Pearl talks win over Virginia Tech

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si.com

 

Takeaways: Auburn Basketball Shuts Down Virginia Tech, 74-57

Lance Dawe

~3 minutes

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Auburn ground out a win over Virginia Tech to secure their first victory in the inaugural SEC/ACC challenge.

The Tigers (5-1) were in control from tipoff, flying out to an 18-4 lead and never looked back.

Here are five takeaways from the Tigers' big win.

Gettin' out the Broome

It was complete domination from Broome down low tonight. A whopping 30 points, 13 rebounds, three blocks and a steal. His career high in points was 32 in a win over Murray State back in March of 2022, but Broome's performance tonight was arguably better.

Auburn hasn't seen a player go for 30+ since Jabari Smith scored 31 in a 2022 win over Vanderbilt.

Forgetting how to score

Auburn's offense - which is currently in the upper echelon of the SEC statistically - struggled to shoot the basketball tonight. A mere 38.7% from the floor and a pitiful 12.5% from deep.

The defense held its own however, holding the Hokies to 27.5% shooting and 30% from beyond the arc.

The Tigers were physical, aggressive, and kept VA Tech out of rhythm the entire night.

The art of the deal

Auburn continued to force Virginia Tech into 21 turnovers, half of which were non-steal turnovers. That near 50% non-steal turnover percentage is insanely high, and it makes the Tigers' defense more impressive.

The Tigers turned those 21 turnovers were converted into 30 (!) points. A great deal, if you ask Bruce Pearl & Co.

Freer throws have been had

Make your free throws.

The Tigers going 24-of-36 from the line (66.7%) is not ideal. Getting to the line that much and not being able to convert more points will prove to be costly in tighter, more physical games down the stretch.

Broome played very well tonight, but he's got to get better at the line or else an NCAA Tournament game like the Tigers' contest against Houston looms in the distance.

Shake 'N Baker-Mazara

Chad Baker-Mazara finished with 15 points, four rebounds and three assists. He's proven to be a solid slasher for the Tigers, filling his role on the wing perfectly. He left the game briefly with a hand injury but returned shortly after.

Pearl has been pleased with the early-season performances from Baker-Mazara and Chaney Johnson. The transfers are making immediate impact.

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247sports.com

 

5 takeaways from Auburns 7457 win over Virginia Tech

Nathan King

8–10 minutes

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There's still more than a month before Auburn's conference schedule begins, but the Tigers are already 2-0 against the ACC.

Auburn's defense led the way before Johni Broome dominated in a 74-57 win for the Tigers over Virginia Tech in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge. 

"Look, that one matters double, because it's the ACC/SEC Challenge," Bruce Pearl said postgame. "And if we're going to establish Auburn as one of the better teams in the SEC, then you've got to be able to be trusted and be able to deliver against that league."

Here are Auburn Undercover's instant impressions, as the Tigers grab another home victory before playing away from Neville Arena for the next three games.

TIGERS CREATE TURNOVER FRENZY

Bruce Pearl didn’t think Auburn would be able to play its usual style of defense Wednesday night. The Hokies had one of the nation’s cleanest offenses entering the game, turning it over on just 14.7 percent of its possessions, and averaging just 10.3 giveaways per night. 

Fortunately for the Tigers, Pearl was wrong.

From the opening minutes, it was clear Auburn was able to do what it’s done for the majority of the season. Its defense sped up Virginia Tech, forced the Hokies into mistakes and led to plenty of extra scoring opportunities for the Tigers. 

"It really builds up our confidence when we’re making them turn the ball over and us getting out in transition and executing and basically helping each other on defense," wing Chad Baker-Mazara said. "That’s something that we do a lot, I feel like. If we keep doing that it’s going to be really hard to score on us. As long as we have each other’s backs. I feel like the offense is going to build through from the defense."

Virginia Tech surpassed its turnover average before the first half was even over, as the Hokies piled up five turnovers before five minutes had passed in the game. Nine early Auburn points off turnovers helped generate a double-digit lead that the Tigers kept command of for the majority of the first half. Virginia Tech had so many lost possessions that its fifth shot attempt of the night took nearly seven minutes of game time.

Auburn scored 30 points off 21 turnovers in the game. The Hokies’ previous season high was 15 giveaways against Iowa State. Not only that, but 21 are the most for Virginia Tech as a team since the 2017-18 season.

"The way the kids bought in and how hard they worked, that fits in with our depth," Pearl said. "It made it difficult offensively."

Virginia Tech missed six of its first seven triples in the game but was able to hang around for a while in the second half while making 5-of-10 looks from deep after halftime. 

BROOME'S HUGE NIGHT

The Tigers weren’t always cooking with gas offensively at several points of the night, but they were able to rely on their All-SEC big man in one of his best performances in an Auburn uniform.

