2/8/23 Auburn Articles

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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

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5 takeaways from Auburn's 83-78 loss at Texas A&M

Nathan King

6–8 minutes

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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."

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Auburn loses tough road game 83-78 against Texas A&M

Published: Feb. 07, 2023, 9:15 p.m.

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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.

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5 takeaways from Auburn's 83-78 loss at Texas A&M

Nathan King

6–8 minutes

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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."

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What Auburn basketball's Bruce Pearl said about ESPN's 'College GameDay' coming for Alabama game

Richard Silva, Montgomery Advertiser

~2 minutes

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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.