A fantastic start for Auburn men’s basketball after they opened the regular season with wins over Vermont and fourth ranked Houston. The Tigers have looked strong to begin the season. with strong defense and explosive offensive performances from several newcomers. Here’s a review of the wins and a look ahead to Auburn’s next few games.
Auburn 94, Vermont 43
Auburn opened the season in fashion with a dominating win over Vermont. While many people might not know, the Catamounts usually make the NCAA tournament and have won the American East conference many times. The story of the night was Georgia Tech transfer Miles Kelly who made seven of nine three pointers including five in a row in the second half. Kelly finished with a team high 21 points to begin his career with Auburn.
“When I was at SEC Media Day and everybody asked me, ‘Who’s the best shooter on the team?’ I told them it was Miles,” said guard Denver Jones. “’Y’all are going to see when the season starts.’ He showed tonight what he’s capable of.”
Four other Tigers finished in double digits including Denver Jones, Johni Broome, Chaney Johnson, and Chad Baker-Mazara.
Another story was the defense from Auburn who forced 16 turnovers and made seven blocks. The Catamounts shot just 25% from the field which is the lowest field goal percentage in head coach John Becker’s 13 years at Vermont.
Auburn 74, Houston 69
It might be early to call it a statement victory, but Auburn picked up one of their biggest wins you may see this season. The Tigers took down a tough Houston team that has constantly made deep runs in the NCAA Tournament.
Another Tiger newcomer made a name for himself. This time it was Tahaad Pettiford’s 21 points that would help Auburn get the win. 15 of those points came from five made three pointers.
After trailing bays much as nine in the second half, Auburn would use an 8-0 run to cut the lead to one. Chad Baker Mazara would make a clutch three pointer to give Auburn a 62-60 lead with just over five minutes to go.
Auburn’s defense would come up big down the stretch, stopping Houston twice from tying or taking the lead with just over a minute play. The Tigers would make some free throws to put the game away for good.
“Our guys stepped up,” head coach Bruce Pearl said. “Johni was absolutely unstoppable. Tahaad Pettiford stepped up and showed up. Big road win for Auburn. A historic win. We needed this. I was so pleased with our competitiveness.”
This win was marked by some off the court drama, as two Tiger players Jakhi Howard and Ja’Heim Hudson were not present for the Houston game. They were actually left in Auburn after they were involved in a fight on their plane to Houston. The plane actually turned around and had to land back in Auburn. So far, no further details on the incident, but head coach Bruce Pearl says they are “handling the situation.”
Looking Ahead
Auburn will now return home to face the Kent State Golden Flashes on November 13th. That game tips off at 7:00 p.m. and you can watch it on the SEC Network. Then the Tigers won’t play until November 18th against North Alabama before heading to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational.
