The storyline was basically already written. Fresh off a rout of a solid Vermont team in its season opener, Auburn would go to No. 4 Houston and show that they were a not-ready-for-primetime team. It got easier when, on Friday night, news broke that the team plane had to be rerouted back to Auburn due to an altercation between two players.
And, early in the second half, as the Cougars took a nine-point lead, it looked as if all of this would come true.
But despite everything, these Tigers fought back. Sparked by freshman Tahaad Pettiford and an All-American performance by Johni Broome, Bruce Pearl’s squad turned the plot upside down, coming through with clutch stops and baskets to walk away with a 74-69 victory.
It wasn’t just a non-conference victory in early November, though. It was part of putting the college basketball world on notice. It was about showing that this team, mixed with a veteran presence and an unworldly performance by its five-star freshman, is for real.
“Proud of these guys,” Pearl said. “I love this guy (Johni), and I’m falling in love with this guy (Tahaad). I don’t know you well enough to love you yet. I’m working on it.”
Well, Broome was more certain of how he felt about his teammate.
“I love him,” the center said.
This wasn’t supposed to be how the game was supposed to go: not in Houston’s eyes and not in the eyes of the national media. The Cougars, the big, physical Cougars and their stealth defense were going to shut down this Auburn team that put on a shooting display in its opener, showing that Houston, not the Tigers, were the real national title contenders. And yes, Kelvin Sampson’s squad will most likely be one of the favorites to bring home the hardware in March Madness, but it was Auburn celebrating at the end of the marquee matchup, not them.
Scheduling a game like this in early November with a squad that he’s still getting used to is part of Pearl’s plan for the early exits from the NCAA Tournament to stop. It was the first significant test for Auburn in a non-conference schedule full of them. And while I’m certain Purdue, Duke, Ohio State and Iowa State were already looking forward to their matchup against the Tigers, their eyes had to pop open just a bit after what happened at the Toyota Center on Saturday night.
The Tigers responded in every possible way, not letting Friday’s controversy distract them from the task at hand nor letting the nation’s top defense have its way with them. After struggling in the first half, Broome took over in the second, scoring 16 of his 20 points as Auburn moved the ball flawlessly. Pettiford, maybe too young to realize what exactly he was doing, declawed the Cougars with his precise shooting, hitting 3-of-4 threes, each of them a dagger after another, in the final 20 minutes.
And that doesn’t even mention Chad Baker-Mazara, who came through big on both sides of the floor. Denver Jones, who Pearl called one of the best defensive guards in the game after the win, made life difficult for anyone who dared to be guarded by him.
Yes, it was a total team win that concluded with thousands of traveling Auburn fans chanting in the arena, making a Houston home game sound like it was being played in Neville Arena almost 700 miles away. Pearl has repeatedly said that he tells his team it is an opportunity to make history. While no history was made on Saturday night, it was a step in the right direction as Auburn conquered one of the top teams in the nation in their backyard.
It was a warning sign to the rest of college basketball. I’m pretty confident they all got the notice.
