Basketball News: 2-9-2026
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Dudley Dent
Feb 9, 2026, 8:13:13 AM (5 days ago) Feb 9
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Auburn Basketball News: 2-9-2026
Auburn falls 96-92 at home in rivalry loss:
https://auburntigers.com/news/2026/02/8/auburn-falls-96-92-at-home-in-rivalry-loss
3 Puzzling Takeaways From Auburn's 96-92 Loss to Alabama:
https://www.si.com/college/auburn/basketball/3-puzzling-takeaways-auburns-96-92-loss-alabama
Auburn’s defense collapsed against Alabama, now they face an even bigger challenge:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/02/auburns-defense-collapsed-against-alabama-now-they-face-an-even-bigger-challenge.html
Terms for Former Auburn C Dylan Cardwell's New NBA Contract Revealed:
https://www.si.com/college/auburn/basketball/terms-for-former-auburn-c-dylan-cardwell-s-new-nba-contract-revealed-01kgrpgstwbk
Coulibaly's big game not enough as Auburn falls to No. 5 LSU:
https://auburntigers.com/news/2026/02/8/coulibalys-big-game-not-enough-as-auburn-falls-to-no-5-lsu
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Auburn falls 96-92 at home in rivalry loss
By Jeff Shearer
Tahaad Pettiford and Keyshawn Hall combined for 49 points but Alabama scored 59 second-half points to defeat Auburn 96-92 Saturday at Neville Arena.
“They made tough one-on-one plays in the second half and we got a little out of character from what worked in the first 18 minutes,” Auburn coach Steven Pearl said. “We scored 92 points. We’ve got to be able to win that game. It has nothing to do with our offense, it has everything to do with our defense. Our defense has got to get better. If we want to win games, we’ll sit down and guard.”
Pettiford scored 25 points and had a game-high seven assists while Hall scored 24 points. Kevin Overton added 17 and KeShawn Murphy logged a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Leading by four points at the half, Auburn scored the first three points of the second half to go up by seven but Alabama used an 11-0 run soon after to take a 58-54 lead.
Pettiford hit a pair of 3-pointers and Overton swished his fourth to reclaim the lead for Auburn midway through the second half.
Freshman Amari Allen, who made all three of his 3-point attempts in the second half, hit a triple to put the visitors in front at the 10:39 mark, a lead Alabama would not relinquish.
The Tigers twice pulled within one point down the stretch, closing to 80-79 on Hall’s free throw with 4:01 to play.
Auburn committed only five turnovers, but after a costly one prevented the Tigers from potentially taking the lead, Allen hit another three at the 3:01 mark to give Alabama an 83-79 lead.
Murphy’s 3-pointer cut Alabama’s six-point lead in half with 1:57 to go, then the Tigers forced a shot clock violation to earn a chance to get closer or perhaps tie, but a contested layup would not fall, and Alabama made seven free throws in the final minute to secure the victory.
“We’ve got to guard,” Pearl said. “Our best players have got to be better defenders. They’ve shown the ability to do so. If we’re going to beat the best teams on our schedule, our best players have got to play better defense.”
Overton made a trio of 3-pointers to help Auburn lead for 17:43 of the first half.
The Tigers forced nine first-half turnovers while committing only two, leading to a 15-0 advantage in points off turnovers.
Sebastian Williams-Adams and Murphy each made steal-and-slams to help the Tigers build and maintain the lead.
After Pettiford gave the Tigers a 10-point lead with a pair of free throws with 2:33 remaining in the half, Alabama hit three 3-pointers to pull within one before Overton’s third 3-pointer gave the Tigers a 41-37 halftime lead.
“The last two minutes in the first half when we gave up three 3s was a huge momentum swing,” Pearl said. “It gave them the confidence they needed to know that they could knock down those shots.”
Labaron Philon scored 16 of his 25 points in the second half for Alabama (16-7, 6-4), adding six assists and five rebounds.
The Tigers (14-9, 5-5) remain home for their next game, hosting No. 15 Vanderbilt Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network and the Auburn Sports Network. Auburn University students will receive free Tiger bucket hats.
“You can’t mull on this loss,” said Williams-Adams, who scored six points while contributing three rebounds, three steals and a blocked shot. “We’ve been here before. We’ll be better on Tuesday.”
“We have another unbelievable opportunity Tuesday to wash this one away,” Pearl said. “This team’s done a great job of bouncing back after tough situations. We’ve got to stay consistent, learn from it and move on because in this league, the next one comes really quick.”
GAME NOTES
Saturday was the 81st consecutive sellout at Neville Arena (9,121).
Auburn used the starting lineup of Tahaad Pettiford, Kevin Overton, Keyshawn Hall, KeShawn Murphy and Sebastian Williams-Adams. It is the 10th time the group has started together this season and they are now 6-4 when starting.
Auburn topped the 90-point mark for the ninth time this season, including the third time in SEC play. The Tigers have scored at least 90 points in seven of 11 home games. Auburn is averaging 92.5 points per game at home.
Auburn led 41-37 at halftime, which is the 13th time the Tigers have led at the half this season. Auburn is now 11-2 when leading at halftime.
Auburn scored 51 second-half points on 54.8 percent shooting (17-of-31), including five 3-pointers, and went 12-of-16 from the free throw line after halftime. It is the Tigers’ 10th 50-point half of the season.
Auburn outscored Alabama 48-38 in the paint. The 48 points in the paint tie an SEC season high from the Arkansas game for the Tigers.
Auburn committed only five turnovers against Alabama. It is the second time in three games the Tigers have had no more than five turnovers after tying a school record with three turnovers against Texas. Auburn forced Alabama into 14 turnovers and outscored the Crimson Tide 20-6 off turnovers.
Auburn outrebounded Alabama, 35-30. It is the 14th time the Tigers have won the rebounding battle.
Auburn placed four players in double figures led by Pettiford’s SEC-career-high-tying 25 points, which he previously set at Georgia in the SEC opener earlier this season. Pettiford scored 21 points in the second half and has scored in double figures in four of the last five games. The sophomore added seven assists and three rebounds in 34 minutes on the afternoon.
Keyshawn Hall recorded his fourth straight 20-point game finishing the contest with 24 points on 8-of-22 shooting. The senior tied a career high with three steals to go with three rebounds, two blocks and one assist in 34 minutes in the game. It is the second time this season he has scored 20 or more points in four consecutive games after doing so in the first four games of the season. It is his 40th career 20-point game, including 14 this season.
With seven made free throws, Hall now has made 166 free throws on the season, moving past Wendell Green Jr. (160 FTM in 2022-23), KT Harrell (162 FTM in 2014-15) and into a tie with Jared Harper (166 FTM in 2017-18) for fourth on Auburn’s single-season free throws made list.
Overton scored 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor, 4-of-7 from long range and 3-of-4 from the charity stripe to go with five rebounds and one assist in 38 minutes. He has scored in double figures in nine of the last 12 games, and he has 15 double figure games on the season and 45 for his career. Overtone is averaging 15.8 points per game at home this season.
Murphy added his eighth career double-double, including his third this season, with 13 points and 12 rebounds in 27 minutes. He was 6-of-10 on the afternoon, including 1-of-2 from long range.
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3 Puzzling Takeaways From Auburn's 96-92 Loss to Alabama
By Gunner Norene
The Auburn Tigers lost a heartbreaker to Alabama on Saturday evening, 96-92, dropping their second consecutive Iron Bowl of Basketball inside Neville Arena.
Auburn once led by 10 points at one point in the first half, but a strong shooting surge by the Crimson Tide and the Tigers’ lackluster perimeter defense in the second period ultimately resulted in an Alabama victory.
Let’s take a look at three disappointing takeaways from Auburn’s loss to the Tide.
Poor Perimeter Defense
The staple of Nate Oates-coached Alabama basketball team revolves solely around one particular thing: 3-point shooting.
The Tigers did a solid job of limiting the Tide’s attack from behind the arc for the majority of the first half, holding them to just 2-of-8 from downtown in the opening 17:56 of action. However, after nearly 18 minutes of playing Auburn’s style at Auburn’s pace, Alabama drained three consecutive deep-balls during the closing 2:04 of the first half, cutting the Tigers’ lead to one and shooting 5-of-11 from 3-point land.
That momentum shift was a huge factor in the outcome, as Alabama was 7-of-12 from behind the arc in the second half and finished the game at a 52.2% clip.
Therefore, the Tigers’ perimeter defense completely collapsed in the closing 20 minutes. There were multiple occasions in which an Auburn defender, whether it be Tahaad Pettiford, KeShawn Murphy, or even Filip Jovic, didn’t guard Labaron Philon or Amari Allen behind the arc, and the Tide made them pay for it.
There’s a pattern to Alabama’s entire offensive system: paint touch, kickout, 3-point shot. If Auburn continued to play tough perimeter defense on the Tide’s dangerous 3-point threats for all 40 minutes, the Tigers would’ve had a much better shot of holding Alabama at bay.
Strayed Away From Offensive Plan at Moments
Auburn is not a team that is going to beat you from behind the arc and make 10-12 threes night in and night out, as the Tigers are averaging 7.8 made 3-pointers per game.
