Jan. 25, 2018
By Greg Ostendorf
AuburnTigers.com
COLUMBIA, Mo. ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" Prior to Wednesday's game at Missouri, Auburn coach Bruce Pearl told his team that it was an opportunity for the No. 19 Tigers to try and separate themselves from the rest of the league. It was a chance to prove that they belong among the SEC contenders.
Auburn (18-2, 6-1) achieved that and more with a signature 91-73 win.
"Our team is playing really well and getting better," Pearl said after the game. "And we have to because this league is so good. It's so competitive. Night in and night out, it's a different matchup. Missouri may not see another team exactly like us, and we may not see another team exactly like them."
Here are three takeaways from the road win at Missouri.
1. Second-half run
Early in the second half, it looked like it might be one of those games that would come down to the wire. But that all changed in an instant. At the under-12-minute media timeout, Auburn led by just two points. Four minutes later, at the next media timeout, the Tigers were up 18.
The run started with a jumper from Chuma Okeke, but it was sophomore point guard Jared Harper who caught fire during that stretch and kept it going through the remainder of the game. It started with a deep three-point shot that he banked in to give Auburn a 59-52 lead and then he hit back-to-back threes a few minutes later to push the lead to 70-54.
"After that (banked three), I knew it was going to click," Harper said. "I actually called 'bank,' too."
Harper didn't miss a shot in the second half and scored 18 of his game-high 21 points in the final 20 minutes. He was one of five Auburn players who finished in double figures. Mustapha Heron, who had a steal and a dunk during the run, recorded his fifth career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
The Tigers ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" who outscored Missouri, 50-37, in the second half ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" have now scored 50 or more points in the second half in five of their seven SEC games.
2. Stingy defense
Auburn showed once again why it leads the SEC in scoring with 91 points Wednesday night, but in the last two games, it's been the defense ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" in the second half, in particular ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" that has been the catalyst to big runs and ultimately winning games.
The Tigers forced 20 turnovers against Missouri, the most Auburn has forced against an SEC opponent since forcing 20 against South Carolina in February 2014. Over the last three games, they're forcing an average of 19.3 turnovers per game, and against its last two opponents, they have registered 25 steals.
"Coming into the game, we were preaching ball pressure," Harper said. "Turn them over to try and create offense for us and not sitting back and letting Missouri do what they wanted to do offensively. We wanted to force them to do things we wanted to do, which was cause a lot of turnovers."
Auburn also blocked a new SEC season-high nine shots Wednesday. Sophomore Anfernee McLemore matched his career-high with six blocked shots.
3. Back on top
With Auburn's win and Florida's loss at home to South Carolina on Wednesday, the Tigers have returned to the SEC throne ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" a half-game ahead of the Gators.
It's the latest in a season Auburn has been in sole possession of first place since winning the regular-season title in 1998-1999. It's still January, though, and Pearl knows there are still 11 more conference games remaining, beginning with LSU on Saturday.
"What's meaningful is how effective we were to get this road win in a tough place to play," Pearl said. "We only play Missouri once this year unless we see them in the SEC Tournament. They're good. I'm happy for my kids. But one thing we can't do now is ÃÆ'Æ'¢ÃƒÆ'¢'¬" we play LSU Saturday. They're as talented as anybody in this league. They run great stuff offensively. You've just got to be excited about playing.
"Look around our league. Every night, they're just knocking each other off. I'm proud of our kids and I'm happy for them, but it really doesn't mean much right now."
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @greg_ostendorf