AUBURN — In an all-out slugfest of an SEC showdown, No. 1 Auburn edged the Arkansas Razorbacks in the final minutes for a 67-60 win at Neville Arena on Wednesday night.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the game:
Arkansas flexes its muscles down low
The Razorbacks meant business in the paint against Auburn on Wednesday.
Uncharacteristically for the nation’s best shot-blocking team, Auburn allowed 40 of Arkansas’ 60 points to come from the painted area as it shot 73% from 2-point range.
However, Auburn was able to win the rebounding battle 42-to-29, as 13 of them came on the offensive glass, which turned into 16 second-chance points—a key for Auburn's scoring efforts early in the second half.
Lid on the basket for the Tigers
It was an uncharacteristic night for the Tigers shooting the basketball as they were held to their second-lowest scoring efforts of the year with only 67 points.
The Tigers got decent looks from the field throughout the game and shot 40% from the field. After starting 2-of-4 from the 3-point range, the Tigers shot an abysmal 17% going 4-of-24 from deep – the Tigers were 0-for-10 from 3-point range in the second half and continued to throw up ill-advised looks.
Auburn holds “Big Z" in check
A matchup nightmare for opposing squads is 7-foot-2 Arkansas big man Zvonimir Ivisic, as he is one of only three players in the NCAA to have at least 40 made 3-pointers and 40 blocked shots. Before tonight, he was averaging 17.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3 blocks per game while shooting 55.6% from 3-point range since entering the starting lineup five games ago.
But Auburn held him scoreless on the night, and it was a key reason for the Tigers’ win.
Bench production big for Auburn
Auburn’s second-leading scorer, Chad Baker-Mazara, scored 15 points coming off the bench to go along with 14 points from Chaney Johnson, leading to 33 bench points for the Tigers.
Auburn outscored the Razorbacks bench by 25 points as Billy Richmond III scored all eight for the visitors.
The Tigers are back in action on Saturday. They host Georgia at 3 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email logan.fowler@1819News.com.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