This is a squad that has proven to be most successful on the offensive end when they attack the rim, assert their paint presence, and get to the foul line. Auburn posted more points in the paint than Alabama (48-38), but the Tigers also shot five more 3-pointers than the Tide.
Auburn went 9-of-28 (32%) from behind the arc, while Alabama finished 12-of-23 (52%). In no world should the Tigers shoot more deep-balls than Alabama.
There were a few instances in which Auburn would throw up a 3-ball early in the shot clock without any real ball movement or attempt to get inside. The blueprint for offensive efficiency is there, but it’s puzzling when Auburn tends to stray away from it, especially in crunch time down the stretch of games.
Is Tahaad Pettiford Back?
Tahaad Pettiford has been one of the biggest storylines this season – and not for a necessarily good reason. He’s shooting below 30% from behind the arc, and can’t find a consistent rhythm on either end of the floor.
Pettiford posted a solid performance on Saturday, recording 25 points on 9-of-16 from the field (3-of-8 from deep) and seven assists, but it still doesn’t feel like the same fearless freshman fans saw from him last year. He may have totaled 25 points, but when those points come is certainly more important than how many are scored.
The sophomore seems to fade away in important moments, but as a freshman, he rose to the occasion almost every single time. Pettiford also committed a few costly mistakes late in the second half, including a couple of turnovers and a critical foul on Aden Holloway’s 3-point attempt that led to a four-point play and extended Alabama’s lead to six with under three minutes to play.
The sophomore almost left for the NBA Draft last offseason, but he has certainly seen a regression thus far this year. If Auburn wants to make a run this year and compete for something, Pettiford has to step up.
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Auburn’s defense collapsed against Alabama, now they face an even bigger challenge
By Jerry Humphrey III
al.com
Auburn basketball had all the ingredients to defeat Alabama Saturday afternoon, entering the halftime break with nine forced turnovers on the Crimson Tide and a four-point lead.
However, the second half was a different story with Alabama’s backcourt leading the charge in the Tide’s 96-92 victory over the Tigers.
Auburn coach Steven Pearl called Auburn’s second half defense ‘out of character’ after the game, as Alabama’s Labaron Philon and Aden Holloway combined for 27 points in the final 20 minutes of the game.
The Tigers will have to turn the page quickly with Auburn hosting Vanderbilt Tuesday evening in its 11th conference matchup.
“You’ve got to have a short memory because you got such a quick turnaround on Tuesday against another really good offensive team. So got to break the film down tonight and just try and identify where some of our biggest mistakes were and try and learn and try and grow from it. Vanderbilt runs a ton of offensive sets. So, it’s going to be really hard to break that down tonight and be able to show the guys and then also try and get prepared for a really unique offense,” Pearl said.
“So, I got to do a good job tonight of really just identifying areas that we got exposed. I hope it was just us having a lack of effort and energy,” Pearl added. “So, we can be like, ‘Alright, we can’t do that anymore.’”
Four of Auburn’s starters finished with double-digit point totals led by Tahaad Pettiford’s 25 points. But the Tigers went a little off course, shooting more 3-pointers than Alabama as a team and connecting on nine, which was three fewer than Alabama’s 3-point total.
Keyshawn Hall added 24 points but made just 1-of-6 3-pointers. Kevin Overton had 17 points, hitting three 3-pointers in the first half but just one in the second half.
Despite Auburn’s struggles from deep in its last few contests, Pearl did not make that focal point of the reason the Tigers fell short to Alabama.
“But the offense has nothing to do with it. Like, we scored 92 points. That should be enough to win any game in our league. Tahaad had a better offensive performance. [Kevin Overton] was making some shots. Four of our best offensive players had pretty good nights. Had nothing to do with our offense, has everything to do with our defense. If we want to win games, we’ll sit down and guard like we did when he had that four-game stretch a couple weeks ago,” Pearl said.
“If we want to continue to have tough results and continue to talk about the things we’ve got to do better, we’ll do what we did tonight. But this team’s done a great job of bouncing back after tough situations. We’ve just got to stay consistent.”
Auburn’s defense will be tested again as Vanderbilt enters Tuesday’s matchup averaging 88.8 points per game. The Commodores leading scorer Tyler Tanner is coming off a 27-point performance in a 92-91 loss to Oklahoma.
Tipoff for Auburn (14-9, 5-5) and Vanderbilt (19-4, 6-4) will be at 6 p.m. CT on the SEC Network.
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Terms for Former Auburn C Dylan Cardwell's New NBA Contract Revealed
By Dre Gaines
According to multiple reports on Tuesday, former Auburn Tigers center Dylan Cardwell earned a new NBA contract with the Sacramento Kings. On Thursday, ESPN insider Shams Charania revealed terms of the deal.
