Tag: Chad Baker-Mazara

Nate Oats weighs in on Chad Baker-Mazara’s ejection

Baker-Mazara’s ejection in Friday’s loss to Yale has created conversation. How does Oats feel about the matter?

No. 4 seed Auburn was the victim of a typical March Madness upset on Friday by losing to No. 13 Yale in the round of 64.

Outside of the loss, the main headline from the game was the ejection of guard [autotag]Chad Baker-Mazara[/autotag] just three minutes into the game. In a supposed move of retaliation, Baker-Mazara threw an elbow at Yale’s August Mahoney with 16:59 remaining in the first half. After review, the call was deemed a flagrant 2 foul, which resulted in an ejection.

The ejection led to a discussion among college basketball fans and coaches alike. Did the officials make the right call? How important is it for players to maintain composure during important games? Head coaches have been asked those questions this weekend, including Alabama head coach Nate Oats.

Ahead of Sunday’s game between No. 4 seed Alabama and No. 12 seed Grand Canyon, Oats was asked about Baker-Mazara’s ejection. Oats responded by saying how detrimental the call was to Auburn, and even offered advice to Baker-Mazara and every college basketball player that remains in the tournament.

“You feel for the rest of the rest of the Auburn team and Coach Pearl because I’m sure that they all didn’t (want) that,” Oats said. “Shoot, (Baker-Mazara) was a good player for them. But you gotta make better decisions when the season’s on the line.”

The game of basketball can be physical and emotional for players. However, when it comes to the NCAA Tournament, winning needs to take top priority says Oats.

“It doesn’t matter how much trash is talked, how much dirty play you feel is being done to you, we’re trying to win on the scoreboard,” Oats said. “We’re not trying to win a rock fight, we’re not trying to win a backyard brawl. That has nothing to do with the scoreboard. If we’re trying to win the game of basketball on the scoreboard, anything that has anything to do with giving the opponent an advantage — two free throws, ejection — it’s not winning the game of basketball. I don’t care to win a fight, a brawl, a trash talking contest. None of that.”

Oats has never been one to shy away from pot stirring, especially when it comes to Auburn. Following Yale’s win over Auburn, he was seen entering Yale’s locker room. He responded to the allegations of “congratulating Yale for beating Auburn” by saying that he was congratulating Yale head coach James Jones personally. He also took a shot at Auburn alum Charles Barkley’s busted bracket by saying “Of course Barkley’s bracket is busted, he’s from Auburn.”

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Recap: Yale upsets Auburn, season ends in Spokane

Auburn’s magical season concludes with a first-round upset loss to Yale.

The latest upset of March Madness involves the SEC Tournament champions.

No. 4 seed Auburn faced several instances of adversity in Friday’s round of 32 contest with No. 13 seed Yale, with the final blow taking place over the final 2:10 of regulation. Yale’s John Poulakidas nailed a three-pointer to give the Bulldogs a 73-72 advantage. Unfortunately for the Tigers, it was a lead that Yale managed to hold. The Bulldogs completed the upset of Auburn on Friday by taking down the Tigers, 77-74 on Friday at Spokane Arena in Spokane, Washington.

A three-point jumper by [autotag]Denver Jones[/autotag] pushed Auburn ahead, 68-58, with 7:27 remaining in the contest. From that moment, Yale took control of the game by chipping away and ultimately stealing the win. Bez Mbeng answered Jones’ three-pointer with one of his own with 7:12 to go in the game. The long-range bucket kicked off a 17-9 run by the Bulldogs to secure the victory.

Auburn outshot Yale, 51% to 46%, and took advantage of Bulldog turnovers by turning them into 15 points. However, scoring nine points over the final eight minutes, plus Yale’s ability to score 19 points in fastbreak situations, led to a Yale win. Auburn also had zero answers for Yale guard John Poulakidas, who scored 28 points in Yale’s win. He connected on 10-15 shots, which includes an astonishing 6-9 mark from three-point territory.

Auburn had an eventful first half that required adjustment. At the 16:59 mark in the half, Auburn guard [autotag]Chad Baker-Mazara[/autotag] was ejected after throwing an elbow at Yale’s August Mahoney. The action was deemed a flagrant 2 foul and forced Baker-Mazara’s game to be cut short just three minutes into the game. Following the ejection, the Bulldogs went on a 12-4 run over the ensuing three minutes to take an 18-16 lead with 13:30 to go in the half.

[autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag] turned a Yale turnover into points with a dunk at the 12:29 mark in the first half to put Auburn back in front, 20-18, a lead that the Tigers would not relinquish for the remainder of the half. The Bulldogs trimmed the lead to one point with 12 minutes remaining, but the Tigers would build a seven-point cushion to take into halftime.

Yale began the second half strong by erasing Auburn’s 41-34 halftime lead on a 10-2 run over the first five minutes of the half. The Tigers answered by piecing together a 9-0 run to take a 57-48 lead with 11:10 remaining in the half. The Tigers would lead by as many as 10 points in the second half before the Bulldogs trimmed, and ultimately, stole the lead in the final two minutes.

[autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] was the Tigers’ top producer, scoring 24 points and pulling down 13 rebounds. Denver Jones scored 17 while Jaylin Williams dropped 13. [autotag]Tre Donaldson[/autotag] recorded six rebounds in the loss.

Yale will move on to face No. 5 seed San Diego State on Sunday in the round of 32. The Aztecs survived a scare of their own Friday by beating No. 12 seed UAB, 69-65. Auburn’s season ends with a 24-8 record.

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Watch: Chad Baker-Mazara is ejected from Auburn’s game vs. Yale

Auburn guard Chad Baker-Mazara has been disqualified after being issued a flagrant-two foul in Friday’s opening-round game.

Auburn basketball will be without one of its key playmakers for the rest of the game due to a flagrant 2 foul call in the first half of its NCAA Tournament opener with Yale.

Auburn guard [autotag]Chad Baker-Mazara[/autotag] was ejected from Friday’s round of 32 game with Yale at the 16:32 mark in the first half after throwing an elbow toward Yale’s August Mahoney. The move, which was supposedly in retaliation, was called a flagrant 2 foul. CBS Sports rules analyst Gene Steratore explains why the flagrant 2 was called.

“I think really, when you look – excessive in nature, completely unnecessary, not a basketball play,” Sterartore said. “When you see him starting up the court, he lines up his opponent, he looks and then he delivers … a strong elbow right to the chest of his opponent. There is nothing basketball-related with that one whatsoever. That’s why that rises to a Flagrant 2 foul and that activity we don’t want in basketball games. I think it’s a good decision by the officials.”

Following the ejection, Auburn head coach [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag] told CBS Sports’ Lauren Shehadi that Baker-Mazara’s absence throws a wrench into Auburn’s gameplan.

“Obviously – we just saw the replay – what he did was wrong,” Pearl said. “I thought it should’ve been a Flagrant 1. To remove him from the game after an entire season of work is something that, obviously, is going to disrupt us,” Pearl said. “He’s one of our very best players. And it was a retaliation. It was because he got hit in the throat a play before. He shouldn’t have retaliated.”

Here is a look at the action that resulted in Baker-Mazara’s ejection, as well as the action that sparked Baker-Mazara’s retaliation.

 

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Photos: Auburn celebrates an SEC Tournament championship

Check out the best images from Auburn’s SEC Tournament championship celebration on the floor of Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

The No. 4-seed Auburn Tigers finished the job Sunday by taking down No. 6-seed Florida, 86-67, to win its third SEC Tournament crown.

The Tigers connected on 51% of his shot attempts in the win, including an impressive 64% tally in the second half. Auburn also never surrendered the lead, as it held the advantage from the first bucket at the 19:37 mark when [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] made a layup to give Auburn the 2-0 lead.

Broome ended the game with 19 points and 11 rebounds. [autotag]Chad Baker-Mazara[/autotag] and [autotag]Denver Jones[/autotag] also reached double-figures in the victory. Auburn’s bench scored 33 points led by [autotag]Tre Donaldson[/autotag]’s eight-point outing. [autotag]Chris Moore[/autotag], [autotag]Dylan Cardwell[/autotag], and [autotag]Chaney Johnson[/autotag] added seven points each.

Here are the best photos from Auburn’s SEC Tournament championship celebration at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

Recap: Auburn starts slow but takes care of business to advance to SEC Championship

Bruce Pearl’s team will have a chance to win the SEC Tournament for the first time since 2019 on Sunday against either Florida or Texas A&M.

Early afternoon starts haven’t been kind to the Auburn Tigers this season. That trend continued on Saturday in Nashville.

[autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag]’s team played some of the worst basketball it had over the past month in the first five minutes of the SEC Semifinal against Mississippi State. The good news for the Tigers? They outscored Chris Jan’s bulldogs 69-54 over the final 35 minutes of a 73-66 win.

Mississippi State’s defense was able to frustrate Auburn’s high-ranked offense for most of the afternoon, but the Tigers did just enough to get by. While star [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] wasn’t his usual dominant self after dealing with foul trouble in the first half, he still managed 10 points on the afternoon.

Front-court mate [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag] took over the “do-it-all” forward role with Broome playing only 24 minutes. The winningest player in Auburn history ended his afternoon with 13 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks.

Guards [autotag]Denver Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Chad Baker-Mazara[/autotag] continued their hot stretch of play, carrying things on the offensive end at times Saturday with timely jump shots and drives to the rim.

The duo finished their afternoon with 27 combined points on an efficient 59/18 from the field. Baker-Mazara finished with a team-high 16.

As for Mississippi State, the Bulldogs ran off the backs of stars Josh Hubbard and Tolu Smith once again. The former struggled for most of the afternoon before getting hot in the middle of the second half, pushing the margin to as close as one possession at points.

The big man Smith was the only player to secure a double-double in the game. He finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds on a 3/8 shooting day.

Auburn showed it can win a gritty, close, tournament game on a nuetral floor with this showing. The Tigers are becoming more and more likely to make a deep run into March.

Bruce Pearl’s team will have a chance to win the SEC Tournament for the first time since 2019 on Sunday against either Florida or Texas A&M.

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Recap: Auburn emphatically punches ticket into SEC Tournament Semis

If you had any doubts about Auburn’s ability to make a deep run into March, the Tigers proved that pessimism was unwarranted on Friday afternoon in Nashville.

If you had any doubts about Auburn’s ability to make a deep run into March, the Tigers proved that pessimism was unwarranted on Friday afternoon in Nashville.

[autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag]’s Tigers absolutely bullied the South Carolina Gamecocks for 40 minutes in an 86-55 SEC Tournament Quarterfinal win. If not for a few early offensive rebounds by B.J. Mack and the other Gamecock forwards this thing would have never been close.

Auburn’s No. 7 ranked KenPom defense showed up massively, holding South Carolina to a measly 55 points in the game. The aforementioned Mack along with other star Meechie Johnson combined for just 17 points, which is nearly 11 points lower than their per game average this season.

On the offensive end, things didn’t change much from what we saw in the regular season. The Tigers ran their sets through star forward [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag], relying heavily on the junior’s presence to not only score but create open looks for the guards.

Auburn’s best player finished his afternoon with a game-high 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists. Frontcourt mate [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag] played a solid game as well, but it was the backcourt quartet of [autotag]Chad Baker-Mazara[/autotag], [autotag]Aden Holloway[/autotag], [autotag]Trae Donaldson[/autotag] and [autotag]Denver Jones[/autotag] that stood out on Broadway.

Baker-Mazara was his normal “stat-stuffing” self with 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists, while Jones, Donaldson and Holloway shot an extremely efficient 50% from the field for 21 combined points.

Senior [autotag]K.D Johnson[/autotag] was his usual, “sparkplug”, self off the bench as well, adding 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.

If Bruce Pearl can get that kind of production and efficiency from his guards during the remainder of the postseason, the sky is truly the limit for Auburn in March.

Next up for the Tigers is a matchup right back in Bridgestone Arena against Mississippi State at 12:00 PM Central with a trip to the SEC Championship on the line.

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Auburn has 84% chance to beat South Carolina on Friday

ESPN predicts that Auburn will end South Carolina’s dreams of winning an SEC Tournament championship on Friday.

It is day three of the SEC Tournament in Nashville, and we finally get a chance to watch Auburn begin its journey toward a tournament championship.

