’t be pidgeon-holed into one role. But he and Aldridge still need to break down the linebacking personnel on board before spring practices later this month and determine who might fit where. "Coach Roberts and I had that conversation earlier this week — I think we can go into it and say, 'In the past, this type of style of a player has done well at Mike, this one's done well at Will,’” Aldridge said. “But this staff on defense, especially, we're not going into the spring saying, 'This is who we are and this that and the other.' We're really more so getting out there and seeing what our guys are good at and having enough confidence in ourselves as coaches to run the scheme that'll put them in a position to make plays. We don't ever want to handcuff our guys into being in a system that they don't fit in, right? “Especially in today's climate, where your roster might flip a little bit, or being a new staff, you need to be a good enough coach to tailor your defense to what they're good at and not vice versa.”

College football recruiting expert calls Auburn "Spatula U,' says 2023 class has 'major potential' Lance Dawe ~3 minutes Auburn's 2023 class was a solid foundation to build upon for Hugh Freeze and his staff. Robbie Weinstein of 247Sports released a SEC football recruiting class breakdown, walking through each of the league's recruiting classes and getting 247's recruiting experts to share their thoughts on each one. Steve Wiltfong, the director of recruiting for 247, had some high praise for Hugh Freeze and his first class on the Plains. "Spatula U, as I like to say. It was flip season, and no one swung a heavier spatula than Auburn here. A lot of credit goes to Cadillac Williams and Zac Etheridge, the interim coaches there that helped keep their alma mater afloat with so many great players for when the new staff came in. A lot of those guys visited campus several times when Auburn was between coaches, and here they are in the class." Wiltfong proceeded to break down his thoughts on some of Auburn's biggest wins from the class. "Keldric Faulk, one of the prettiest defensive linemen in the country, a one-time Florida State commit. Kayin Lee, a physically ready-to-go and instinctive play-making defensive back who at one point was committed to Ohio State and was one of the standouts at the All-America Bowl. Jeremiah Cobb was not committed elsewhere, but great speed with over 2,000 yards rushing. Darron Reed, he flipped from LSU before Hugh Freeze was even hired [...] This class has major potential. A lot of them were flips, a lot of guys were headed elsewhere. Now Auburn has a top-20 class and a foundational class for Freeze. They could be competitive maybe earlier than anticipated because of this group." The media seems to be picking up what Freeze & Co. are putting down, now that the dust is starting to settle following the end of what was a disastrous 2022 season.

Keenan Britt talks Auburn visit, brother's reaction to Auburn offer Taylor Jones 3–4 minutes Former Auburn linebacker K.J. Britt was an asset to the Auburn defense from 2017-20, and now Hugh Freeze is working towards starting a “Britt” legacy on the Plains. Keenan Britt, a defensive lineman from the class of 2026 and younger brother of K.J. Britt, recently paid a visit to Auburn shortly after receiving an offer from his older brother’s alma mater. Buy Tigers Tickets Keenan tagged along with K.J. on many of his college visits during his recruitment and saw many college campuses during K.J.’s career as a Tiger, so he has a high standard when it comes to athletic facilities. Britt tells Auburn Wire that he was truly amazed at the facilities that Auburn possesses. “The new weight room addition was unbelievable. In all the colleges I have been to with my brother, I’ve never seen anything like it,” Britt said of Auburn’s recently upgraded facilities. “The locker room was even nicer. The feel in the locker room was more like a home feel than a typical locker room vibe. The locker setup was something else.” His tour guide for his visit was none other than defensive coordinator Ron Roberts. While giving the tour, Roberts took the time to get to know Britt, as well as explain the ins and outs of his defense. After spending time with Roberts, Britt described his defensive mind as “elite” and feels that he would fit in well within his scheme. “Coach Roberts made me feel like I was already on campus and had known him for years,” Britt said. “Talking about his Jack Defense was awesome, blew my mind how much he knew that I had no idea about. We talked about me playing the Edge defender in his defense. I think I would set up nicely based on his defense mentality and scheme.” Offers began to pour in for the 6-2, 230-pound defensive lineman following a successful 9th-grade season at Oxford High School. Arkansas, South Carolina, and Tennessee have also reached out to Britt. His brother’s former coach, Gus Malzahn, has also communicated with Britt about the possibility of joining the roster at UCF. Britt says that K.J. is ecstatic that Auburn reached out early, but is also excited about every opportunity that Keenan has received, and will receive in the future. “To be honest, K.J. was just extremely happy for me to get an offer anywhere,” Britt said. “K.J. loves Auburn, don’t get me wrong, but he really just wants me to go wherever fits best for me. If that’s Auburn, then he’ll love it. But if it’s another school then he’ll be just as happy. That’s what I love about KJ, he just wants the best for me.” Since Britt is a member of the Class of 2026, he has not received a ranking from the three major recruiting services: On3, 247Sports, and Rivals. But it will be interesting to watch his recruitment unfold over the next three seasons.

New Auburn LB coach excited about transfer additions for Tigers Jason Caldwell 3–4 minutes AUBURN, Alabama—With the loss of senior Owen Pappoe from an already thin group of experienced linebackers, new position coach Josh Aldridge and defensive coordinator Ron Roberts knew the first order of business when they got to Auburn–beefing up the room with transfer help. “The first priority is I wanted some guys with experience,” Aldridge said. “At the same time I didn’t want to sign guys that would be here for only one year and would be gone. What better experience can you get than guys who have played in our actual division?” Auburn was able to get what should be immediate help by adding 6-2, 245 junior Austin Keys from Ole Miss and 6-2, 222 sophomore DeMario Tolan from LSU. Playing in 19 games in three seasons, including four while taking a redshirt year in 2020, Keys has shown the ability to be a powerful inside presence already in his time in the SEC. Last season was his most extensive playing time when he appeared in all 13 games for the Rebels with six starts, finishing with 39 tackles and two sacks. Looking for that veteran presence at the position, Aldridge said Keys gives them exactly that along with a bigger body for the Tigers. “Austin is a guy that hasn’t just played, but he’s played a lot and started quite a few games,” Aldridge pointed out. “He’s already built for this league. He has two years.” On the flip side is Tolan. Playing just one season at LSU, the Orlando, Florida native brings the future to Auburn. A highly-recruited player, who still has plenty of developmental time left, Tolan’s addition is something that Aldridge said is exciting. “DeMario was almost like signing a high school guy because he played in every game as a true freshman, but he’s still got a lot of developing and upside,” AU's first-year linebackers coach said. “With us not signing a high school linebacker in this class, that was important to me. I wanted to sign one guy that was near a high school player.” They will join a linebacker group that returns veterans Cam Riley and Wesley Steiner along with Desmond Tisdol and young players like Robert Woodyard and Powell Gordon. Transitioning to a different scheme with Roberts taking over the Auburn defense, Aldridge said the coaches wanted to give themselves more options by bringing in two different body types and styles of players. They accomplished that goal by the additions of Keys and Tolan, he said. 5COMMENTS “They are both very different types of players,” Aldridge said. “I didn’t want to sign two true in the box mikes and I didn’t want to sign two true on the edge athletes. I don’t think we could have done a better job with the two linebackers we signed from a transfer standpoint.”

College Sports Wire lists Brian Battie as an ‘impact transfer’ Taylor Jones ~2 minutes Auburn Football gained a wave of experience in multiple areas during the first transfer portal window. One of those additions was running back Brian Battie. Battie joins the Tigers’ program from USF, where he rushed for over 100 yards in nine games from 2020-22. His addition will be vital to the running back corps, as he will provide extra depth alongside Jarquez Hunter, Damari Alston, and Jeremiah Cobb. Battie is such a vital piece to the Auburn roster, and those who cover the sport nationally are taking notice. Patrick Conn of College Sports Wire recently released a list of the most impactful free-agent acquisitions of the first transfer portal window. Among those impactful players is Battie. Conn says that Battie’s versatility will be crucial for Auburn in 2023. New head coach Hugh Freeze won’t have Tank Bigsby on his team in 2023 but he did add an all-purpose back in Brian Battie. He can run the ball for the offense and add a little something in the return game. Battie accounted for 2,035 yards from scrimmage with 10 touchdowns in three seasons. He also returned 59 kickoffs for 1,427 yards and 3 touchdowns in that same span. Auburn will look to replace Tank Bigsby at the running back position in 2023 after he declared for the NFL Draft. Auburn returns 795 rushing yards between Hunter and Alston from last season.

they claimed the same about matt gaetz and even taking young girls across state lines and yet he has not yet been held accountable.

standing ovation!

they claim there are pictures out there but i have not seen them and with all the whoppers trump tells is it real or just more bullsh^t? i will be so glad when the repubs get back to being more normal. we should be electing our best and brightest and not a bunch of fools. it is a sad state of affairs.

i hope we see enough out of ANY QB to give us some hope for the coming year. i could care less who it is i just want a winner.

if anyone sees any scrimmage dates open to the public please post it. thanx in advance.

do not feel bad. i have been fooled by a day games for forty plus years. that is a freeze dried fact. somehow that last statement just did not have the zing i was hoping for..........

