Auburn

[TeleTubby]

Can we dispense with the "Auburn was beneath us" talk?

1. Auburn beat Washington by 20, UNC Asheville by 26, Murray by 5, and Tennessee THREE TIMES (UT only lost five games).

2. Auburn won the SEC Tournament. Beat Florida and Tennessee a third time to do it.

3. Auburn survived the first round of the NCAA, then really went to work. Kansas had played 55 NCAA tournament games. They had never trailed by 15 at halftime until they played Auburn. UNC was supposed to wipe the floor with them. It was the other way around. Then they played us a third time. Took a pretty good punch (22-11 I think it was) and beat us pretty handily from that point on.

4. You can survive the loss of a key player for a game or two. We've all seen it time and again. Hell, we survived Travis and PJ absences for a game or two. I'm still wondering how we beat Wofford.

5. Pearl isn't a slouch. He came THIS close to making the Final Four at Tennessee in 2010. I think Michigan State made a last second shot to beat him.

 

[AGEE11]

No fouls called against a hack slapping defense in the last 9 minutes plus is a huge boost too. We were in the bonus all or most of that time too.

We were 10 points better than them.

Refs went in at halftime and decided to change how they called the game. We shot 13 FTs in the first half, changed nothing in game plan and yet only shot 4 in the second half.

Did we miss too many FTs, yes. Did we shoot too many 3s, yes. Did our guards get beat, yes. Did we deserve 10-15 more FTs, yes. Would we have hit at least 4-5 of those and won, yes. Were we fouled 4+ times on the final possession, yes. Change any of those and we win this game.

 

[TeleTubby]

No fouls called against a hack slapping defense in the last 9 minutes plus is a huge boost too. We were in the bonus all or most of that time too.

We were 10 points better than them.

Refs went in at halftime and decided to change how they called the game. We shot 13 FTs in the first half, changed nothing in game plan and yet only shot 4 in the second half.

Did we miss too many FTs, yes. Did we shoot too many 3s, yes. Did our guards get beat, yes. Did we deserve 10-15 more FTs, yes. Would we have hit at least 4-5 of those and won, yes. Were we fouled 4+ times on the final possession, yes. Change any of those and we win this game.

Agree with all of that. But 10 points better? I think you have that 80-53 score telling you that. Go back and watch the 82-80 game. Johnson should have stepped back and shot it on that last possession of regulation. Instead he leaned into the defenders hoping for a call. In March, you can't hope for calls. Especially in the final minute.

 

[poppycat]

Bruce Pearl: love him, hate him...like him, leave him..your choice, but he can coach and motivate with the best bar none. Mature players are less likely to yield to pressure than freshmen.


P.S. the game changed when the injured player came in (in a wheelchair)
at the start of the second half... Pearl's plan???????? to motivate.

 

[AGEE11]

Had the put us on the line 10-15 more times, as we deserved, that's 6-9 points more. That's less pressure which causes less turnovers. Yes, I think we were 10 points better than them.

Every time we got up 10+ in the first half it was an iffy call. THe Hagans carry?? Really, Harper does it every play. The moving screen on Reid. No call on a drive by KJ.

Not saying the refs were out to get us specifically, but I think they tried to keep it close. Then decided to let them kill each other in the second half. A spread and shoot or drive team like Auburn benefits way more than a post and drive team like us. We look for and try to get to the line. It's part of the plan.

 

[AGEE11]

Bruce Pearl: love him, hate him...like him, leave him..your choice, but he can coach and motivate with the best bar none. Mature players are less likely to yield to pressure than freshmen.


P.S. the game changed when the injured player came in (in a wheelchair)
at the start of the second half... Pearl's plan???????? to motivate.

When they said he was coming my wife said, he was probably in the dressing room the whole time. This is nothing but a ploy to get calls. She was right. Don't tell her I said that.

 

[TeleTubby]

Had the put us on the line 10-15 more times, as we deserved, that's 6-9 points more. That's less pressure which causes less turnovers. Yes, I think we were 10 points better than them.

Every time we got up 10+ in the first half it was an iffy call. THe Hagans carry?? Really, Harper does it every play. The moving screen on Reid. No call on a drive by KJ.

Not saying the refs were out to get us specifically, but I think they tried to keep it close. Then decided to let them kill each other in the second half. A spread and shoot or drive team like Auburn benefits way more than a post and drive team like us. We look for and try to get to the line. It's part of the plan.

Agree on the refs. It was pretty bad. But then, the underdog always gets the calls.

 

[AGEE11]

Agree on the refs. It was pretty bad. But then, the underdog always gets the calls.

That's true. Something needs done about them.

Tennessee, UCF, and UK all have legitimate complaints that the refs eliminated them.

