Yesterday, we posed the question as to whether or not Auburn is a team on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament entering the final stretch of the regular season and a home matchup against Missouri that really presented a must-win game. Not only did Auburn win the game, they did so in utterly dominant fashion with a performance that was probably their most complete of the season, taking down Missouri 89-56 and outscoring them 45-18 in the first half.
The SEC didn’t do Auburn any favors scheduling wise and left possibly the most difficult part of the campaign in the last three with road matchups against Kentucky and Alabama before wrapping up the regular season in the Jungle against Tennessee. The tough finish is a huge part of the reason why last night, as well as the next two, were so critical for Auburn.
The Tigers head to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt on Saturday night before a home matchup against bottom-feeding Ole Miss next week as their final two “easy” games of the year, and winning both would go a long way towards locking up a tournament bid. But to dominate a team like Missouri in the fashion that Auburn did last night was extremely impressive and sets the right tone for Auburn as we head down the final stretch.
Johni Broome was the player of the game for the Tigers, putting up 20 points and adding 10 rebounds. Allen Flanigan added 16 points of his own, and K.D. Johnson came off the bench to score 15. Auburn will hope they can carry the momentum to Nashville as they look to secure another big win this weekend.
