Auburn’s win streak continued in the SEC/ACC Challenge after the Tigers defeated Virginia Tech by a final score of 74-57. The Tigers are starting to turn some eyes, but still remain unranked in the AP Poll. Here’s a recap of the win and a look at what’s ahead.
Auburn 74, Virginia Tech 57
Auburn represented the SEC well (unlike others in the state) in their win against the Hokies. Johni Broome had one of his best performances of his career, dropping 30 points with 15 rebounds. “My teammates encouraged me to get that,” Broome said, “Seeing my teammates being more excited than I am, that’s big, and it makes me feel great. I was trying to play as hard as I could.”
Auburn’s defense was swarming, scoring 30 points off of 21 turnovers. Head coach Bruce Pearl praised his team saying, “I think the kids are starting to get excited about guarding in such a way that can frustrate the opponent, which leads to transition and some fun things. That team doesn’t turn the ball over. We were able to make it difficult for them offensively, and we got great rim protection.”
Another storyline was the atmosphere of Neville Arena. Auburn fans listened the night before as ESPN commentators referred to Alabama’s basketball environment as like watching a “tennis match.” Tiger fans took that another step with signs saying “This ain’t no tennis match!” The ESPN2 commentators discussed how awesome the students were and even pleaded with ESPN to let them return to the arena for another game.
Looking Ahead
Auburn is now 5-1 on the year and will now go on the road for two difficult matchups. On December 3rd, they will travel to Appalachian State. The Mountaineers are 5-2 this year with wins over Murray State and a close loss to Oregon State in overtime.
Indiana also awaits Auburn next Saturday for the Holiday Hoopsgiving. The Hoosiers are also having a good start to the season with wins over Harvard and Louisville. Their only loss is to defending national champion UConn.
