AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn Tigers (16-1, 4-0) beat the Mississippi State Bulldogs (14-3, 2-2) 88-66 Tuesday at Neville Arena. The win comes in the wake of a new AP No. 1 ranking and Johni Broome’s ankle injury.
Without Broome, Auburn leaned heavily on Chaney Johnson to replace his production on both ends. Johnson came through for the Tigers, scoring 17 points and adding eight rebounds and four blocks.
“Chaney Johnson is my hardest worker,” said head coach Bruce Pearl following the game. “The young man is 25 pounds heavier right now… He is a monster.”
Johnson was not the only Tiger who saw his production jump in Broome’s absence. Chad Baker-Mazara’s 20 points were a season high, and they came on elite efficiency. Baker-Mazara went 8-11 from the field and 3-5 from three. He went on individual 8-0 run at the start of the game that helped propel Auburn to a wire-to-wire victory.
“Chad Baker’s got stuff you can’t teach,” Pearl said. “He’s got it. You can’t explain it.”
Pearl, as well as Chaney Johnson and Miles Kelly, spoke highly of Denver Jones’s defense on Mississippi State leading scorer Josh Hubbard, who only made two shots from the field Tuesday.
“His instincts are just crazy,” Kelly said. “He just stays solid on every move, and it makes him a great defender… Second to none.”
Jones had a block and two steals in his defensive effort. His offensive night was similarly productive, scoring 13 points with three assists and no turnovers.
Kelly himself had another stellar performance, scoring in double figures for his third straight game and adding 10 boards for his first double-double.
Auburn’s depth was on full display Tuesday. Five Tigers scored in double figures. The ability of so many players to get their own buckets is something that separates this Auburn team from some of Pearl’s other elite teams.
On the other side, Mississippi State struggled to score, going 3-24 from three and turning the ball over 16 times with only five assists. Josh Hubbard led the scoring with 17, 11 of which came at the free throw line. RJ Melendez added 15 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double.
With the win, Auburn secures its nation’s-best eighth quad one win, adding to their already impressive résumé. Following the Tuesday SEC slate, Auburn and Ole Miss sit atop the conference, each with a 4-0 record.
Auburn proved against Mississippi State that they can still be an elite team, even without their National Player of the Year candidate. The defensive tenacity, offensive efficiency, and supreme depth separate them from many other teams in the country, and they will look to lean on those again Saturday on the road against the No. 23 Georgia Bulldogs.