What Auburn basketball's Bruce Pearl said about ESPN's 'College GameDay' coming for Alabama game Richard Silva, Montgomery Advertiser ~2 minutes It was announced last Saturday that ESPN's "College GameDay" would be visiting Neville Arena for Auburn basketball's game against Alabama on Saturday, Feb. 11, putting even more fanfare around a matchup that wasn't lacking any theater. The Crimson Tide is tabbed as the No. 3 team in the country by both the AP Poll and the USA TODAY Coaches Poll. And with a win over the Tigers, Alabama could severely damage Auburn's (17-7, 7-4 SEC) hopes of landing a top-four seed in the conference and securing a double bye in the SEC Tournament. "Obviously, 'College GameDay' being there will be very, very special," coach Bruce Pearl said to the Auburn Sports Network following his team's loss at Texas A&M on Tuesday. "To beat Alabama, we've got to have the best game of the year." The Tigers lost to the Aggies, 83-78, marking their second consecutive defeat and their third in four games. The Crimson Tide (20-3, 10-0) is 11-1 over its last 12 contests with a matchup against Florida scheduled for Wednesday (8 p.m. CT, ESPN2). RECRUITING:Auburn basketball lands 4-star guard Labaron Philon, Alabama's top-ranked 2024 prospect ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT:Auburn athletics operated at a record $22.9 million profit in 2022: A look at the numbers 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.

