'That’s kind of rare': Auburn basketball is close as can be, but top SEC opponents loom
AUBURN — Auburn basketball had the win well in hand Saturday evening, ready to put the finishing touches on a dominant victory over Ole Miss in Neville Arena.
The Rebels, having just blocked a shot to spur a fast break with about 10 seconds remaining, wanted to add a last-second bucket to make the final score of 82-59 appear a little less humiliating. What resulted was the exact opposite, as Chaney Johnson raced back on defense and pinned Austin Nunez's layup against the backboard.
Ole Miss collected the offensive rebound and put up a second-chance shot. Addarin Scott swatted that away. The Rebels grabbed the ball again. Scott rejected it again.
Time ran out, the buzzer sounded and Auburn's rotational players, who were on the bench watching a reserve-heavy lineup finish the game, sprinted onto the floor like they had just won a conference title.
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In reality, it was just another game for the Tigers. Auburn (16-2, 5-0 SEC) has won 11 consecutive contests and has an average margin of victory over that stretch of 21.8 points. Coach Bruce Pearl's team isn't just winning, it's dismantling whoever is so bold to step on the court with it.
"First and foremost, I just want to say that I apologize if that came off as classless," backup center Dylan Cardwell said of running onto the court. "Because that's not who we are — storming the court up 30. That's the first and foremost thing: I apologize if that came off as disrespectful. It wasn't any disrespect towards Ole Miss.
"It was more towards a genuine friendship. First of all, I think that was Addarin's first field goal made (right before that). So, that was fun. And for it to be on a 7-5 dude, that's just a testament to his hard work. Then, Chaney came down and hit his head on the rim, which was insane. ... Pretty much just showed how much we love and care for each other."
That love and care, Cardwell claims, began to form over the summer. The Tigers added five scholarship newcomers this offseason: Scott, Aden Holloway, Chad Baker-Mazara, Chaney Johnson and Denver Jones. Building relationships doesn't happen over night, but Pearl and his staff ordered the team to eat meals together.
Every morning. Punishments were delivered if players didn't show up. Those interactions, though forced, allowed the Tigers to foster the relationships they now have with one another.
"This is the closest team I’ve ever been on, and everyone has each other’s back," Cardwell said. "... It’s a very tight-knit group. Everybody talks to everybody, and that’s kind of rare. And we all hang out. There’s no cliques on this team. It’s just fun to be on a team that everyone’s your genuine friend and your genuine brother, so that’s kind of where I see the difference in the past couple years."
Camaraderie like that is the mark of a good team, no doubt. But the Tigers know their schedule has been relatively weak compared to other top teams around the country; Auburn has had the 96th-toughest schedule this season, per KenPom. That's No. 11 in the SEC.
The Tigers will get a taste of top competition in their next matchup against Alabama on Wednesday. The Crimson Tide got blasted by Tennessee on Saturday, but it's still tabbed by KenPom the No. 8 team nationally. A road test against Mississippi State, which sits at No. 33, looms after that Jan. 27.
"It's everything, their closeness," Pearl said of his team. "But we haven't hit any adversity yet either, now. Adversity can build character, but it will reveal it. And we haven't had much adversity."
Richard Silva is 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 continues to roll, but tough tests loom
