Auburn Men’s Basketball Thrashes Missouri

With NCAA March Madness on the horizon, Auburn gave Missouri a Valentine’s Day gift in the form of an 89-56 beatdown. Both teams are currently projected to be in the big dance, so this was a significant conference win for the Tigers.

3️⃣3️⃣ point W for Valentine's Day! #WarEagle | @ChickfilA pic.twitter.com/plviyBQf9d

— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) February 15, 2023

Game Recap

Auburn left no question during the course of this win. At the end of the first 10 minutes of play, they led Missouri by 20 points behind dual triples off the bench from guard K.D. Johnson. With Mizzou hoping the rainstorm would stop, Auburn continued to pour it on, cementing a 45-18 halftime lead. The Missouri Tigers were looking up at a mountain to climb if they wanted to get back into the game.

Not our half — 20 minutes to fight back…

— Mizzou Hoops (@MizzouHoops) February 15, 2023

Though the second half proved to be more evenly matched, Missouri could not come within a stone’s throw of Auburn. Every time they would show signs of life, Auburn would respond with a barrage of scoring. They kept them at arm’s length for the remainder of the game and secured the 33-point victory.

Defensively, Auburn was suffocating, refusing to allow uncontested shots. As a result, Mizzou shot 31.6% from the field, a number that is not indicative of a win in an SEC basketball game.

Not today. 🚫 pic.twitter.com/56kj082ZuJ

— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) February 15, 2023

On the offensive end, Auburn shot 50% from downtown with Johnson draining four of the Tigers’ nine three-pointers.

Pump fake level 💯 pic.twitter.com/uY8BFZOs6B

— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) February 15, 2023

Auburn: Broome’s Efficiency

Perhaps the biggest story for Auburn this season has been the play of sophomore forward Johni Broome. The Florida native has been a multi-faceted weapon for the Tigers. He recorded his ninth double-double of the season in only 20 minutes against Mizzou. Additionally, he has been shooting above the 50% mark from the field on the year. This was also his third double-double in Auburn’s last five games, a feat that is difficult to accomplish during a very physical conference schedule.

https://twitter.com/AuburnMBB/status/1625691699652558849?s=20

Broome’s major downfall has been his inability to show up in big games. In Auburn’s past two games against ranked teams, Broome shot 38.5% and 27.3% from the field. If the Tigers want to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, Broome will need to shake these big-game jitters.

Moving Forward

Both Missouri and Auburn will be back in action this Saturday. Missouri will look to bounce back against Texas A&M at 6 p.m. and Auburn will look to quench a red-hot Vanderbilt team at 8:30 p.m.