Auburn’s Zep Jasper on Arkansas: “We’d Love To Get Them Back”

The Southeastern Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament field is set, and the quest for a conference crown begins Wednesday.

Auburn wrapped up the No.1 seed in the tournament after winning the SEC regular season title outright on Saturday with their win over South Carolina at Neville Arena. Their agenda for the week? Payback.

The bracket lines up perfectly for Auburn to get rematches with Florida, Arkansas, and Tennessee, the three teams that beat them in the regular season, as they battle for a conference title.

While their first opponent is still up for grabs, that has not stopped Auburn from looking forward to their possible semi-final opponent. The person who wants the rematch with the Razorbacks the most? Auburn guard Zep Jasper.

Jasper did not play in the game, or was even in the State of Arkansas due to an non COVID-related illness when Arkansas took down then-No. 1 Auburn at Bud Walton Arena, 80-76 on February 8. But, the loss still found a way to get under his skin. Jasper shared some of his frustrations directed at Arkansas coaches, players, and fans on the Monday edition of the “Locked On Auburn” podcast.

Host Zac Blackerby welcomed Jasper to the podcast to discuss his team’s SEC-clinching win over South Carolina, and to preview the upcoming tournament in Tampa. When breaking down the possibility of getting rematches with the teams that beat Auburn in the regular season, Blackerby asked Jasper “is that something you guys want?”

Jasper responded with “We’d love to get (Florida, Arkansas, Tennessee) back, especially Arkansas.”

Jasper explained his comment, saying that he and his team felt “disrespected” following the loss.

“We felt like we were disrespected. They got the win, they feel like they are better than us right now,” says Jasper.

Opponents have had a rough time inside Bud Walton Arena this season, as highly-ranked teams in Kentucky and Tennessee join Auburn in collecting a loss inside “The Palace.” With Auburn being a No. 1 team, the atmosphere intensified, which made it difficult for Auburn to pull out a win.

The Tigers were not completely innocent. In a move that Razorbacks felt was disrespectful, Auburn infamously danced on the Razorback logo at midcourt during pregame warmups, a move that Auburn Head Coach Bruce Pearl took no issue with.

It was Arkansas that got the last laugh, however, as they outscored Auburn 14-10 in the overtime period to grab the win. The last basket (that ended up being waved off) was from Devo Davis, who dunked over Auburn’s Wendell Green Jr. The lights inside Bud Walton would then go dim, and a sea of Arkansas fans clad in white stormed the court.

That image has apparently been burned into the minds of Auburn Basketball players for a month, and they are out for revenge.

“If we play against them, the intensity is going to be high, the energy will be flowing,” says Jasper. “We have something to prove against them. We feel like we are going to beat the crap out of them when we see them again.”

If the rematch were to occur on Friday, playing on a neutral floor would deliver an interesting matchup. Arkansas is currently 2-2 in a neutral setting, while Auburn is 3-1.

The Southeastern Conference Tournament begins Wednesday, March 9 from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla.