Auburn men’s basketball made a statement to the nation during a tear through last week’s Maui Invitational. The Tigers won the tournament, beating three quality opponents in Iowa State, North Carolina, and Memphis. It was also a week where Johni Broome announced himself as one of the favorites for National Player of the Year with 65 points and 45 rebounds over three days of play. Auburn is now at number two in country behind the Kansas Jayhawks. This week, they face a mighty challenge with a visit to Duke and then a home game versus Richmond. Here’s a recap of that tournament win and what lies ahead for the Tigers.
Auburn 83, Iowa State 81
It was a top-five showdown in Maui as the Tigers faced the fourth-ranked Iowa State Cyclones. It was a tale of two halves as Auburn had to erase a 19 point deficit in the second half to win. The Tigers struggled in the first half shooting 38% from the field. The Tigers also had a season-high 12 turnovers as well.
Auburn responded in the second half, outscoring the Cyclones 50-32. The Tigers opened the second half with a 13-0 run including a four-point play from Chad Baker-Mazara. Things got tight after the Cyclones tied the game with just over two minutes to play. After Iowa State took the lead, a Miles Kelly layup would tie the game with just over thirty seconds to play.
The Cyclones would turn the ball over with seconds to play giving Auburn a chance to win the game. Denver Jones would miss a layup, but Johni Broome would follow up with a tip-in layup to give Auburn the two-point lead. The Cyclones would miss a half-court shot as the Tigers would survive a round one thriller.
Broome would finish with 21 points and ten rebounds. The win was also the first time a team has started the season 5-0 with two top-five wins since the 1990 Kansas Jayhawks.
Auburn 85, North Carolina 72
The Tigers backed up their win over Iowa State with another top-15 win over North Carolina. Auburn’s Johni Broome made his mark, hitting a double-double in the first half. He would finish the game with 23 points and 19 rebounds.
Broome and five other Tigers were in double-digits including Denver Jones, Tahaad Pettiford and Miles Kelly.
Head coach Bruce Pearl was proud of his team’s performance after the Iowa State game saying, “North Carolina is an extremely good offensive team. I thought our guys stepped, especially in the second half, but at the start of the game as well.”
The freshman Pettiford is having an excellent start to the season as well. His 10-point performance included a pair of three-pointers. He’s shot 50% from beyond the arc against all ranked opponents.
Auburn 90, Memphis 76
If you thought Auburn couldn’t get any better in Maui, then you were wrong. The Tigers’ title game win was one of the most complete games of basketball you’ll see all season. Auburn’s defense and versatility on offense was in full display. Auburn’s big men Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell led the team with a combined 39 points, 19 rebounds, and 12 assists.
Broome notched another double-double at halftime and finished with a 21 points, 16 rebounds, and six assists. Cardwell added 18 points as well including a three pointer in the second half.
“Incredible,” Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. “They’re unselfish and they make the extra pass. Both my big men knocked down 3s tonight. When you have that kind of spacing and you have to guard those guys on the perimeter, it makes everything you run offensively all that much better.”
For the second straight day, Auburn never trailed, opening with a 9-0 run and leading by double digits for the game’s final 28 minutes and 38 seconds. Auburn is now the third SEC team to win the Maui Invitational, the first since Kentucky in 1993.
Looking Ahead
Auburn has a big game ahead of them this week when they face Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium. It’s a part of the SEC/ACC Challenge as both conferences look to put their best teams against each other. Other matchups include Alabama at North Carolina, Virginia at Florida, Syracuse at Tennessee, and Kentucky at Clemson. This will be Auburn’s first true road game of the year and the first time they’ve ever played at Duke. It will be a huge test for Tigers, but they have the talent to go in and win the game. Tip-off will be at 8:15 p.m. CT with coverage on ESPN.
Next weekend, Auburn returns to Neville Arena to face the Richmond Spiders. Richmond is coming off a second place finish in the A10 and a NIT appearance. The Spiders are traditionally a mid-major program and will offer Auburn a challenge especially after a physical game at Duke. That game tips-off at 11:00 a.m CT with coverage on SEC Network.
