Dunbar jams on the Tide!
(AP Photo Albert Cesare.)
War Eagle, everybody! The Auburn Tiger men’s basketball teams continues to amaze. Down to just 7 scholarship players last night against Alabama, the short-handed and under appreciated Tigers jumped out to an 8-0 lead early, then blew the game open in the second half, beating the Tide 90-71. Auburn is now just 1 win away, or a Tennessee loss away from an SEC regular season championship! The quest continues this Saturday night in Gainesville, against a slumping Florida team.
Very short-handed against Alabama thanks to injury and illness, Auburn needed to shoot well and stay out of foul trouble. Auburn at best shot the ball adequately, but nothing spectacular at 42.6 percent. Auburn got in foul trouble early, with Horace Spencer picking up his second foul with over 11 minutes left in the first half, and he ended up playing only 6 first half minutes. Both key inside guys picked up fouls in the opening minutes of the second half, and one had to worry. However, Auburn had true freshman Chuma Okeke step up, and did not miss a beat in the middle of the paint.
Where this game was won was on turnovers. Alabama tried to pass the ball inside repeatedly, and take advantage of a big size mismatch against the smaller Tigers. It proved to be a poor strategy, as Auburn repeatedly took the ball away, and ran off easy transition baskets. On the evening, Auburn was credited with 14 steals, while Alabama had only 4. Also, Alabama was whistled for 21 fouls, while Auburn was tagged only 16 times. Auburn only shot 76.9 percent from the foul line, but Alabama was worse, hitting just 63.6 percent.
I have to salute Auburn leaders Jared Harper and Bryce Brown. In a 40 minute game, Harper played 37 minutes, and Brown 35. One has to remember that Brown could hardly walk or shoot the basketball in practice, earlier this week. Harper has to be the best guard in the league, I think. He sets the offense masterfully, and dishes with great precision and timing. Oh, and unlike most point guards, Harper can score in multiple ways, if teams try to collapse in and leave Harper free.
Three regular season games remain for these Tigers, and the next pair are on the road. Auburn plays at Florida this Saturday night, then on to Arkansas Tuesday evening. Auburn finishes the regular season at home on March 3rd, against South Carolina. One win in any of these games will lock up an SEC title! What an amazing year, for a team that was picked to win just 4 SEC games!
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