Tigers of the Game: Dylan Cardwell is the ‘King of the Jungle’
That was fun.
The Auburn Tigers hosted USC on Sunday in the most important game of the season to date. USC was expected to provide Auburn with a challenge with their impressive backcourt consisting of Boogie Ellis and Isaiah Collier. Ellis showed up by dropping 22 points, but the rest of the team could not compete with the host Tigers, falling 91-75 at Neville Arena.
Auburn went on to shoot 48% from the field and scored 19 points off of 15 USC turnovers.
Auburn also had five players reach double-figures in the contest, but no one had as much fun on the floor as senior center Dylan Cardwell. Cardwell supplied several highlight-worthy plays, including this dunk over Bronny James.
Which other players stood out in Auburn’s massive win over USC on Sunday? Here’s a look at which players impressed Auburn Wire writers, as well as Auburn fans.
Taylor Jones: Aden Holloway
Sunday’s game featured three members of the 247Sports top 25 recruiting class from the 2023 cycle, and Aden Holloway emerged as the top performer. Holloway shot 50% from the field (5-of-10), which included a 4-of-7 tally from beyond the arc to led the team in scoring with 15 points. He also was the teams leader in assists with six.
JD McCarthy: Dylan Cardwell
Auburn’s bench supplied 42 points to the team’s total, and Dylan Cardwell led the charge with 11 points. He made 4-of-5 shots from the field, and added three points from the free throw line. Defensively, he hauled in five rebounds and blocked two shots.
Cardwell connected on several dunks during the game, one of those provided the epic photo that you see above.
Brian Hauch: Tre Donaldson
Auburn’s bench proved yet again on Sunday that they can be just as dangerous as the usual starting five. Tre Donaldson played another amazing game at guard by shooting 75% (3-of-4) from the field and sinking his lone free throw attempt en route to a seven-point performance. The most important aspect of his outing was the ability to create scoring opportunities. He recorded five assists on Sunday, trailing Aden Holloway by one assist for the team lead.
Fan Vote: Dylan Cardwell
Auburn fans have spoken, and they have elected Dylan Cardwell as Tiger of the Game for his efforts in Auburn’s win over USC. Cardwell earned 70% of the vote, beating out the likes of Jaylin Williams, Aden Holloway, and Tre Donaldson for the honor.
To have a say in who wins the next Tiger of the Game honor, head over to The Auburn Wire’s X (formerly Twitter) account to cast your vote following every Auburn basketball game.