Plus you had our good buddy Higgins looking right at a player out of bounds jumping and catching a ball in the TT-Zaga game.

They shouldn't have this much impact. Our losses to SH, LSU, and UT (in the SECT) were all due to questionable officiating.

 

[rick64]

Preseason Auburn was considered to be the team to beat in the SEC.

 

[1991greywildcat]

Auburn had so many interior players with foul trouble, they started playing not to foul, laying back in that cheap zone. Pearl was figuring Kentucky's gaurds would not outplay his, especially with all the Chuma Okeke emotion they had been running off of..

 

[AGEE11]

Auburn had so many interior players with foul trouble, they started playing not to foul, laying back in that cheap zone. Pearl was figuring Kentucky's gaurds would not outplay his, especially with all the Chuma Okeke emotion they had been running off of..

Playing not to foul?????

Sorry, but they fouled, and consistently. It just wasn't called. They bumped PJ everytime he touched the ball. KJ was hacked on every drive. Just no whistle.

 

[nptb]

Auburn was better. Make free throws and Auburn couldn't say that.

 

[sluggercatfan]

Preseason Auburn was considered to be the team to beat in the SEC.

They have beaten Kansas, destroyed uncheat and UK in route to the final four. Pretty impressive.

 

[1991greywildcat]

Playing not to foul?????

Sorry, but they fouled, and consistently. It just wasn't called. They bumped PJ everytime he touched the ball. KJ was hacked on every drive. Just no whistle.

Yeah, those Auburn players was trying not to foul most of the second half.. Kentucky was forcing them alot with their driving the ball and trying to draw contact, everyone knows Kentucky will have to play against the refs at some point, that is one constant that never fails..

 

[tenmstar]

Can we dispense with the "Auburn was beneath us" talk?

1. Auburn beat Washington by 20, UNC Asheville by 26, Murray by 5, and Tennessee THREE TIMES (UT only lost five games).

2. Auburn won the SEC Tournament. Beat Florida and Tennessee a third time to do it.

3. Auburn survived the first round of the NCAA, then really went to work. Kansas had played 55 NCAA tournament games. They had never trailed by 15 at halftime until they played Auburn. UNC was supposed to wipe the floor with them. It was the other way around. Then they played us a third time. Took a pretty good punch (22-11 I think it was) and beat us pretty handily from that point on.

4. You can survive the loss of a key player for a game or two. We've all seen it time and again. Hell, we survived Travis and PJ absences for a game or two. I'm still wondering how we beat Wofford.

5. Pearl isn't a slouch. He came THIS close to making the Final Four at Tennessee in 2010. I think Michigan State made a last second shot to beat him.

UT played Auburn only once in regular season and once in tourney. That’s 2 losses to Auburn, not 3.

 

[TeleTubby]

UT played Auburn only once in regular season and once in tourney. That’s 2 losses to Auburn, not 3.

You're right. That's what I get for listening to a Tennessee fan, who gave me that information. Bad source.

 

[cb20476]

No fouls called against a hack slapping defense in the last 9 minutes plus is a huge boost too. We were in the bonus all or most of that time too.

We were 10 points better than them.

Refs went in at halftime and decided to change how they called the game. We shot 13 FTs in the first half, changed nothing in game plan and yet only shot 4 in the second half.

Did we miss too many FTs, yes. Did we shoot too many 3s, yes. Did our guards get beat, yes. Did we deserve 10-15 more FTs, yes. Would we have hit at least 4-5 of those and won, yes. Were we fouled 4+ times on the final possession, yes. Change any of those and we win this game.

 

[The_Answer1313_rivals]

UK is better than Auburn when accounting for the entire season.
Auburn was better than UK on that particular day (Sunday)

Both can be true.

 

[TeleTubby]

UK is better than Auburn when accounting for the entire season.
Auburn was better than UK on that particular day (Sunday)

Both can be true.

Yep. And Auburn was better the last two weeks. They abused the team that beat us in the SECT. They blew out Kansas and North Carolina. We squeaked by Wofford and Houston.

 

[The_Answer1313_rivals]

Yep. And Auburn was better the last two weeks. They abused the team that beat us in the SECT. They blew out Kansas and North Carolina. We squeaked by Wofford and Houston.

You certainly can make that argument. Tho the past month or so it was hard to evaluate our team without Travis and then without PJ.

I don't think squeaking by Wofford and Houston was a problem tho........I thought we did ok in those games especially defensively.

To me Auburn blowing out KU and UNC spoke more about where they were at..........I don't think we necessarily was playing poor. They were just extremely hot.

In fact I guess one could argue this team just knocked off UNC in convincing fashion......the 1 seed.......and we took them into OT.