Cardwell signed a four-year deal, with ESPN 1320's James Ham reporting that Cardwell will make $871,000 over the course of the rest of this season and $2.15 million next season guaranteed. The final two years of the deal are not guaranteed, but if he were to remain with the Kings, Cardwell could earn $2.15 million in the third year and $2.74 million in the last year, with the final year being a team option.
https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/2019555459460657650?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2019555459460657650%7Ctwgr%5Eeb1aa45a008cde334efbbd082cbb5cabc7fdcfe2%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.si.com%2Fcollege%2Fauburn%2Fbasketball%2Fterms-for-former-auburn-c-dylan-cardwell-s-new-nba-contract-revealed-01kgrpgstwbk
While scoring has been light, Cardwell has emerged as a consistent rebounder, averaging 7.1 rebounds per game in his rookie season. He has averaged 4.7 points and 1.7 blocks per game, while playing 20 minutes on average.
His 1.7 blocks per game average puts him right underneath Detroit Pistons’ Isaiah Stewart and tied for seventh in the NBA with Minnesota Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert.
The defensive output despite the lack of offensive production is reminiscent of his time with the Tigers. During his final season at Auburn, Cardwell averaged 1.4 blocks per game to help lead the Tigers to their second Final Four appearance in program history.
Cardwell was also never a high scorer for the Tigers, as he only averaged 4.2 points per game in his five seasons at Auburn, while averaging similar minutes as he currently is with the Kings.
In all, the former Tiger has found his new home in Sacramento, and while he appears to be emerging as one of the league's young stars, he is not eligible for any of the NBA’s awards at the end of the season because of not playing in the required 65 games.
However, Cardwell could see his name among the top defenders in the league should he build off his current production.
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Coulibaly's big game not enough as Auburn falls to No. 5 LSU
By Wes Todd
Freshman Harissoum Coulibaly continued to show she can hold her own against the SEC’s best, but No. 5 LSU overpowered Auburn 77-44 Sunday at Neville Arena.
“It was a tough game to watch for us overall,” Auburn coach Larry Vickers said. “We have to do a better job against those top-five teams that can cut the nets down at the SEC Tournament. I don’t feel like we’ve lived up to those moments.
“We’ve done a good job with (teams ranked) No. 10 to No. 30, but we’ve got to do a better job with these top 10s, these top fives. I don’t feel like we had it today.”
Auburn’s only double-figures scorer, Coulibaly totaled 13 points and a team-high four assists and three steals. Clara Koulibaly led Auburn with 10 rebounds and made the Tigers’ first 3-pointer after 14 first-half misses.
Kaitlyn Duhon and Syriah Daniels made four steals apiece to help Auburn amass 13 swipes. Duhon added nine points and five rebounds.
The home Tigers turned 19 LSU turnovers into 22 points, accounting for the majority of Auburn’s offense.
LSU scored the game’s first seven points while Auburn misfired from 3-point range until Angena Belloso made a steal and passed ahead to Coulibaly, who followed her miss with a putback.
Trailing 16-6 after the first quarter, Coulibaly delivered a highlight-reel drive, drawing a foul on a spinning layup.
“She’s trying,” Vickers said. “We have to do a better job of making Harissoum’s job easier. She’s going to be a thousand-point scorer in this league. It’s a matter of making her life easier. When we do that, the sky’s the limit for her.”
LSU ended the half on an 8-0 run to lead 36-13 at intermission.
The Tigers scored 15 points in the third quarter, including Koulibaly’s 3-pointer. Transition layups after steals continued to be the Tigers’ best source of points.
LSU added 10 points to its lead in the third quarter before the teams played the final 10 minutes to a 16-16 draw that included 3-pointers from Duhon and Ja’Mia Harris.
“Get them playing hard,” LSU coach Kim Mulkey said of the challenge facing first-time SEC head coaches. “When you’re a first-time coach, you inherit players. In the portal, you bring in players. It takes a period of time to get your own recruits in here. I used to say build a foundation but you don’t build foundations with NIL and the transfer portal. You never know from year to year who you’re going to have on your squad.”
LSU (22-3, 8-3) placed four scorers in double figures, with Zakiyah Johnson leading the way with 16 points and eight rebounds. Amiya Joyner delivered a double-double off the bench with 10 points and 10 rebounds to help the visitors build a commanding 54-30 edge on the boards.
Seeking to end a six-game losing streak, Auburn (13-12, 2-9) has a midweek open date before visiting Texas A&M next Sunday at 5 p.m. CT. The Tigers’ next home game is Monday, Feb. 23, at 6:30 p.m. CT against Georgia with attendees receiving a free Coach Vickers acrylic stand up model.
