2/16/23 Auburn Articles

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this is for the womens program but it is important.

auburntigers.com

 

Time change for Thursday's Auburn-Texas A&M game

Auburn University Athletics

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AUBURN, Ala. – Due to the threat of inclement weather impacting the Auburn area Thursday night, the women's basketball game between Auburn and Texas A&M has been moved up to a 5 p.m. CT start. Doors will open at Neville Arena at 4 p.m.

  The game will be broadcast on SEC Network + and the Auburn Sports Network. Airtime on WQSI 93.9 FM will be 4:45 p.m.; the broadcast can also be heard on AuburnTigers.com and the Auburn Athletics app.

  For the latest updates, follow @AuburnWBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

 

 

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247sports.com

 

Auburn bench responds to Pearl's challenge in big win over Missouri

Mark Murphy

4–5 minutes

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AUBURN, Alabama–A lot of things went well for Auburn in what was one of its best performances of the 2022-23 basketball season in an 89-56 victory over Missouri. One of those was the bench production, something that was a team strength early in the schedule, but was trending downward in the second half of the season.

That turned around in a major way on Valentine’s Day evening with a performance that almost any coach would love. It started with Auburn’s reserves scoring 33 points, 12 more than Missouri’s substitutes. K.D. Johnson led the reserves in scoring with 15 points, including 14 in the first half when Auburn took control.

With Dylan Cardwell playing well off the bench, he helped the Tigers dominate the rebounding. The junior personally pulled in 10 of Auburn’s 48 rebounds while scoring eight points and blocking three shots.

Auburn outscored Missouri 42-24 for points in the paint with Cardwell contributing to that advantage.

Lior Berman also scored eight points, making 3-4 field goals. Chris Moore added four assists and two rebounds in a reserve role while Tre Donaldson scored two points, pulled in a rebound, contributed two steals and did a good job of handling Missouri’s full-court pressure defense. Auburn finished a season-high plus 22 in rebounding margin with Yohan Traore helping with two defensive rebounds and one on the offensive board.

Pearl said the coaching staff had talked to the players about the importance of getting more production from the bench to help the Tigers snap a three-game losing streak. “We talked about it being a collection of all of us, and we are all responsible,” he said.

Pearl noted that in the close losses in February the starters were having to play too many minutes, which meant they weren’t as effective in closing games. “I have got Wendell and KD and Al and Jaylin and Johni out there at the end, but if they have had to carry us for 35 minutes, and if they can't carry us for the last five, that’s on the team,” Pearl said. “It's on me, it's on everybody, it's on the bench. Our bench has to play better so that those guys can be fresh and furious to win games at the end.”

Against Missouri the players coming in as reserves “definitely stepped up,” according to Pearl, who said, “I thought Tre Donaldson played with great confidence. Dylan, obviously, almost a double-double. Lior knocked down a couple of shots, played great defense, rebounded the ball.

Dylan Cardwell and his teammates were enjoying plenty of Jungle Love on Valentine's Day evening at Neville Arena. (Photo: Jake Crandall, USA TODAY Sports)

“The bench was good and then KD, little by little, little by little, and then the watershed opened up a little bit tonight for him. When he gets a little bit more of a lift on a shot and what's interesting–KD doesn't trust me all the time. He just doesn't, but I talked to him about it. And, you know, give Marquis Daniels some credit.

“Marquis is my director of player development, and he is constantly in the ears of our players regarding their trials and tribulations and challenges, and does a phenomenal job keeping everybody together because he was a pro and he is a pro.”

The coaches had Johnson taking extra shots using a net in front part of the rim that requires more arc for the ball to go in the basket as medicine to help him get his three-point percentage up. Against Missouri he made 4-6 treys and was a big factor coming off the bench to build a large lead for the home team.

Auburn came into the Missouri game tied for fourth in the SEC with Mizzou at 7-5. With the victory Auburn improved to 18-8 while Missouri dropped to 19-7.

12COMMENTS

Auburn’s coaches are giving their players a day of rest on Wednesday before returning to practice on Thursday. Next up on the schedule for Pearl’s Tigers is a road trip to Nashville to face Vanderbilt. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. CST on Saturday at Memorial Gym for a game that will be televised on the SEC Network.

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auburnwire.usatoday.com

 

Auburn takes giant step forward in KenPom rankings following win over Missouri

Taylor Jones

3–4 minutes

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Auburn took care of business on Tuesday by blowing out Missouri, 89-56 at Neville Arena.

Auburn jumped out to a 13-2 lead with 14:19 remaining in the first half to grab their first, and only, double-digit lead. Auburn would lead by as much as 27 in the first half and would extend that lead up to 39 points before settling for a 33-point victory.

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The win snapped a three-game losing streak and gives the momentum heading into a tough stretch of five games to close the season. How much did Auburn’s win affect its place in the KenPom? Let’s just say the data considered the win to be very impressive.

Auburn climbed considerably in several categories, which also improves its stock within the SEC. Here’s a look at where Auburn stands in the KenPom following a stellar win over Missouri.

Jake Crandall/The Montgomery Advertiser

Auburn’s 33-point win over Missouri paved the way for them to skyrocket up the KenPom rankings. Auburn now stands at No. 18, which a ten-spot increase from last Saturday’s loss to Alabama. Auburn is now the third-highest-ranked team from the SEC in the KenPom rankings, trailing just Tennessee and Alabama.

Jake Crandall/ The Montgomery Advertiser

Auburn’s adjusted offensive efficiency ranking stays the same following Tuesday’s win. Auburn is projected to score 111.7 points per 100 possessions.

Baylor leads the nation in this category by scoring a projected 122.0 points per 100 possessions.

Jake Crandall/The Montgomery Advertiser

Auburn made a sizeable jump in adjusted defensive efficency from No. 20 to No. 12 after limiting Missouri to 31% shooting and 56 points. KenPom forecasts Auburn to allow their opponents to score 92.7 points per 100 possessions.

Tennessee remains the nation’s best defensive team by allowing a projected 86.6 points per 100 possessions.

Julie Bennett-USA TODAY Sports

Auburn created 71 possessions on Tuesday, which raises their ranking to No. 150 in adjusted tempo. According to KenPom, Auburn is expected to record 67.9 points per 40 minute contest.

Julie Bennett-USA TODAY Sports

Auburn’s continues to play the nation’s best teams. Following Tuesday’s win over Missouri, Auburn now holds the No. 34 toughest schedule in the country, which is fourth-highest in the SEC.

Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

Auburn’s next opponent, Vanderbilt, will enter Saturday’s contest with confidence after they defeated South Carolina on Tuesday to win their fourth straight game. Here’s a look at where Vanderbilt ranks following Tuesday’s action

• Overall: No. 90
• Offensive efficiency: No. 40
• Defensive efficiency: No. 171
• Adjusted Tempo: No. 246

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theplainsman.com

 

Tigers reclaim the Jungle with dominant performance over Missouri - The Auburn Plainsman

 

5–6 minutes

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After losing to in-state rival Alabama, the Tigers looked to bounce back with a win over the Missouri Tigers. Head coach Bruce Pearl mentioned that this game would be a crucial win for Auburn, and his Tigers accepted that challenge, winning 89-56 in dominant fashion. 

“I don’t like talking about a ‘must-win”...I wanted my guys to understand that. They did,” said Pearl. “I was really proud of the guys because they’ve worked so hard the past couple of weeks – we’ve played better with no reward.”

Auburn came out swinging, claiming an early lead over Missouri. By the end of the game, the Tigers held Mizzou to 56 points. 

“If we hold teams to under 73 points, we’re 14-1,” said Pearl. “So we said, ‘Can we hold Missouri to under 73? If we do, we’ll win the game.’ It’s not often that you can give your guys a guarantee like that.”

In terms of performance, this game was a huge win for Auburn. The Tigers set a season-high for three-point shooting, going 9-of-18 (50%), and for rebounding, with 48 total. Auburn also jumped eight spots to No. 18 in national KenPom rankings, which helps the program’s outlook for the NCAA Tournament. 

“This helps, but we’ve still got work to do,” Pearl said. 

Johni Broome led the team with 20 points: eight field goals, four free throws, and two assists. Allen Flanigan had 16 points: six field goals, one three-pointer, and three free throws. K.D. Johnson followed with 15 points: five field goals, four three-point field goals, and one free throw. 

“We just took whatever they gave us,” said Johnson. “It went in tonight, and we got the dub.”

Efficiency was vital for Auburn to secure the win. The Tigers were more consistent in the paint and at the three-point line. Auburn was 48% from the field (32-of-66) and 50% from three (9-of-18), while Missouri had 32% from the field (18-of-57) and 28% from three (5-of-22). 

Flanigan and Johnson were dominant in the paint. Flanigan had 86% (6-of-7) for field goals, 50% (1-of-2) from behind the three-point arc and went 3-for-3 in his free throws. Johnson had a 56% (5-of-9) field goal percentage and shot 67% (4-of-6) from three.

“We had nine (threes). It felt like we had 19. It was like, 'I can’t believe it,'” Pearl said. “We got open shots. The ball moved really well.” 

On the defensive side, Auburn played strong. The team ended the night with 48 total rebounds: 32 defensive and 16 offensive. Auburn had five blocks and nine steals compared to Missouri’s four and six, respectively. 

Cardwell had three blocks, added to Broome and Zep Jasper's one apiece. Broome had ten rebounds: five offensive and five defensive. Jaylin Williams also added five defensive and two offensive rebounds. 

“We need Johni to be dominant on the inside,” Pearl said. “We had an advantage at the five position tonight. We dominated the five spot, which we needed to.”

Broome showed some discomfort from his apparent foot injury as he had to exit the game twice, but the young forward returned each time. 

“I’m going to be alright. It was just kind of a tough fall,” Broome said. 

Auburn has a long road trip up ahead. On Saturday, the Tigers head up to Nashville to play the Vanderbilt Commodores at 7:30 p.m. CST on the SEC Network. After Vanderbilt, Auburn will play three teams on the road: Ole Miss, Kentucky, and Alabama. 

“Our guys care about trying to make history,” Pearl said. “We want to get to the NCAA Tournament. This helps, but we’ve still got work to do. Great win. We’ll take tomorrow off and get ready for Vanderbilt.” 

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Caitlyn Griffin | Sports Writer

Caitlyn Griffin is a freshman from Huntsville, Ala. majoring in journalism. She started with The Plainsman in fall 2022. 

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