Commentary: Growing confidence, historic victory signal this Auburn team is different

On3 imageby:Justin Hokanson•01/12/22•

_JHokanson

AUBURN – This Auburn men’s basketball team is different.

It’s different from the 2017-18 squad that shocked the nation by winning the SEC regular season championship after being picked to finish 4-14 in the league.

It’s different from the 2018-19 squad that made history, won the SEC Tournament and trounced three blue bloods on the way to the Final Four.

And it’s different from the 2019-20 squad that won their first 15 games and finished as the No. 2 seed in the SEC before COVID cancelled the season.

The difference? Those other three teams were part of building the foundation of championship basketball at Auburn. This team is tasked with at the very least, maintaining that level of excellence, if not reaching higher heights.

Just listen to Pearl speak to the team at practice on Tuesday, just hours before No. 4 Auburn defeated No. 24 Alabama inside Coleman Coliseum.

“We’re pros. We get ready to play everybody. We give everybody the business and give everybody our best shot. Ain’t no big thing. — We bring it every night. Let’s bring it tonight,” he said.

That’s a change in tone. All this season, Pearl’s message has centered on getting better, while hopefully finding a way to win. Pearl has been concerned about the team’s maturity and toughness. He’s chosen his words carefully, as this team with four new transfers and a true freshman for the ages mesh with returning talent.

But now, that’s changed. This team continues to pass tests, and the test they passed on Tuesday night was their hardest yet. The environment inside the airplane hangar in Tuscaloosa was intense and hostile. Auburn had only won their 10 times – ever. Now that’s 11, and three of those are from Pearl-led Auburn teams.

The Tigers are maturing right in front of our eyes

Here’s what Allen Flanigan, a player who has been through some ups and downs the last two-plus seasons, said about this team after the four-point win.

“It shows how at a younger age, we’re a younger team, but we’re mature. We’re starting to mature, stay together, and work through the problems, not trying to separate and go against each other,” he said.

If you’re Pearl, and you hear your leaders start to talk about maturing, working through problems, staying together, that’s awfully encouraging language. That’s rhetoric, that if backed by action, can lead to championships.

And then there’s the best player on the floor nearly every night, Jabari Smith. As Pearl said, “we have Jabari Smith and they don’t.” That’s true, but read what Smith said after Auburn surrendered a 14-point lead, but righted the ships on the way to a 12th straight victory.

“There was no yelling in the huddle. It was calm, everybody taking a breathe. Three minutes and forty-four seconds left, it was zero to zero,” Smith said. “Whoever wanted it more, whoever executed was going to win. Our biggest message was that it was zero to zero, and we had to stay together and get the W. We couldn’t let the crowd get to us. We stayed as a whole.

“I feel like everybody is calm. Chris Moore to Babatunde (Akingbola), to Lior (Berman), to Preston (Cook), anybody can say anything. The coaches, Al (Flanigan), K.D. (Johnson), everybody was saying their take and giving their positive energy.”

That quote stood out. Here’s Smith, a potential No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NBA draft, a future multi-millionaire, and he’s naming two veteran role players who played zero minutes and two walk-ons when discussing this team’s leadership.

Photo by AU Athletics

Chemistry strengthens, as expectations soar

Since the summer, Pearl has talked about the chemistry this team has built. The transfers were immediately welcomed. The true freshman became the hardest worker on the team. The unselfishness was instant. This team wants to win. Period.

What we witnessed on Tuesday night signaled something special on the horizon. Just look at the results at Alabama, a notoriously tough place to win for Auburn. The team led by Mustapha Heron lost there. A team led by Jared Harper, Bryce Brown and Chuma Okeke needed a double-digit comeback to win. The team led by Samir Doughty and Isaac Okoro got whipped by 19.

Last night, Auburn was leading by 14 and in control nearly all night in the first matchup of ranked teams in this rivalry since 1987.

The calls for a No. 1 ranking are sure to come this week. And if Auburn beats Ole Miss on Saturday, there’s a real chance the Tigers move to the top spot in the AP poll next week.

The target is officially on their back as the league’s best team, and talk of another run to the Final Four is smoking hot right now. A new test is now emerging for Auburn. But, judging from the comments of players like Flanigan and Smith, this team is more than equipped to continue their ascension towards legendary status.

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