Tag: Dylan Cardwell

Dick Vitale places Auburn at No. 10 in ‘Sweet 16’ Rankings ahead of next season

Five SEC programs join Auburn in Vitale’s preseason rankings.

Longtime ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale released his annual “Sweet 16” college basketball rankings on Thursday afternoon.

While the 85-year-old’s rankings are nothing more than his personal list, he certainly has been following the sport long enough that his preference carries some legitimacy.

Five SEC programs landed in Vitale’s “Sweet 16”, with the Alabama Crimson Tide leading the pack all the way up at number two, behind only Kansas and one spot ahead of back-to-back champion Uconn. The only other SEC team to land in the top 10 was Auburn, as the Tigers landed at the 10 spot, ahead of Arkansas (13), Texas A&M (14), and Kentucky (15).

Auburn’s spot in Vitale’s top 10 is certainly warranted after [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag]’s squad won the SEC Tournament after finishing near the top of the conference a year ago.

The Tigers bring back last season’s leading scorer in Johni Broome as well as key pieces like [autotag]Denver Jones[/autotag], [autotag]Dylan Cardwell[/autotag], [autotag]Chaney Johnson[/autotag], and [autotag]Chad Baker-Mazara[/autotag]. The returning cast of players pairs with newly acquired transfers [autotag]JP Pegues[/autotag], [autotag]Ja’Heim Hudson[/autotag], and [autotag]Miles Kelly[/autotag] to create not only one of the more talented rosters in the SEC, but in the country as well.

Even with the abundance of offensive and defensive ammunition, the Tigers are no lock to have the same success they had a year ago. Vitale’s praise and a likely top 15 spot in the preseason polls is nice are nice accolades, but winning games in a grueling SEC is never an easy task.

We’ll see if the Tigers can live up to the preseason hype when they open the season in November.

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Bruce Pearl praises newcomer Ja’Heim Hudson following summer workouts

Tigers coach Bruce pearl had high praise for the 6-foot-7, 220 pound forward when speaking to the media this week.

Auburn basketball is set to have many new faces this upcoming season. One of those new players, SMU transfer forward Ja-Heim Hudson, is already impressing his head coach as summer workouts get underway.

Tigers coach Bruce pearl had high praise for the 6-foot-7, 220 pound forward when speaking to the media this week, saying “[Hudson] brings a level of toughness that I really like”. Pearl also mentioned he liked the incoming seniors “grit”, especially considering he plays in a crowded front court featuring star [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag], senior [autotag]Dylan Cardwell[/autotag], and second-year Tiger [autotag]Chaney Johnson[/autotag].

While that trio of big men are all but certain to soak up the majority of the minutes up front, Pearl mentioned he wanted to bring Hudson to the Plains to “challenge” his big men and make them better. At least so far it seems like Pearl thinks the transfer is delivering on that idea.

The Hinesville, GA native started just one game for SMU last season, finishing with per game totals of 5.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 0.9 assists. Whether Hudson will play a more vital offensive role on his new team remains to be seen, but the praise from his head coach could lead to a more prominent rotation spot with the Tigers.

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Auburn basketball’s 2024-25 SEC opponents, locations revealed

Make your plans now to watch Auburn basketball compete in a revamped SEC slate this season.

The SEC Men’s Basketball landscape will change for the 2024-25 season and beyond, as Oklahoma and Texas will join to provide a boost to an already loaded conference.

Auburn will meet both the Sooners and Longhorns on the court this upcoming season as part of its’ 18-game SEC slate. The dates are not known at this point, but the locations are. As part of their initial schedule as SEC members, Texas will host Auburn while the Tigers will welcome Oklahoma to Neville Arena the SEC announced Monday.

Auburn has a short history with Oklahoma and Texas when it comes to men’s basketball. The Tigers have squared off with the Longhorns just once in history, winning a 45-27 contest in Auburn on Feb. 11, 1911.

Auburn has faced the Sooners three times in history, winning two. Most recently, Auburn defeated Oklahoma as part of the SEC/Big 12 Challenge during the 2021-22 season, 86-68 at then Auburn Arena. [autotag]Jabari Smith[/autotag] recorded a double-double by scoring 21 points and securing 12 rebounds while connecting on 9-of-10 free throw opportunities. [autotag]Walker Kessler[/autotag] added 21 points and nine rebounds while [autotag]KD Johnson[/autotag] scored 13 points.

Outside of Oklahoma and Texas, Auburn will welcome Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi State, Missouri, and Tennessee to Neville Arena while facing Kentucky, LSU, South Carolina, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt on the road.

Auburn will face rivals Alabama and Georgia, as well as Ole Miss in a home-and-home setting. The Tigers went 4-2 against those opponents last season, sweeping Georgia and Ole Miss while losing two games to Alabama.

Auburn will look to build on its SEC Tournament championship campaign next season with returning stars such as [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag], [autotag]Denver Jones[/autotag], and [autotag]Dylan Cardwell[/autotag]. A full schedule release will be revealed at a later date.

Former Clemson forward RJ Godfrey to visit Auburn this week

Godfrey shot 42% from three-point territory as a sophomore at Clemson.

Auburn basketball’s 2024-25 roster will be filled with talent. Auburn has added transfer [autotag]JP Pegues[/autotag] to mesh with freshman guards [autotag]Tahaad Pettiford[/autotag] and [autotag]Jakhi Howard[/autotag]. It also helps that star [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] and key contributors [autotag]Chaney Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]Chris Moore[/autotag], and [autotag]Dylan Cardwell[/autotag] are set to return.

Auburn is still looking to fill a need at forward and will try to secure the missing piece this week by hosting former Clemson forward [autotag]RJ Godfrey[/autotag].

According to a report by Auburn Undercover, former Clemson forward RJ Godfrey will visit the Plains on Tuesday, April 30. The visit will be Godfrey’s third since entering the transfer portal. He has also taken in visits to Virginia Tech and Oklahoma.

Godfrey was a solid contributor off the bench for Clemson over the last two seasons. In 69 total games, he averaged 4.7 points while shooting 59% from the field and 38% from the three-point territory. He secured 2.8 rebounds while assisting with 39 shots and recording 25 steals.

At the time of this post, Auburn has three returning forwards on its roster: Chaney Johnson, Chris Moore, and [autotag]Addarin Scott[/autotag]. The key void that Auburn will look to fill this offseason will be the spot left behind by [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag]. Williams exits Auburn’s roster after a great career that saw him score 9.3 points per game with 3.9 rebounds and a 78% free throw percentage.

Back in time: What happened the last time Auburn faced Yale on the hardwood?

Auburn and Yale have played each other in basketball just once in history. Here’s how it played out.

Auburn will begin its journey for a national championship this week against Yale. The meeting between the Tigers and the Bulldogs will be the second all-time, and the first meeting took place not long ago.

Auburn hosted Yale for a regular season contest at then-Auburn Arena on December 4, 2021, and won convincingly, 86-64. The win pushed Auburn to 7-1 on the season and was part of a 19-game win streak that Auburn built during the 2021-22 season.

Five players reached double figures in points, led by [autotag]KD Johnson[/autotag]’s 19-point showing. Jabari Smith was next in line with 17 points while [autotag]Zep Jasper[/autotag], [autotag]Devan Cambridge[/autotag], and [autotag]Dylan Cardwell[/autotag] each added 10 points.

Future first-round pick [autotag]Walker Kessler[/autotag] recorded zero points in just eight minutes of action but managed to lead the team in blocks with four. The Tigers recorded 14 total blocks in the game. [autotag]Dylan Cardwell[/autotag], [autotag]Stretch Akingbola[/autotag], and [autotag]Chris Moore[/autotag] joined Kessler by recording multiple blocks.

Check out the best images from Auburn’s 2021 victory over Yale on the Plains below.

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 gets revenge, cuts down the nets in Nashville

The Auburn Tigers are your 2023-2024 SEC Tournament Champions. 

The Auburn Tigers are your 2023-2024 SEC Tournament Champions.

Bruce Pearl challenged his team to win nine games in a row before its SEC Tournament opener on Friday and [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] and company have responded by notching the first three.

While it wasn’t quite Neville Arena, Sunday’s championship against Florida felt like a home game in “Auburn North”.

The Auburn family brought the energy inside Bridgestone Arena from the get-go, although the building did calm down significantly following a gruesome leg injury suffered by Florida center Micah Handlogten.

Handlogten was ultimately stretchered off, and the energy returned to the tune of Auburn defensively disrupting a potent Gators offense en route to a 38-30 halftime lead.

Mark Clayton Jr. and the rest of the Gator offense managed to cut the Auburn lead to a single point quickly into the second half, getting the score to 45-44 within the first four minutes. Guard [autotag]Trae Donaldson[/autotag] quickly responded by knocking down a “parking lot” 3-point shot then stealing a Clayton Jr. pass on the other end that turned into a [autotag]Denver Jones[/autotag] transition dunk.

From that moment on it was all Auburn. The Tigers outscored Florida 41-27 from that point on. The Championship was in hand by the under 4:00 timeout.

While Donaldson had a massive impact off the bench, the star of the afternoon was none other than forward [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag], who picked up his second double-double of the SEC Tournament.

The Junior led all scorers in the game with 19 points while also providing 3 blocks on the defensive end. Forwards [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag], [autotag]Chris Moore[/autotag], [autotag]Chaney Johnson[/autotag], and [autotag]Dylan Cardwell[/autotag] also played fantastic minutes against a tall Florida front court.

Auburn’s 86-67 win continues a trend of dominance we’ve seen from Auburn this season. Every Tigers win has come by double-digits other than one.