Johni Broome had a monster night, recording a 30-point, 13-rebound double-double. He surpassed his previous Auburn scoring high of 27 points at South Carolina last season, and notched the first 30-point game for an Auburn player since Jabari Smith against Vanderbilt in February 2022.

Free throws have been shaky for Broome throughout his Auburn career, so a night like Wednesday — where he made 8-of-13 looks at the foul line — is always a welcome sight for the senior center. 

Broome was all over the floor for putbacks, too, with seven offensive rebounds in the game, leading the way for Auburn's 26 second-chance points. Broome also had three blocks.

"Not only did he score and rebound, but he played great defense," Pearl said. "He kept the ball out of the post. When the ball went in there, he defended physically without fouling, and he protected the rim. He played like a first-team all-conference player tonight. Now, I've been on him pretty good. I think he went home, had some turkey, talked to his family and said, 'Look, if I'm the best player on the floor, I've gotta act like it. I've gotta play like it. I've gotta prepare like it.' And, obviously, he did. Now, you can do that sometimes and not get rewarded. But he got rewarded tonight. He was the best player on the floor."

Elsewhere, Auburn went just 2-of-16 from beyond the arc, its lowest 3-point percentage (13 percent) in a game this season.

Even star freshman Aden Holloway caught the shooting bug, missing all seven of his attempts.

BAKER-MAZARA PROVIDES BENCH SPARK

Baker-Mazara came off the bench and gave Auburn 9 early points before hurting his left shooting hand and having to head to the locker room. He came back to the bench later in the first half, with his hand heavily wrapped up to his wrist.

But Baker-Mazara was still able to check back into the game, and seemed to play his usual minutes. He had several explosive moments for Auburn's offense the rest of the way, included an attempted putback dunk that would have crumbled Neville Arena. 

Baker-Mazara was effective all across the floor, finishing with 15 points, four rebounds and three assists. 

"We’re really good when he’s on the floor because he knows how to play," Pearl said. "He has stuff you can’t teach, so then my job is to utilize him in a lot of different ways. So, we’re putting the ball in his hands in many ways to make plays because he can, obviously, score, but he also can pass. Tonight he has three assists, no turnovers, two steals, he’s kind of a stat-sheet stuffer. I’m on him pretty good, but I have a high expectation for him.>"

TIGERS DOMINATE LATE, BUT PEARL WANTS MORE

Virginia Tech threatened a few times midway through the second half with mini scoring bursts, but Auburn had a response every time to keep the Hokies at a safe distance. A scoring run that featured 5 quick points by backup point guard Tre Donaldson, and his assist to Broome on the break for a two-handed dunk, gave Auburn a comfortable 17-point lead with 10:53 left.

With three more forced turnovers over a four-minute span, Auburn continued to get out and run — namely with a steal-and-score by Baker-Mazara.

Auburn shot much better after halftime, though, at 40.6 percent from the floor, helping extend its lead as large as 21 points.

Still, Pearl wasn't pleased with how Auburn handled business for a large portion of the game, particularly around the rim.

"They had 17 offensive rebounds, and we had 23 defensive rebounds," Pearl said. "So we've got to do a better job of keeping them off the boards when we're playing bigger, stronger, more physical teams. But I was worried about the physicality and how our guys would respond to it. They set good screens, they get through things, and our guys did fine. I think the teams that are going to be able to be the most physical teams in the SEC are the ones that are going to compete for the championship. Got a lot of really talented teams in our league. The champion's going to be a team that will embrace physicality."

FOUL TROUBLE HELPS HOKIES HANG AROUND

Virginia Tech was in the bonus with 11:28 left in the first half, as Pearl had to shuffle around his lineups, with both Jaylin Williams and Chaney Johnson picking up two early fouls at the four spot.

Johnson and guard K.D. Johnson both had three fouls before the end of the first half, and K.D. Johnson played with four fouls for a large portion of the second half. He fouled out with a technical foul midway through the second half.

Virginia Tech would have been able to cut into the lead early on if not for uncharacteristic free-throw shooting. A team that entered the game top 15 nationally in foul shooting started 2-of-6 from the line and had its second-worst free-throw game (74 percent) of the season.

The Hokies had their fair share of fouls, too, sending Auburn to the foul line for 24-of-36 attempts.

"For God's sake, we fouled incessantly," Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young said postgame. "... They’re active. We got to great lengths to not foul and make teams earn what they get."

 

 

 

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[JwgreDeux 1,279]

At this point in the season I have to say this group is better than I expected. Jones, CBM, and Johnson are more athletic than I anticipated. CBM is starting to come on and I think Jones will soon.  Johnson is just a bigger more athletic CMo right now but I am intrigued to see what else he can do. Broome is improved and we have two very good point guards. I'm not sure yet where we fit into the landscape of the SEC at this point, but I think we are looking like a dark horse candidate to challenge for the league IF (big if) this group continues to grow. 

We shot the ball like crap and blew out an ACC team, not just won, ran them out of the gym with defense.