That was ugly, but the ugliest W is light years better than the prettiest L. Every team at the top of the sport this year other than us has taken a bad loss to an inferior team on a day when they played poorly. Arkansas is loaded with talent so on paper, they aren't even an inferior team. They just haven't played well often this year. Big Z has been on fire, scoring 25 and 27 in 2 of their 3 recent games and we shut him out. Defensively we played one of our better games of the year. Offensively, obviously it was a different story as we could never seem to string together good possessions in a row to take over the game. This is the type of rock fight that helps put a historic SEC Championship banner in the rafters. With bama getting destroyed at Mizzou (high tide!), we now have a 2 game lead in the greatest conference in the history of this sport. We will almost certainly have to win an ugly game like this if we want to cut down the nets in San Antonio. The biggest takeaway tonight is that this team once again proved it has championship-level intangibles because it found a way to grind out another win in the closing minutes.
CBM had a very stupid tech before the half, but he saved our bacon at the end of the game. After Ark took a 1 point lead, Chad put the team on his back and carried them to the W with 6 points in the final 2:40. Ice in his veins down the stretch nailing free throws. CBM is unstoppable when he's feeling it. I hope we have the best sports psychologist money can buy working with him on finding a way to control his emotions and stop picking up techs.
Chaney was also extremely good in the second half. He had one of the biggest plays of the game with the steal and thunderous slam on the breakaway. He also ground down the hogs with several nice turn-around jumpers when we were struggling to find buckets. Chaney is a critical part of this offense as he gives us a second reliable paint scoring option that is extremely effective when teams are selling out to stop Johni.
The reason Johni should win the NPOY is a game like tonight. He had an off-game but still delivered a 16/13 double-double and led his team to yet another victory. The pressure of being ranked number one for 6 weeks is immense. Not only has Johni shouldered that burden, he's done it while going through a significant injury and then playing at less than 100%. He's one of the all-time great athletes in Auburn history for what he is doing this year. Savor every game we have left with him in O&B because this level of greatness does not come around often.
This team is closing in on history. The closer they get, the harder every opponent will try to beat us so they can claim a piece of history for themselves. As fans, this is what we all wait years, or decades in the case of our basketball program pre-Bruce, to have a chance to see. Rather than being frustrated by an off-game like this one, as I assume some folks are, take a moment and realize how fortunate we are to be in this position.
CBM had a very stupid tech before the half, but he saved our bacon at the end of the game. After Ark took a 1 point lead, Chad put the team on his back and carried them to the W with 6 points in the final 2:40. Ice in his veins down the stretch nailing free throws. CBM is unstoppable when he's feeling it. I hope we have the best sports psychologist money can buy working with him on finding a way to control his emotions and stop picking up techs.
Chaney was also extremely good in the second half. He had one of the biggest plays of the game with the steal and thunderous slam on the breakaway. He also ground down the hogs with several nice turn-around jumpers when we were struggling to find buckets. Chaney is a critical part of this offense as he gives us a second reliable paint scoring option that is extremely effective when teams are selling out to stop Johni.
The reason Johni should win the NPOY is a game like tonight. He had an off-game but still delivered a 16/13 double-double and led his team to yet another victory. The pressure of being ranked number one for 6 weeks is immense. Not only has Johni shouldered that burden, he's done it while going through a significant injury and then playing at less than 100%. He's one of the all-time great athletes in Auburn history for what he is doing this year. Savor every game we have left with him in O&B because this level of greatness does not come around often.
This team is closing in on history. The closer they get, the harder every opponent will try to beat us so they can claim a piece of history for themselves. As fans, this is what we all wait years, or decades in the case of our basketball program pre-Bruce, to have a chance to see. Rather than being frustrated by an off-game like this one, as I assume some folks are, take a moment and realize how fortunate we are to be in this position.
Last edited:
