How accurately did ESPN’s Basketball Power Index predict Auburn’s SEC record?

Johni Broome led the charge by scoring 14 points and pulling down 11 rebounds in Auburn’s SEC opener.

This was the first game that the ESPN BPI incorrectly predicted on the season, and it happened a lot earlier than most anticipated. Auburn committed 20 fouls against Georgia in this game, sending them to the line to shoot 32 free throws.

This game had the makings of being a great one in the early portion of the SEC schedule, but the No. 13 Razorbacks could only shoot 34% from the field and had to rely heavily on freshman Anthony Black to keep them in the game.

Auburn trailed Ole Miss by one-point at halftime, but surged to outscore the Rebels, 48-38 in the second half to run away with the nine-point win. Wendell Green Jr. led the team in scoring with 24 points.

Auburn won its’ third game in a row by defeating Mississippi State at Neville Arena. Jaylin Williams led in scoring with 21 points and seven rebounds.

LSU began the Matt McMahon era strong by winning 12 of their first 13 games. However, the Bayou Bengals ran into a buzzsaw and won just two of the SEC regular season games. Auburn outshot LSU, 44% to 32% in the game.

Much like LSU, South Carolina had a hard time finding wins in the SEC schedule this season. Auburn shot 50% from the field and scored 46 points in the paint in the win.

As the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end. The Texas A&M Aggies stunned Auburn to snap a 28-game home winning streak. Auburn had no answer for Boots Radford, who scored 30 points and had nine rebounds in the Aggies win.

Auburn took out their frustrations on Georgia to kick off the month of February. Not only did Georgia had Auburn their first SEC loss of the year, but Auburn had just lost their long-standing home winning streak. Allen Flanigan led in points with 22 while Johni Broome had 19 points and 10 rebounds.

Auburn was one second away from possibly leaving Knoxville with an upset win. Wendell Green Jr. took a shot with one second remaining from three-point range, but it did not fall, and Auburn exited with a 46-43 loss. Scoring was at a premium in this game, as neither team shot over 30%.

 

Auburn had its chances to win this one as the game would see 10 lead changes in the final eight minutes of the game. But fouls that resulted in trips to the free throw line ultimately costed the Tigers a win.

This season provided two classic basketball games between in-state rivals Auburn and Alabama. In the first meeting, Auburn led for 24:56 of game time, but the Tide took over in the final eight minutes to steal the win. Over the final 7:57, Alabama outscored Auburn, 21-10.

Auburn snapped a three-game losing streak in the best way on Valentine’s night at Neville Arena. Auburn led 45-18 at halftime and refused to take their foot off of the pedal. Johni Broome recoreded another double-double by scoring 20 points and pulling down 10 boards. K.D. Johnson and Allen Flanigan also reached double-figures in scoring.

There are plenty of country songs about heartbreak in Nashville. That is what Auburn experienced on a Saturday night at Memorial Gymnasium. After K.D. Johnson made a three-pointer to tie the game at 65-65 with 0:10 remaining, Vanderbilt’s Ezra Manjon drove down the court and hit a layup as time expired to give his team the win.

Auburn won a barn burner with Ole Miss, which was a must-win for their tournament hopes. A Johni Broome layup broke a 64-64 tie with 4:44 left in the game to send Auburn on a 14-10 run to close the win.

The curse of Rupp Arena continues for Auburn. The Tigers had their best chance to knock off a substandard Kentucky team at their place, but could not get it done. Both teams played tight for a while, but a score from Kentucky’s Jacob Toppin with 5:03 to go in the first half gave them a lead that they would not relinquish.

Same story, different setting. In their first meeting, Auburn held a lead for a majority of the game before Alabama took control. The second time around, the Crimson Tide led for just 0:45 of game time, and erased a 17-point second-half deficit to take the overtime win.

It took 18 games to do it, but Auburn actually beat the system by winning a game that the ESPN BPI projected them to lose. Auburn shot 49% and scored 79 points on the nation’s best defensive team for their 20th win of the season.

Auburn ended up losing three more games than the BPI forecasted. Auburn went 1-4 in games that the ESPN BPI projected Auburn to win. In that block of five games, Auburn lost to Georgia, Texas A&M, Alabama, and Vanderbilt, while their lone win was against Tennessee at Neville Arena to end the regular season.