First on the menu for the Tigers is a rematch with No. 5-seed South Carolina, who defeated Arkansas on Thursday to advance to the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. The game will be a rematch of a game played on Valentine’s Day in Neville Arena that Auburn won, 101-61. [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag] each crossed the 20-point mark while [autotag]Chad Baker-Mazara[/autotag] led the team in rebounds with five.

Will South Carolina get the revenge that they desperately crave? ESPN is not giving them much of a chance.

According to the latest data from its’ matchup predictor, ESPN is forecasting an 84% chance of an Auburn victory, which would set the Tigers up a date with either No. 1-seed Tennessee or No. 9-seed Mississippi State on Saturday at noon CT.

The Tigers hold an advantage in every major category, with the widest margin being points scored per game. Auburn averages 83.5 points per game while the Gamecocks score 72.6. Auburn’s defense was too much for South Carolina to handle in the first meeting between these two squads, as they outshot the Gamecocks, 61% to 35%, from the field.

It did not help matters that three players — Collin Murray-Boyles, BJ Mack, and Meechie Johnson — scored 90% of South Carolina’s points. As usual, Auburn spread wealth in the game as eight players scored at least six points, with three reaching double-figures.

The Tigers and Gamecocks square off at 2:30 p.m. CT at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Click here to get the full preview of Friday’s game.

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Gallery: Auburn wins battle of the Tigers, beats Missouri for win No. 24

The best images from Auburn’s blowout win over Missouri

The Auburn Tigers took care of business on the road Tuesday night, winning yet another game by double digits, this time over the Missouri Tigers.

Bruce Pearl’s team was favored by 11 heading into the game so the result is no surprise. Still, some Tigers showed great things in the win.

Forward Jaylin Williams looked like his old self after two sub-par games returning from injury, while guards [autotag]Chad Baker-Mazara[/autotag] and [autotag]Aden Holloway[/autotag] stepped up in the absence of [autotag]Lior Berman[/autotag].

The Tigers’ 101 points were the most they’ve scored since February 14 against South Carolina. We’ll see if they can carry that offensive output into the remainder of March.

Here are some of the best photos from Auburn’s dominant win.

Recap: Auburn passes final road test, takes down Missouri

Recap: Auburn passes final road test, takes down Missouri

The Auburn Tigers are officially on pace for a two-day bye in the SEC Tournament.

Bruce Pearl’s squad took care of business on the road at Missouri on Tuesday night by handing Mizzou its 17th-straight SEC loss.

The home team gave Auburn all it could handle in the first half thanks to some solid play by stars Sean East II and Nick Honor, but a quick start to the second half from [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] and the away Tigers gave Auburn some much-needed breathing room.

Broome ended up second among Auburn scorers with 15 points in the win, while front-court mate Jaylin Williams provided his best output since returning from injury a week ago by scoring a team-high 17 points on an efficient 6/8 from the field.

Guard [autotag]Chad Baker-Mazara[/autotag] was also a star once again. Interestingly, the junior played a team-high 28 minutes in the win. It looks like head coach Bruce Pearl is trusting his most electric stat-stuffing guard to soak up the minutes lost with [autotag]Lior Berman[/autotag] out for the season.

Auburn’s win was heavily expected, but it is still worth commending nonetheless. The Tigers now control their own destiny in the hunt for a top 4 seed in the SEC Tournament when they finish the season at Neville Arena on Saturday against Georgia.

As for Missouri, the Tigers nightmare regular season will come to a close in Baton Rouge on Saturday. They’ll have to run the table in Nashville against higher seeds if they want to make it back to the NCAA Tournament.

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Photos: Auburn gets revenge on Mississippi State

Check out the best images from Auburn’s 78-63 win over Mississippi State!

Revenge is sweet, just ask the Auburn Tigers.

The No. 11 Tigers avenged a loss to Mississippi State on Saturday by taking down the Bulldogs, 78-63 on Saturday in Neville Arena in Auburn. [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] led the team with 17 points and six rebounds. [autotag]Denver Jones[/autotag], [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag], and [autotag]Chad Baker-Mazara[/autotag] joined Broome by reaching double-figures in points.

With the win, Auburn kicks off the month of March in style with a key win that will provide needed momentum heading into the final week of the regular season.

Here are the best images from Auburn’s win over Mississippi State on Saturday.