Auburn falls 96-92 at home in rivalry loss:
https://auburntigers.com/news/2026/02/8/auburn-falls-96-92-at-home-in-rivalry-loss
3 Puzzling Takeaways From Auburn's 96-92 Loss to Alabama:
https://www.si.com/college/auburn/basketball/3-puzzling-takeaways-auburns-96-92-loss-alabama
Auburn’s defense collapsed against Alabama, now they face an even bigger challenge:
https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2026/02/auburns-defense-collapsed-against-alabama-now-they-face-an-even-bigger-challenge.html
Terms for Former Auburn C Dylan Cardwell's New NBA Contract Revealed:
https://www.si.com/college/auburn/basketball/terms-for-former-auburn-c-dylan-cardwell-s-new-nba-contract-revealed-01kgrpgstwbk
Coulibaly's big game not enough as Auburn falls to No. 5 LSU:
https://auburntigers.com/news/2026/02/8/coulibalys-big-game-not-enough-as-auburn-falls-to-no-5-lsu
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Auburn falls 96-92 at home in rivalry loss
By Jeff Shearer
Tahaad Pettiford and Keyshawn Hall combined for 49 points but Alabama scored 59 second-half points to defeat Auburn 96-92 Saturday at Neville Arena.
“They made tough one-on-one plays in the second half and we got a little out of character from what worked in the first 18 minutes,” Auburn coach Steven Pearl said. “We scored 92 points. We’ve got to be able to win that game. It has nothing to do with our offense, it has everything to do with our defense. Our defense has got to get better. If we want to win games, we’ll sit down and guard.”
Pettiford scored 25 points and had a game-high seven assists while Hall scored 24 points. Kevin Overton added 17 and KeShawn Murphy logged a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Leading by four points at the half, Auburn scored the first three points of the second half to go up by seven but Alabama used an 11-0 run soon after to take a 58-54 lead.
Pettiford hit a pair of 3-pointers and Overton swished his fourth to reclaim the lead for Auburn midway through the second half.
Freshman Amari Allen, who made all three of his 3-point attempts in the second half, hit a triple to put the visitors in front at the 10:39 mark, a lead Alabama would not relinquish.
The Tigers twice pulled within one point down the stretch, closing to 80-79 on Hall’s free throw with 4:01 to play.
Auburn committed only five turnovers, but after a costly one prevented the Tigers from potentially taking the lead, Allen hit another three at the 3:01 mark to give Alabama an 83-79 lead.
Murphy’s 3-pointer cut Alabama’s six-point lead in half with 1:57 to go, then the Tigers forced a shot clock violation to earn a chance to get closer or perhaps tie, but a contested layup would not fall, and Alabama made seven free throws in the final minute to secure the victory.
“We’ve got to guard,” Pearl said. “Our best players have got to be better defenders. They’ve shown the ability to do so. If we’re going to beat the best teams on our schedule, our best players have got to play better defense.”
Overton made a trio of 3-pointers to help Auburn lead for 17:43 of the first half.
The Tigers forced nine first-half turnovers while committing only two, leading to a 15-0 advantage in points off turnovers.
Sebastian Williams-Adams and Murphy each made steal-and-slams to help the Tigers build and maintain the lead.
After Pettiford gave the Tigers a 10-point lead with a pair of free throws with 2:33 remaining in the half, Alabama hit three 3-pointers to pull within one before Overton’s third 3-pointer gave the Tigers a 41-37 halftime lead.
“The last two minutes in the first half when we gave up three 3s was a huge momentum swing,” Pearl said. “It gave them the confidence they needed to know that they could knock down those shots.”
Labaron Philon scored 16 of his 25 points in the second half for Alabama (16-7, 6-4), adding six assists and five rebounds.
The Tigers (14-9, 5-5) remain home for their next game, hosting No. 15 Vanderbilt Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network and the Auburn Sports Network. Auburn University students will receive free Tiger bucket hats.
“You can’t mull on this loss,” said Williams-Adams, who scored six points while contributing three rebounds, three steals and a blocked shot. “We’ve been here before. We’ll be better on Tuesday.”
“We have another unbelievable opportunity Tuesday to wash this one away,” Pearl said. “This team’s done a great job of bouncing back after tough situations. We’ve got to stay consistent, learn from it and move on because in this league, the next one comes really quick.”
GAME NOTES
Saturday was the 81st consecutive sellout at Neville Arena (9,121).
Auburn used the starting lineup of Tahaad Pettiford, Kevin Overton, Keyshawn Hall, KeShawn Murphy and Sebastian Williams-Adams. It is the 10th time the group has started together this season and they are now 6-4 when starting.