The Tigers have every chance to run the table again in the NCAA Tournament. We’ll see who they’ll face in a few short hours.

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Recap: Auburn finishes regular season with home victory over UGA

Recap: Auburn finishes regular season with home victory over UGA

It was a happy senior night for the Auburn basketball team on Saturday night as an emotional [autotag]Dylan Cardwell[/autotag], [autotag]Chris Moore[/autotag] and [autotag]K.D Johnson[/autotag] won their final game in front of the Auburn Family.

Junior [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] was also honored, as we his all but certain to leave for the NBA after this season concludes.

The night was especially special for the latter, who started his career in Athens playing for tonight’s opponent, Georgia. Johnson was his usual self all game long, providing the “firecracker-like” energy that has made him a fan-favorite on the Plains.

The guard finished his final game at Neville Arena with 6 points, 2 assists, 3 rebounds, and one final technical foul.

As for Moore and Cardwell, the duo were important contributors in the 92-78 win, scoring 13 combined points off the bench. Cardwell also tacked on a season-high 4 assists.

Auburn’s star of senior night ironically happened to be newcomer Denver Jones. His 21 points paced all scorers in the game, while his 7/9 3-point shooting night should give him a load of confidence heading into postseason play.

Star forward [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] was quite in the game and will most likely come up short in the SEC Player of the Year race, although bigger things are probably on his mind.

While winning on senior night is always important, tonight’s victory was extra crucial considering Auburn leapfrogged South Carolina in the SEC Standings to finish fourth.

That finish allows the Tigers to wait until the quarterfinals before they take the floor in Nashville for the SEC Tournament next week.

Auburn could end up playing the Gamecocks in the quarterfinal round on Friday, March 15 at 2:30 PM CST.

As for Georgia, the Bulldogs will take on Vanderbilt in the first round on Wednesday.

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Recap: Auburn throttles South Carolina at Neville Arena

No. 12 Auburn bounced back in a major way on Wednesday Night by taking down South Carolina by 40 points at home.

Neville Arena has become the best home-court advantage across college basketball.

The No. 12 Auburn Tigers (20-5, 9-3 SEC) won another game in double-digit, blowout fashion in front of their home crowd on Wednesday night. This lopsided affair was never very close after a 9-4 Gamecock run to open the game.

The 101-61 final was No. 11 South Carolina (21-4, 9-3 SEC)’s worst loss of the season, the 40-point margin was also Auburn’s largest over an AP top-25 team in program history.

Star guard Meechie Johnson and company had no answer for a devastating Auburn defensive attack all night long. One of the hottest teams in the SEC, and college basketball, was rattled for a good 30 minutes of this game.

The aforementioned Johnson along with stars B.J Mack and Colin Murray Boyles were solid, but the remainder of the Gamecocks roster scored just 6 points to help them. On the offensive side, Auburn’s scoring attack was once again led by forwards [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag].

The latter did his best Steph Curry impression ahead of the NBA’s All-Star Weekend, knocking down a career-best four 3-point shots on his way to 21 points.

Williams, who normally does most of his work inside as well, decided Broome needed a splash brother by hitting four threes of his own.  In total, the senior shot (8/11) from the field in a customarily efficient night.

Auburn’s second best player finished his night with 23 points, two rebounds, one assists, and one contact lens lost late in the second half.

Plenty of other Tigers chipped in during Auburn’s third 100+ point performance of the season. [autotag]Chad Baker-Mazara[/autotag], [autotag]K.D Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]Denver Jones[/autotag], [autotag]Trae Donaldson[/autotag], [autotag]Dylan Cardwell[/autotag], and [autotag]Chaney Johnson[/autotag] all contributed two or more field goals.

Auburn will celebrate the massive victory before preparing to face a very talented Kentucky team on Saturday night back at Neville Arena.

South Carolina should be due for a bounce back this weekend when LSU comes to town on Saturday afternoon.

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Everything Bruce Pearl, Auburn’s players said after dominating Ole Miss

Bruce Pearl was impressed after Auburn’s 23-point win over Ole Miss. Here is everything he had to say about the game.

The Auburn Tigers are the hottest team in the SEC and maybe the entire country. They picked up their 11th straight win Saturday night over Ole Miss 82-59 in Neville Arena and are now in sole lead of the SEC with a perfect 5-0 record.

The Tigers took control of the game in the first half and enjoyed a 19-point lead at the break. Unlike past games, they did not take their foot off the gas and only built on the lead after the break, winning by 23 points.

Auburn’s depth was once again key as all 11 rotation players scored and each played 10 or more minutes. The bench, led by [autotag]Dylan Cardwell[/autotag] and [autotag]Lior Berman[/autotag], had a particularly great night, scoring 40 points and playing great defense.

The win finally impressed [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag], who along with Cardwell, and Berman spoke with the media after the game. Here is a look at everything they had to say.