5 takeaways from Auburn's 83-78 loss at Texas A&M Nathan King 6–8 minutes Auburn narrowly missed another one. For the third straight Quadrant 1 road game, the Tigers had opportunities down the stretch but couldn't come away with what would have been a quality win for their NCAA tournament resume, this time falling 83-78 at Texas A&M on Tuesday night. Here are Auburn Undercover's five takeaways, as Auburn has now lost four of its last five games and is 7-4 in SEC play, including three straight road losses by a combined 11 points. Another missed opportunity late Johni Broome (18 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks) had to check back in with four fouls with 5:02 remaining, and Texas A&M started to go right at him with Julius Marble. The Aggies’ big man had two quick buckets working on Broome to give them a lead down the stretch. Marble finished with a career-high 20 points. Auburn had a chance for a tying shot, with Texas A&M leading 78-76, after Wendell Green Jr. had a turnover but Wade Taylor opted for a quick 3-pointer instead of holding onto the ball. He missed, and a loose ball tie-up went to Auburn. Instead of going for the tie, Green Jr. heaved a long 3-pointer which was way off the mark, and the Aggies made their free throws to pull away with the win. Bruce Pearl said he would have preferred Jaylin Williams (12 points) take the shot once the ball was in his hands. "We had Wendell come off a couple screens, he wasn't clear, so then he made a play and I thought he got Jaylin Williams a good look," Pearl said. "And Jaylin didn't shoot it. I would've taken that shot, that's the shot we wanted." Free throws a big advantage for Texas A&M The difference at the foul line was massive, with Texas A&M shooting 39 free throws for the game to Auburn’s 14. It was simply too much to overcome. "You really can't," Pearl said of playing through that kind of discrepancy at the foul line. "You've just got to do a better job of defending without fouling. But it's really hard to overcome." Both teams were in the bonus with 11 minutes left, and Auburn took five free throws the rest of the game. Texas A&M took 19. "We fouled them too much," Pearl said. "It didn't matter if we were playing man or playing zone, we just couldn't find a way to keep them off the foul line." Teams trade big first-half runs With defense leading to offense after a slow start — Auburn had five steals and 6 points off turnovers in the first half — the Tigers settled in and were able to grab a double-digit lead in College Station. A deep tripe by Green Jr. pushed things to as large as a 20-3 run for the visitors, who were starting to have their way on both ends, with a 12-point lead. The momentum swung when the game slowed down with whistles, though. Green Jr. and Texas A&M big man Solomon Washington got tangled up and were dealt double technicals, slowing the pace and bringing the crowd back into it. Allen Flanigan (12 points) looked to keep Auburn cooking with a 3-pointer, but after the shot, he blew a kiss to the Aggies’ bench, drawing another technical and two free throws for Texas A&M. The wake-up call was what Texas A&M needed, and after a couple 3-pointers of its own, the home squad went on a 15-2 run, wiping Auburn’s momentum and taking a 37-36 lead into halftime after the Tigers led by 12 with 6:30 left until the break. "It absolutely did (change the momentum)," Pearl said of Flanigan's technical foul. "Allen knocked down a 3 or had done something. I thought he celebrated, was celebrating. You're allowed to celebrate. I guess they must've thought his celebration was unsportsmanlike." The first-half discrepancy at the foul line was noticeable, with Texas A&M attempting 12 free throws to just one for Auburn. Green Jr. duels Texas A&M’s guards Auburn scored 13 of the first 15 points in the second half, thanks in part to a pair of 3-pointers by Zep Jasper, who scored for the first time since Auburn’s home loss to Texas A&M four games ago. But despite an ensuing 2-of-13 stretch shooting the ball, Texas A&M was able to use free throws to work its way back and eventually tie things back up 57-57 with just under nine minutes remaining. The Aggies kept making free throws, and Green Jr. kept pushing Auburn back ahead, until it essentially became a back-and-forth affair between Auburn’s floor general and the Aggies’ guard duo of Taylor and Tyrece Radford. After Texas A&M tied the game at 57-57, Auburn’s next six baskets were either made or assisted by Green Jr., who poured in 15 of his 20 points in the second half, and also dished six assists for the game. "He does so much for us," Pearl said. "Got so much confidence in Wendell. He's one of the very best small guards in the entire country. I don't know that there's a guard in our country under 6-foot that's better than Wendell Green." Meanwhile, Taylor had 8 points in less than two minutes to help the Aggies get back in it, and finished with 22 points on the night. Auburn held down Radford to just 10 points, but his only 3-pointer of the game came at a big moment, putting Texas A&M up 62-61 with 7:43 left after Auburn led by as many as 9 points early in the second half. "Our second-half defense let us down," Pearl said. Resume still not improving A home game against No. 3 Alabama on Saturday will be Auburn's fourth Quadrant 1 opportunity in its past five outings. And going 0-4 could make for a nerve-racking February, as Auburn is still searching for more quality wins for its NCAA tournament resume. The story remains the same: Auburn continues to show it's a good team, but can't close out games against top-tier competition. Between the defeats at West Virginia, Tennessee and now Texas A&M, the Tigers lost by a combined 11 points. "We played well enough to win," Pearl said. The lead-up to this game centered a lot around Texas A&M's tournament chances, and why a win over Auburn would be a big boost for a team that has a weak nonconference resume. But the Tigers are now in a bit of a rut themselves, with only one Quad 1 win on the season (Arkansas). Still, Pearl isn't discouraged about the play of his team heading into the last seven games of the year. "It tells you these kids are buying into the scouts, it tells you they're preparing, it tells you they're grinding," Pearl said. "We were ready to play, and we started both halves very well. ... We played a lot of good basketball out here. We can build on it."