Auburn topped the 90-point mark for the ninth time this season, including the third time in SEC play. The Tigers have scored at least 90 points in seven of 11 home games. Auburn is averaging 92.5 points per game at home.
Auburn led 41-37 at halftime, which is the 13th time the Tigers have led at the half this season. Auburn is now 11-2 when leading at halftime.
Auburn scored 51 second-half points on 54.8 percent shooting (17-of-31), including five 3-pointers, and went 12-of-16 from the free throw line after halftime. It is the Tigers’ 10th 50-point half of the season.
Auburn outscored Alabama 48-38 in the paint. The 48 points in the paint tie an SEC season high from the Arkansas game for the Tigers.
Auburn committed only five turnovers against Alabama. It is the second time in three games the Tigers have had no more than five turnovers after tying a school record with three turnovers against Texas. Auburn forced Alabama into 14 turnovers and outscored the Crimson Tide 20-6 off turnovers.
Auburn outrebounded Alabama, 35-30. It is the 14th time the Tigers have won the rebounding battle.
Auburn placed four players in double figures led by Pettiford’s SEC-career-high-tying 25 points, which he previously set at Georgia in the SEC opener earlier this season. Pettiford scored 21 points in the second half and has scored in double figures in four of the last five games. The sophomore added seven assists and three rebounds in 34 minutes on the afternoon.
Keyshawn Hall recorded his fourth straight 20-point game finishing the contest with 24 points on 8-of-22 shooting. The senior tied a career high with three steals to go with three rebounds, two blocks and one assist in 34 minutes in the game. It is the second time this season he has scored 20 or more points in four consecutive games after doing so in the first four games of the season. It is his 40th career 20-point game, including 14 this season.
With seven made free throws, Hall now has made 166 free throws on the season, moving past Wendell Green Jr. (160 FTM in 2022-23), KT Harrell (162 FTM in 2014-15) and into a tie with Jared Harper (166 FTM in 2017-18) for fourth on Auburn’s single-season free throws made list.
Overton scored 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor, 4-of-7 from long range and 3-of-4 from the charity stripe to go with five rebounds and one assist in 38 minutes. He has scored in double figures in nine of the last 12 games, and he has 15 double figure games on the season and 45 for his career. Overtone is averaging 15.8 points per game at home this season.
Murphy added his eighth career double-double, including his third this season, with 13 points and 12 rebounds in 27 minutes. He was 6-of-10 on the afternoon, including 1-of-2 from long range.
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3 Puzzling Takeaways From Auburn's 96-92 Loss to Alabama
By Gunner Norene
The Auburn Tigers lost a heartbreaker to Alabama on Saturday evening, 96-92, dropping their second consecutive Iron Bowl of Basketball inside Neville Arena.
Auburn once led by 10 points at one point in the first half, but a strong shooting surge by the Crimson Tide and the Tigers’ lackluster perimeter defense in the second period ultimately resulted in an Alabama victory.
Let’s take a look at three disappointing takeaways from Auburn’s loss to the Tide.
Poor Perimeter Defense
The staple of Nate Oates-coached Alabama basketball team revolves solely around one particular thing: 3-point shooting.
The Tigers did a solid job of limiting the Tide’s attack from behind the arc for the majority of the first half, holding them to just 2-of-8 from downtown in the opening 17:56 of action. However, after nearly 18 minutes of playing Auburn’s style at Auburn’s pace, Alabama drained three consecutive deep-balls during the closing 2:04 of the first half, cutting the Tigers’ lead to one and shooting 5-of-11 from 3-point land.
That momentum shift was a huge factor in the outcome, as Alabama was 7-of-12 from behind the arc in the second half and finished the game at a 52.2% clip.
Therefore, the Tigers’ perimeter defense completely collapsed in the closing 20 minutes. There were multiple occasions in which an Auburn defender, whether it be Tahaad Pettiford, KeShawn Murphy, or even Filip Jovic, didn’t guard Labaron Philon or Amari Allen behind the arc, and the Tide made them pay for it.
There’s a pattern to Alabama’s entire offensive system: paint touch, kickout, 3-point shot. If Auburn continued to play tough perimeter defense on the Tide’s dangerous 3-point threats for all 40 minutes, the Tigers would’ve had a much better shot of holding Alabama at bay.
Strayed Away From Offensive Plan at Moments
Auburn is not a team that is going to beat you from behind the arc and make 10-12 threes night in and night out, as the Tigers are averaging 7.8 made 3-pointers per game.
This is a squad that has proven to be most successful on the offensive end when they attack the rim, assert their paint presence, and get to the foul line. Auburn posted more points in the paint than Alabama (48-38), but the Tigers also shot five more 3-pointers than the Tide.
Auburn went 9-of-28 (32%) from behind the arc, while Alabama finished 12-of-23 (52%). In no world should the Tigers shoot more deep-balls than Alabama.
There were a few instances in which Auburn would throw up a 3-ball early in the shot clock without any real ball movement or attempt to get inside. The blueprint for offensive efficiency is there, but it’s puzzling when Auburn tends to stray away from it, especially in crunch time down the stretch of games.
Is Tahaad Pettiford Back?
Tahaad Pettiford has been one of the biggest storylines this season – and not for a necessarily good reason. He’s shooting below 30% from behind the arc, and can’t find a consistent rhythm on either end of the floor.
Pettiford posted a solid performance on Saturday, recording 25 points on 9-of-16 from the field (3-of-8 from deep) and seven assists, but it still doesn’t feel like the same fearless freshman fans saw from him last year. He may have totaled 25 points, but when those points come is certainly more important than how many are scored.
The sophomore seems to fade away in important moments, but as a freshman, he rose to the occasion almost every single time. Pettiford also committed a few costly mistakes late in the second half, including a couple of turnovers and a critical foul on Aden Holloway’s 3-point attempt that led to a four-point play and extended Alabama’s lead to six with under three minutes to play.
The sophomore almost left for the NBA Draft last offseason, but he has certainly seen a regression thus far this year. If Auburn wants to make a run this year and compete for something, Pettiford has to step up.
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Auburn’s defense collapsed against Alabama, now they face an even bigger challenge
By Jerry Humphrey III
al.com
Auburn basketball had all the ingredients to defeat Alabama Saturday afternoon, entering the halftime break with nine forced turnovers on the Crimson Tide and a four-point lead.
However, the second half was a different story with Alabama’s backcourt leading the charge in the Tide’s 96-92 victory over the Tigers.
Auburn coach Steven Pearl called Auburn’s second half defense ‘out of character’ after the game, as Alabama’s Labaron Philon and Aden Holloway combined for 27 points in the final 20 minutes of the game.
The Tigers will have to turn the page quickly with Auburn hosting Vanderbilt Tuesday evening in its 11th conference matchup.
“You’ve got to have a short memory because you got such a quick turnaround on Tuesday against another really good offensive team. So got to break the film down tonight and just try and identify where some of our biggest mistakes were and try and learn and try and grow from it. Vanderbilt runs a ton of offensive sets. So, it’s going to be really hard to break that down tonight and be able to show the guys and then also try and get prepared for a really unique offense,” Pearl said.
“So, I got to do a good job tonight of really just identifying areas that we got exposed. I hope it was just us having a lack of effort and energy,” Pearl added. “So, we can be like, ‘Alright, we can’t do that anymore.’”
Four of Auburn’s starters finished with double-digit point totals led by Tahaad Pettiford’s 25 points. But the Tigers went a little off course, shooting more 3-pointers than Alabama as a team and connecting on nine, which was three fewer than Alabama’s 3-point total.
Keyshawn Hall added 24 points but made just 1-of-6 3-pointers. Kevin Overton had 17 points, hitting three 3-pointers in the first half but just one in the second half.
Despite Auburn’s struggles from deep in its last few contests, Pearl did not make that focal point of the reason the Tigers fell short to Alabama.
“But the offense has nothing to do with it. Like, we scored 92 points. That should be enough to win any game in our league. Tahaad had a better offensive performance. [Kevin Overton] was making some shots. Four of our best offensive players had pretty good nights. Had nothing to do with our offense, has everything to do with our defense. If we want to win games, we’ll sit down and guard like we did when he had that four-game stretch a couple weeks ago,” Pearl said.
“If we want to continue to have tough results and continue to talk about the things we’ve got to do better, we’ll do what we did tonight. But this team’s done a great job of bouncing back after tough situations. We’ve just got to stay consistent.”
Auburn’s defense will be tested again as Vanderbilt enters Tuesday’s matchup averaging 88.8 points per game. The Commodores leading scorer Tyler Tanner is coming off a 27-point performance in a 92-91 loss to Oklahoma.
Tipoff for Auburn (14-9, 5-5) and Vanderbilt (19-4, 6-4) will be at 6 p.m. CT on the SEC Network.
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Terms for Former Auburn C Dylan Cardwell's New NBA Contract Revealed
By Dre Gaines
According to multiple reports on Tuesday, former Auburn Tigers center Dylan Cardwell earned a new NBA contract with the Sacramento Kings. On Thursday, ESPN insider Shams Charania revealed terms of the deal.
