Auburn solidified its spot atop the national rankings with a scintillating victory over then-No. 2 Alabama on Saturday.
Now the Tigers look to avoid a letdown when they host up-and-down Arkansas on Wednesday night in Southeastern Conference play.
Auburn (23-2, 11-1 SEC) prevailed 94-85 in the No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown on the Alabama campus in Tuscaloosa.
“You never know whether or not a game can live up to the hype,” Tigers coach Bruce Pearl said. “We were very prepared. Coaches did a great job with the game plan. The kids executed early. …
“I am a big fan of making history, and I do know that 1-2s are rare.”
National Player of the Year candidate Johni Broome had 19 points, 14 rebounds and six assists but was rated as just the second-best player on the floor by Pearl.
The coach’s pick for top performer was guard Denver Jones, who had 16 points on offense and helped limit Alabama star Mark Sears to 4-of-17 shooting.
Jones was named SEC Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 18.5 points in two games. He scored a season-high 21 points and matched his season best of five 3-pointers in an 80-68 win at Vanderbilt on Feb. 11.
“How do you stay in front of Mark Sears? Hardly anybody can,” Pearl said. “Denver Jones did, and nobody talked about it. … He’s one of the best defensive players in college basketball. He needs to be on the Naismith All-Defensive team.”
Regarding his approach in the big game, Jones said: “Coming out aggressive. If I had an open look, I was taking it, trusting myself and my teammates.”
Broome injured an ankle during the second half and was hobbling down the stretch. It remains to be seen how spry he is against the Razorbacks.
Broome boasts team-best averages of 18.1 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.7 blocked shots.
Arkansas got crushed at home, 83-51, last season by Auburn and faces a formidable task in this season’s lone scheduled matchup.
The Razorbacks (15-10, 4-8) can’t afford too many more losses with six games left in the regular season. The pressure is certainly on when it comes to their NCAA Tournament hopes.
Perhaps that’s why Arkansas coach John Calipari snapped during the press conference following a 69-61 road loss to then-No. 8 Texas A&M on Saturday.
“For us to bust through, we’re going to have to beat somebody,” Calipari said. “I wanted to make sure they weren’t happy we’re going to be OK. No. If we’d won that game, we’re in the (NCAA) Tournament.
Then Calipari screamed, “So it’s not OK to say we’ll be all right!
“Now, we’re going to have to go get somebody else. But I didn’t want to put that on them, because I’ve got some guys that are a little bit fragile.”
Only one of Arkansas’ four SEC wins was against a ranked foe, that coming in Calipari’s highly anticipated return to Kentucky (then No. 12) on Feb. 1.
No. 15 Missouri and No. 21 Mississippi State — both at home — remain on the Razorbacks’ closing stretch.
Against Texas A&M, Karter Knox scored a team-best 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting. Zvonimir Ivisic had 13 points after averaging 26.0 over the previous two contests.
Adou Thiero owns team-best averages of 15.8 points and 6.1 rebounds after producing just 10 points and three boards against the Aggies.
–Field Level Media
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