TUSCALOOSA, Alabama — Four games into SEC competition, the Tigers are still unflappable.
In the first ranked-versus-ranked matchup in the rivalry since 1987, No. 4 Auburn weathered a late 14-0 run by Alabama, and Allen Flanigan sunk four huge free throws in the final minute, as the Tigers beat No. 24 Alabama inside Coleman Coliseum, 81-77 on Tuesday night.
Here are Auburn Undercover’s immediate takeaways, as the Tigers won a road game against their in-state rival for only the 11th time in program history.
FURIOUS RALLY BY ALABAMA
Alabama can score at lightning pace, and the Crimson Tide quickly got themselves back in the game with a barrage down the stretch.
After Auburn went up 14 points with 8 minutes to play, Alabama scored 14 straight to tie the game at 73-73, including back-to-back triples and a poster dunk by J.D. Davison on top of Walker Kessler, who fouled out a minute later.
Auburn missed five straight shots during the run and had four turnovers.
“Just stay focused, stay locked in and get stops,” Flanigan said of his message to his teammates during the run. “And the rest will take care of itself, as long as we get stops.”
HUGE FREE THROWS BY FLANIGAN
Jabari Smith dispelled the run with a pair of made free throws after a rebound, but Jaden Shackelford made both on the other end to tie things.
Auburn had a couple opportunities for transition baskets, but Wendell Green Jr. (19 points) was blocked on a layup, and Flanigan turned the ball over.
K.D. Johnson (13 points and eight rebounds) broke the tie with a driving layup to put Auburn up 77-75 with 2 minutes left. Noah Gurley quickly brought things back to a deadlock with a pair of free throws.
Flanigan then pulled down a pair of big rebounds. First he robbed Alabama of a second offensive rebound in one possession; he was fouled near the Alabama bench and made both free throws on a night where the Tigers shot only 64% from the line.
Then he pulled down a miss by Jahvon Quinerly and was sent back to the line. He made both again — his first four free throws of the game — to put Auburn up 81-77 with just 20 seconds left.
“I had very little doubt,” Pearl said of Flanigan’s trips to charity stripe. “Those balls he shot didn’t even hit the rim. They barely hit the net. And Allen, I told him after the game, ‘That’s all those hours in the gym with your grandfather and your father. You earned those shots. You earned those free throws, and you made history tonight.’”
Added Flanigan: “I mean, we shoot free throws every day, so just go through my routine. That’s how you do better: just take the shot and ignore the crowd.”
CARDWELL SEIZES HIS MOMENT
For the second straight game, Auburn dealt with foul trouble in its frontcourt, with Kessler picking up two fouls in the first 3 minutes of the game and played only 6 minutes in the first half. Yet Auburn’s rebounding didn’t suffer; the Tigers still had a 25-19 advantage on the boards heading to the locker room.
Kessler’s third foul came less than 2 minutes into the second half. But the bench production rolled on for Auburn in the fourth game of SEC play, as backup center Dylan Cardwell had more than a few strong moments while Kessler was biding his time.
Cardwell’s 6 points were all on dunks, two of them put-backs after Auburn misses. On the defensive end, he swatted four shots — none bigger than a rejection on the 3-point arc on a shot by Quinerly that sealed the win for Auburn with 13 seconds left.
“Dylan stepped up big,” Smith said. “I feel like he was the most important player tonight.”
THE FRESHMAN PUTS ON A SHOW
The projected top-5 pick and possible No. 1 overall pick put on a show in the most venomous environment he’s played in so far.
“I think the difference tonight was No. 10 in orange,” Pearl said.
Booed from the pregame warmups, Smith had 11 points and three blocks in the first 11 minutes of the game, and led all scorers with 13 points at halftime.
That total grew to 20 less than 3 minutes into the second half, as the five-star freshman accounted for seven of Auburn’s first nine points in the second half.
He finished with a season-high 25 points on 8-of-14 shooting, plus seven rebounds.
“I just came with the mindset in the game that I wasn’t gonna let the crowd bother me,” Smith said postgame. “I was gonna shoot my shot, get to my spots and just let the game come to me.”
A FUN NIGHT OF COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Bruce Pearl has, for at least the past few seasons, encouraged Auburn fans to get on the road to see their Tigers play, since Auburn Arena is usually sold out — and expensive.
And the orange and blue faithful showed out. By this reporter’s estimation, there were at least a couple thousand Auburn fans in the building — and they were rowdy throughout.
“Our fans are traveling like Kentucky fans now,” Pearl said. “This — this is something else.”
On two separate occasions, a loud “Let’s go Auburn” chant was matched by boos from Crimson Tide fans. As Alabama made its late run, the crimson in the crowded clapped back.
Ultimately, it was the Tigers who got the last laugh. They danced on the centercourt logo in pregame, and were dancing after the final buzzer. They ran over to the Alabama student section and mocked Alabama football’s signature “crane kick” celebration. And when it was time to head to the locker room, they went crazy with the Auburn fans in the building, jumping and celebrating a 4-0 start — and their continued reign atop the SEC.
Jabari Smith says goodbye. pic.twitter.com/te6eqXDHrq
— Nathan King (@NathanKing247) January 12, 2022
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