Freshmen and Sophomore Phenoms Fall Short Against Boston College

Going into yesterday’s Under Armor Reunion game against Boston College, the Tigers had climbed all the way to 21st in the latest RPI standings. That is a place the Tigers have never been. The doubleheader of games for which Auburn and Boston College led off took place in Madison Square Garden, the Mecca of basketball and a place that the vast majority, if not all, of the Auburn Tigers had never been. Auburn has been playing basketball for 111 years and has never played in the Garden.

It showed. 

“I’m really at a loss for words,” Danjel Purifoy said. “If we had won this game, it would have been a big win for us.”

“The rebounding advantage was significant,” Pearl said. “The fact they dominated the glass was a factor, and as a result, they won the game on offensive rebounds. It stands to reason. We didn’t play well early. Our youth obviously showed. I thought defensively we had a hard time keeping Boston College in front of us.”

Bruce Pearl’s Tigers features three freshmen and two sophomore starters and is one of the youngest teams in America. The youth and inexperience showed on a big stage. The game was featured on FS1, and over 1,000 members of the local New York City Auburn Club showed up to see Auburn’s best team in over decade play the worst Boston College team of the same period. Auburn entered at 6–1 while Boston College came in 4–5 with one of the worst RPI’s in college basketball, losers of four of its last five games. 

Fans that settled in to watch the game undoubtedly believed this game was an easy win for the Tigers, even though Auburn would be without T.J. Dunans, who missed the game due to illness. Even as the teams sized each other up before tip off, Auburn looked the part: a chiseled bunch of athletic players who looked like a legitimate basketball team. Boston College looked like an oversized high school team with just one player who looked like he belonged in college. 

Yet, the first and last bucket of the game were microcosms of the messiest, most effortless, and simply baffling loss of the year and quite possibly the Pearl era. After Horace Spencer won the tip, Danjel Purifoy missed a jumper. Boston College’s Connar Tava pulled down the defensive rebound, passed it up the floor to A.J. Turner, who slipped into the lane without a soul to guard him but missed his shot. There was no one home, and Mo Jeffers took the offensive board and stuffed it for the first points of the game. 

The last points of the game were almost the exact same scenario. After Purifoy sank two clutch free throws to give Auburn a 71–70 lead, Ky Bowman took the inbound pass and drove the entire length of the floor for an untouched layup attempt. He missed, but Auburn didn’t even attempt to box out the Eagles’ big man, Nic Popovic, in the paint, and he tipped the shot into the hoop with 0.2 of a second remaining. Three feet away, fans watched sophomore Bryce Brown shake his head and cover his eyes in amazement as he and at least two other players stared at each other, each wondering how the one thing that couldn’t happen, had happened. The ball circled the rim, bounced twice, and flushed. 

Danjel Purifoy pulled his jersey over his head as he headed to the locker room. The second-year freshman scored a game high 27 points and was a perfect 5–5 from the free throw line, including a set of shots at the end of each half that should have given Auburn leads at each point. 

The entire night was a head-scratching affair that was almost impossible to watch for Auburn basketball fans. Auburn conceded the lane at some of the worst times yet forced 22 turnovers and added 11 blocks at others. Yet, for every change in possession that benefited Auburn, the players either chunked up bad shots or turned it right back over, sometimes within three steps of gaining possession. Auburn simply didn’t make the most of its opportunities, and it showed, as the Tigers led only three times, all in the second half. Boston College made the most of its chances, shooting 44% from the floor and tying Auburn from beyond the arc with 32% sharpshooting. 

Perhaps the most confusing aspect of the game was in the second half when Boston College leaned on freshman big man Nic Popovic. The 6′ 11″ freshman came off the bench for just 13 minutes of game play but went 4–5 from the floor with five rebounds and a block. It was hard to argue with his production and credit should be given where it’s due, but the big man’s play looked like something from the 1950’s with his plodding, slow pivoting, and underhand hook shots. He looked slow and unathletic, but dominated Auburn in the paint. This included his game winning tip. Not only did Auburn make no attempt to limit Bowman’s slash to the bucket after the inbound pass, but it didn’t even attempt to box out the big man on the other side of the bucket. 

Bryce Brown’s struggles continue as he was 1–5 from the arc and 1–8 from since the three-point line. Last year’s sharpshooter is now shooting 25% from long range after finishing last season hitting 37%. It seems very likely that Brown will be benched until his confidence returns. 

LaRon Smith had a quiet night, going scoreless with six rebounds and two blocks to complement Spencer. Auburn’s bench contributed just 12 points. 

Auburn takes on Coastal Carolina and former head coach Cliff Ellis on Thursday. Auburn finally beat Ellis last season and looks to get back on track.  The game will be on SEC Network. 

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