Auburn loses tough road game 83-78 against Texas A&M Published: Feb. 07, 2023, 9:15 p.m. ~4 minutes Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl talks with Auburn guard Allen Flanigan (22) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Julie Bennett)AP By Nubyjas Wilborn | nwilborn@al.com Johni Broome’s double-double (18 points and 10 rebounds) and Wendell Green’s 20 points and six assists weren’t enough to keep Auburn from dropping its second consecutive Southeastern Conference road game. Texas A&M got 22 points from Wade Taylor on 5-16 shooting, 4-10 from three, 8-9 from the free-throw line, and 20 points, including 8-9 free throws by Julius Marble in Tuesday’s 83-78 victory against Auburn. Allen Flanigan hit a deep three with 4:41 left in the first half. Flanigan’s three gave the Tigers a 32-22 lead. However, he blew a kiss toward the Aggie bench, which drew a technical foul. Taylor sank two free throws following the technical foul. “You’re allowed to celebrate,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl told reporters after the game. “They must’ve thought his celebration was unsportsmanlike.” Flanigan finished the game with 12 points and six rebounds. He was one of four Tigers to score double-digits in the loss. Jaylin Williams had 12 on 4-8 shooting and 3-5 from three. Auburn went from leading by 10 points with less than five minutes remaining in the first half to trailing 37-36 at the half after Broome’s layup with less than 40 seconds remaining. Broome had the only two buckets for Auburn in over four minutes after Flanigan’s three. Zep Jasper hit a three at the 16:07 mark in the second half, and Green followed with a jumper with 15:36 left in the game to give the Tigers a 49-41 lead after trailing by three at halftime. Jasper scored six points and hit a three during the Tigers’ 8-0 that erased the Aggies’ halftime lead and gave Auburn a five-point advantage in the second half. One of the most significant issues for Auburn was the disparity in free throw attempts and makes. Texas A&M outscored Auburn 46-42 in the second half leading to the season sweep. The Aggies ended Auburn’s home win streak earlier in the season, and the Tigers’ payback attempt failed partly because Auburn went 8-13 in the second half on free throws against 24-27 from the Aggies. Pearl’s squad shot 9-14 from the free throw line in the game. Texas A&M was 31-39. Pearl had a brief reply when asked how does a team overcome a 22-point deficit at the charity stripe. “You really can’t,” Pearl said to reporters via Zoom. “You got to do a better job defending and not fouling -- but it’s hard to overcome.” Foul trouble was an issue for Auburn as Broome fouled out. Not having the third-leading shot blocker in the conference for long stretches led to several open looks inside the paint for the Aggies. “You score 78 on the road against a really good defensive team; it should be enough to win,” Pearl said. “Our second-half defense let us down. We fouled them too much. And it didn’t matter whether we were playing man or playing zone; we couldn’t keep them off the foul line.” Auburn returns to Neville Arena with a 17-4 record and are 7-4 in SEC action. The Tigers’ next game will be on Saturday against Alabama at home. Nubyjas Wilborn covers Auburn for Alabama Media Group.

5 takeaways from Auburn's 83-78 loss at Texas A&M Nathan King 6–8 minutes Auburn narrowly missed another one. For the third straight Quadrant 1 road game, the Tigers had opportunities down the stretch but couldn't come away with what would have been a quality win for their NCAA tournament resume, this time falling 83-78 at Texas A&M on Tuesday night. Here are Auburn Undercover's five takeaways, as Auburn has now lost four of its last five games and is 7-4 in SEC play, including three straight road losses by a combined 11 points. Another missed opportunity late Johni Broome (18 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks) had to check back in with four fouls with 5:02 remaining, and Texas A&M started to go right at him with Julius Marble. The Aggies’ big man had two quick buckets working on Broome to give them a lead down the stretch. Marble finished with a career-high 20 points. Auburn had a chance for a tying shot, with Texas A&M leading 78-76, after Wendell Green Jr. had a turnover but Wade Taylor opted for a quick 3-pointer instead of holding onto the ball. He missed, and a loose ball tie-up went to Auburn. Instead of going for the tie, Green Jr. heaved a long 3-pointer which was way off the mark, and the Aggies made their free throws to pull away with the win. Bruce Pearl said he would have preferred Jaylin Williams (12 points) take the shot once the ball was in his hands. "We had Wendell come off a couple screens, he wasn't clear, so then he made a play and I thought he got Jaylin Williams a good look," Pearl said. "And Jaylin didn't shoot it. I would've taken that shot, that's the shot we wanted." Free throws a big advantage for Texas A&M The difference at the foul line was massive, with Texas A&M shooting 39 free throws for the game to Auburn’s 14. It was simply too much to overcome. "You really can't," Pearl said of playing through that kind of discrepancy at the foul line. "You've just got to do a better job of defending without fouling. But it's really hard to overcome." Both teams were in the bonus with 11 minutes left, and Auburn took five free throws the rest of the game. Texas A&M took 19. "We fouled them too much," Pearl said. "It didn't matter if we were playing man or playing zone, we just couldn't find a way to keep them off the foul line." Teams trade big first-half runs With defense leading to offense after a slow start — Auburn had five steals and 6 points off turnovers in the first half — the Tigers settled in and were able to grab a double-digit lead in College Station. A deep tripe by Green Jr. pushed things to as large as a 20-3 run for the visitors, who were starting to have their way on both ends, with a 12-point lead. The momentum swung when the game slowed down with whistles, though. Green Jr. and Texas A&M big man Solomon Washington got tangled up and were dealt double technicals, slowing the pace and bringing the crowd back into it. Allen Flanigan (12 points) looked to keep Auburn cooking with a 3-pointer, but after the shot, he blew a kiss to the Aggies’ bench, drawing another technical and two free throws for Texas A&M. The wake-up call was what Texas A&M needed, and after a couple 3-pointers of its own, the home squad went on a 15-2 run, wiping Auburn’s momentum and taking a 37-36 lead into halftime after the Tigers led by 12 with 6:30 left until the break. "It absolutely did (change the momentum)," Pearl said of Flanigan's technical foul. "Allen knocked down a 3 or had done something. I thought he celebrated, was celebrating. You're allowed to celebrate. I guess they must've thought his celebration was unsportsmanlike." The first-half discrepancy at the foul line was noticeable, with Texas A&M attempting 12 free throws to just one for Auburn. Green Jr. duels Texas A&M’s guards Auburn scored 13 of the first 15 points in the second half, thanks in part to a pair of 3-pointers by Zep Jasper, who scored for the first time since Auburn’s home loss to Texas A&M four games ago. But despite an ensuing 2-of-13 stretch shooting the ball, Texas A&M was able to use free throws to work its way back and eventually tie things back up 57-57 with just under nine minutes remaining. The Aggies kept making free throws, and Green Jr. kept pushing Auburn back ahead, until it essentially became a back-and-forth affair between Auburn’s floor general and the Aggies’ guard duo of Taylor and Tyrece Radford. After Texas A&M tied the game at 57-57, Auburn’s next six baskets were either made or assisted by Green Jr., who poured in 15 of his 20 points in the second half, and also dished six assists for the game. "He does so much for us," Pearl said. "Got so much confidence in Wendell. He's one of the very best small guards in the entire country. I don't know that there's a guard in our country under 6-foot that's better than Wendell Green." Meanwhile, Taylor had 8 points in less than two minutes to help the Aggies get back in it, and finished with 22 points on the night. Auburn held down Radford to just 10 points, but his only 3-pointer of the game came at a big moment, putting Texas A&M up 62-61 with 7:43 left after Auburn led by as many as 9 points early in the second half. "Our second-half defense let us down," Pearl said. Resume still not improving A home game against No. 3 Alabama on Saturday will be Auburn's fourth Quadrant 1 opportunity in its past five outings. And going 0-4 could make for a nerve-racking February, as Auburn is still searching for more quality wins for its NCAA tournament resume. The story remains the same: Auburn continues to show it's a good team, but can't close out games against top-tier competition. Between the defeats at West Virginia, Tennessee and now Texas A&M, the Tigers lost by a combined 11 points. "We played well enough to win," Pearl said. The lead-up to this game centered a lot around Texas A&M's tournament chances, and why a win over Auburn would be a big boost for a team that has a weak nonconference resume. But the Tigers are now in a bit of a rut themselves, with only one Quad 1 win on the season (Arkansas). Still, Pearl isn't discouraged about the play of his team heading into the last seven games of the year. "It tells you these kids are buying into the scouts, it tells you they're preparing, it tells you they're grinding," Pearl said. "We were ready to play, and we started both halves very well. ... We played a lot of good basketball out here. We can build on it."

Auburn vs. Texas A&M: Final statistics . . . Auburn Texas A&M Name POS MIN FGM-A 3PM-A FTM-A OREB REB AST ST BLK TO PF PTS JOHNI BROOME F 28 8-11 0-0 2-2 5 10 1 0 3 1 5 18 ALLEN FLANIGAN G 34 4-8 1-3 3-3 1 6 1 2 0 2 2 12 WENDELL GREEN JR. G 33 8-18 1-5 3-6 1 4 6 1 0 2 3 20 ZEP JASPER G 18 2-6 2-5 0-0 0 2 0 1 0 0 1 6 JAYLIN WILLIAMS F 32 4-8 3-5 1-2 0 4 4 3 2 1 3 12 LIOR BERMAN G 7 1-4 1-3 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 DYLAN CARDWELL C 9 1-1 0-0 0-1 3 3 1 0 0 0 4 2 TRE DONALDSON G 11 0-3 0-1 0-0 0 0 1 3 0 1 0 0 K.D. JOHNSON G 18 2-5 1-2 0-0 1 3 2 0 0 1 3 5 CHRIS MOORE F 8 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 YOHAN TRAORE F 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Total 30-64 9-24 9-14 11 34 16 10 5 10 27 78