Cardwell signed a four-year deal, with ESPN 1320's James Ham reporting that Cardwell will make $871,000 over the course of the rest of this season and $2.15 million next season guaranteed. The final two years of the deal are not guaranteed, but if he were to remain with the Kings, Cardwell could earn $2.15 million in the third year and $2.74 million in the last year, with the final year being a team option.
https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/2019555459460657650?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2019555459460657650%7Ctwgr%5Eeb1aa45a008cde334efbbd082cbb5cabc7fdcfe2%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.si.com%2Fcollege%2Fauburn%2Fbasketball%2Fterms-for-former-auburn-c-dylan-cardwell-s-new-nba-contract-revealed-01kgrpgstwbk
While scoring has been light, Cardwell has emerged as a consistent rebounder, averaging 7.1 rebounds per game in his rookie season. He has averaged 4.7 points and 1.7 blocks per game, while playing 20 minutes on average.
His 1.7 blocks per game average puts him right underneath Detroit Pistons’ Isaiah Stewart and tied for seventh in the NBA with Minnesota Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert.
The defensive output despite the lack of offensive production is reminiscent of his time with the Tigers. During his final season at Auburn, Cardwell averaged 1.4 blocks per game to help lead the Tigers to their second Final Four appearance in program history.
Cardwell was also never a high scorer for the Tigers, as he only averaged 4.2 points per game in his five seasons at Auburn, while averaging similar minutes as he currently is with the Kings.
In all, the former Tiger has found his new home in Sacramento, and while he appears to be emerging as one of the league's young stars, he is not eligible for any of the NBA’s awards at the end of the season because of not playing in the required 65 games.
However, Cardwell could see his name among the top defenders in the league should he build off his current production.
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Coulibaly's big game not enough as Auburn falls to No. 5 LSU
By Wes Todd
Freshman Harissoum Coulibaly continued to show she can hold her own against the SEC’s best, but No. 5 LSU overpowered Auburn 77-44 Sunday at Neville Arena.
“It was a tough game to watch for us overall,” Auburn coach Larry Vickers said. “We have to do a better job against those top-five teams that can cut the nets down at the SEC Tournament. I don’t feel like we’ve lived up to those moments.
“We’ve done a good job with (teams ranked) No. 10 to No. 30, but we’ve got to do a better job with these top 10s, these top fives. I don’t feel like we had it today.”
Auburn’s only double-figures scorer, Coulibaly totaled 13 points and a team-high four assists and three steals. Clara Koulibaly led Auburn with 10 rebounds and made the Tigers’ first 3-pointer after 14 first-half misses.
Kaitlyn Duhon and Syriah Daniels made four steals apiece to help Auburn amass 13 swipes. Duhon added nine points and five rebounds.
The home Tigers turned 19 LSU turnovers into 22 points, accounting for the majority of Auburn’s offense.
LSU scored the game’s first seven points while Auburn misfired from 3-point range until Angena Belloso made a steal and passed ahead to Coulibaly, who followed her miss with a putback.
Trailing 16-6 after the first quarter, Coulibaly delivered a highlight-reel drive, drawing a foul on a spinning layup.
“She’s trying,” Vickers said. “We have to do a better job of making Harissoum’s job easier. She’s going to be a thousand-point scorer in this league. It’s a matter of making her life easier. When we do that, the sky’s the limit for her.”
LSU ended the half on an 8-0 run to lead 36-13 at intermission.
The Tigers scored 15 points in the third quarter, including Koulibaly’s 3-pointer. Transition layups after steals continued to be the Tigers’ best source of points.
LSU added 10 points to its lead in the third quarter before the teams played the final 10 minutes to a 16-16 draw that included 3-pointers from Duhon and Ja’Mia Harris.
“Get them playing hard,” LSU coach Kim Mulkey said of the challenge facing first-time SEC head coaches. “When you’re a first-time coach, you inherit players. In the portal, you bring in players. It takes a period of time to get your own recruits in here. I used to say build a foundation but you don’t build foundations with NIL and the transfer portal. You never know from year to year who you’re going to have on your squad.”
LSU (22-3, 8-3) placed four scorers in double figures, with Zakiyah Johnson leading the way with 16 points and eight rebounds. Amiya Joyner delivered a double-double off the bench with 10 points and 10 rebounds to help the visitors build a commanding 54-30 edge on the boards.
Seeking to end a six-game losing streak, Auburn (13-12, 2-9) has a midweek open date before visiting Texas A&M next Sunday at 5 p.m. CT. The Tigers’ next home game is Monday, Feb. 23, at 6:30 p.m. CT against Georgia with attendees receiving a free Coach Vickers acrylic stand up model.
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