It’s been 70 years since Auburn basketball played a game in Austin, Texas. Not only was it successful, but it was a historic one.
Auburn’s 87-82 victory over the Texas Longhorns gave Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl sole possession of the all-time wins mark in school history with 214 wins.
The Tigers move to 14-1 overall and will travel to South Carolina this weekend before returning back home to host Mississippi State.
Here are three takeaways from Tuesday’s victory over Texas:
Auburn’s defense set the tempo early
Auburn came out firing in the first half shooting over 50% from the floor and behind the arc. However, the Tigers forced nine Texas turnovers to start the game.
The Tigers scored 12 points off of 11 Longhorn turnovers. Auburn finished the game with 10 blocks and six steals as a team.
Outside of Artur Kaluma’s 14 points, The Longhorns did not hit a three-pointer in the first half. Kaluma finished with a game-high 34 points.
Brilliant shooting night for the Tigers
Miles Kelly led the charge for the Tigers connecting on his first three shots from beyond the arc. He finished the first half with 13 points, and a game total of 18.
Johni Broome led the frontcourt with another double-double finishing with a team-high 20 points and team-leading 12 rebounds. Chad Baker-Mazara and Tahaad Pettiford combined for 26 points as the Tigers hit eight shots from beyond the arc.
Will Auburn be the new No. 1 team?
Current No. 1 Tennesse lost its first game of the season to Florida 73-43, making room for the Tigers to move up in next week’s poll.
As long as Auburn keeps their nose clean heading into next Monday, it’s very possible Auburn will have the top spot in the AP and Coaches polls.
Not only is Auburn next in line, but they’ve got the resume to show for it. The highlight being seven Quad I victories following Tuesday night’s win over Texas.
Auburn has beat No. 3 Iowa State, No. 15 Houston, No. 16 Purdue (by 18) and No. 21 Memphis (by 14) with its only loss coming on the road against No. 5 Duke.
