Auburn basketball steamrolls Ole Miss on the way to 11th straight win
AUBURN — Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl didn't want The Jungle to be too tough on Allen Flanigan, or at least that's what he said throughout the week.
Some fans listened. Some didn't. Flanigan was showered with a smattering of jeers and applause as he was announced as a starter for Ole Miss (15-3, 2-3 SEC) ahead of his first time in Neville Arena as a visitor. Once the game started, though, the crowd was much more in lockstep, booing the former Tiger every time he touched the ball.
Maybe it got in his head. Maybe it didn't. Regardless, Flanigan, who spent the first four seasons of his career on the Plains, finished with 10 points on 30% shooting. It's a stat line that's indicative of the overall defensive showing Auburn put on in its 82-59 win over the Rebels on Saturday.
The Tigers (16-2, 5-0) have now won 11 in a row, a streak that dates back to Dec. 3. They're the only SEC team that hasn't lost to a conference opponent.
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Jaylin Williams refuses to miss for Auburn basketball
Senior forward Jaylin Williams came in having made 17 consecutive shots, and he started his game against Ole Miss by sinking a couple of field goals to extend his streak to 19. His first miss was a violent dunk attempt that caromed off the rim, and it would've blown the roof off the venue had he flushed it.
Williams finished with a 13 points on 71.4% shooting.
Taking advantage of a mismatch
Ole Miss is one of the SEC's worst rebounding teams. Auburn is one of the best, and it took advantage of that with a 15-7 advantage on the glass in the first half. The Tigers had six offensive boards in the opening 20 minutes alone.
Valuable bench minutes
Auburn, up by 17 points early in the second half, put its all-bench unit onto the floor for 2:33. The result was a 10-0 run that blew the game wide open.
What's next on Auburn basketball's schedule?
The Tigers will go on the road to take on Alabama on Wednesday (6:30 p.m. CT, ESPN). The Crimson Tide (12-6, 4-1) began its SEC slate with a 4-0 start, but it got blown out by Tennessee on Saturday.
Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rich_silva18.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn basketball beats up on Ole Miss in Allen Flanigan's return
