Tag: walker kessler

Auburn finally improves spot in AP Poll

The Tigers climbed to the top spot after six consecutive weeks as the second ranked team in the AP Poll.

For just the second time in school history, the Auburn Tigers have claimed the No. 1 ranking in the AP Poll.

Auburn finally jumped SEC rival Tennessee this week following a pair of victories combined with a loss by the Volunteers. The Tigers, who had been ranked as the second-best team in the nation by AP voters since December 2, received 60 first-place votes.

Bruce Pearl’s Tigers are now ranked No. 1 for the first time since February of 2022 when they spent four weeks as the top team in the country before late-season struggles led to a first-weekend exit in the NCAA Tournament. Unlike that iteration of the Tigers which was willed to the top spot by current NBA stars [autotag]Jabari Smith Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Walker Kessler[/autotag], these Tigers have widely been considered the deepest, most complete team in all of college basketball behind six players averaging double figures.

The best of those players, superstar forward [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag], suffered an ankle injury in Auburn’s most recent victory over South Carolina. His status remains up in the air heading into the final stretch of the season, raising some questions as the whether Auburn will be able to cling to the top ranking for longer, or even as long, as it did in 2022.

Even without Broome the Tigers are undoubtedly one of the best teams in college basketball, which is something that was almost never said before Bruce Pearl’s tenure on the Plains. As for the remainder of the conference, Alabama (4) , Florida (5), Tennessee (6), and Kentucky (8) represent a laughably impressive half of the top 10. Texas A&M (11), Ole Miss (21), Georgia (23), and Tuesday’s opponent, Mississippi State (14) make up the remainder of SEC teams ranked among the top 25. Auburn is all but sure to be without Broome for Tuesday’s contest, creating an immediate test for the nation’s newest No. 1 ranked team.

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Walker Kessler had the best reaction to girlfriend Abbie Stockard winning Miss America 2025

This was SO cool to watch.

Utah Jazz big man Walker Kessler had a pleasant surprise while watching the Miss America pageant on Monday evening.

His girlfriend, Abbie Stockard, was in the pageant as Miss Alabama. At the end of the night, she was crowned Miss America. Kessler was streaming the event on his phone with his head coach, Will Hardy, and was overjoyed when he saw that Stockard won the title.

She is a 22-year-old nursing student who was a cheerleader at Auburn, where Kessler played college basketball before he was selected in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft.

Kessler had a priceless reaction to seeing his girlfriend earn this amazing accomplishment, and his coach was incredibly supportive during this very exciting moment as well.

This is surely something that Kessler, Hardy, and Stockard will never forget.

UPDATE: Stockard said she has watched the video like “200 times” so far.

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Auburn improves to No. 2 in AP Poll after another undefeated week

Auburn earned its highest ranking in the AP Poll since 2022 following another undefeated week.

The Auburn Tigers have claimed their highest ranking in the AP Poll in nearly two calendar years.

Bruce Pearl’s squad climbed up to No. 2 in the rankings following another undefeated week including victories over No. 5 Iowa State and No. 22 North Carolina. Auburn has not been ranked this high in the poll since February of 2022, when [autotag]Jabari Smith Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Walker Kessler[/autotag], and the SEC Champion Tigers fell to the No. 2 spot after holding the nation’s No. 1 ranking for three consecutive weeks.

Auburn could not usurp the No. 1 ranked Kansas Jayhawks despite receiving 26 first-place votes, nine behind Kansas’ 35. The Tigers and Jayhawks were the only programs to receive the top nod from AP voters, and Auburn’s total points of 1,490 also finished just nine behind Kansas’s 1,499. While Bruce Pearl’s Tigers enter the week behind Bill Self’s squad, Auburn does have a key opportunity to pick up another fantastic ‘Quad 1’ victory in the ACC/SEC Challenge this Wednesday against No. 9 ranked Duke.

A win in Cameron Indoor Stadium could catapult [autotag]Johni Broome[/autotag] and company ahead of Kanas. However, the Jayhawks have an identical, although less impressive, opportunity for a Quad 1 win on the road against Creighton on Wednesday. Both teams have easier, albeit still contentious, games to end their weeks. Auburn hosts Atlantic 10 program Richmond on Sunday while Kansas continues its road trip against Missouri.

Auburn is the top-ranked SEC program in this week’s AP Poll, checking in just ahead of Tennessee (No. 3) and Kentucky (No. 4). Alabama (No. 10), Florida (No. 13), Oklahoma (No. 21), Texas A&M (No. 22), and Ole Miss (No. 23), make up the other seven programs from the conference ranked among the top 25 teams in the nation. Arkansas, Texas, Mississippi State, and Georgia also received votes in the poll.

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Jaylin Williams signs undrafted free agent contract with Denver Nuggets

Williams is ready to take the next step of his basketball career by earning an invite to Nuggets’ camp.

Auburn basketball can now add another member to its growing list of NBA talent.

[autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag], who played forward for the Tigers for five seasons, has signed an undrafted free-agent contract with the Denver Nuggets following the conclusion of the 2024 NBA draft.

According to Justin Hokanson of Auburn Live, Williams’ contract with Denver is an “exhibit 10” contract. Williams will have the chance to compete in the Nuggets’ training camp with the possibility of earning a two-way contract with the team. The contract serves a minimum of one season, with most of the contract not being guaranteed.

Williams is the first former Tiger to earn a chance to play at the professional level since [autotag]Jabari Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Walker Kessler[/autotag], who were both drafted in the first round of the 2022 NBA draft.

He leaves Auburn as the program’s winningest player with 114 career wins since 2019. In five seasons, Williams averaged 9.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game.

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Jaylin Williams among top 100 prospects ahead of NBA draft

Williams looks to become the next Auburn player to join the NBA ranks.

Under [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag]’s direction, it has become common practice for Auburn basketball to produce NBA talent.

Pearl has produced six NBA draft picks since taking over the program in 2014, most recently sending [autotag]Jabari Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Walker Kessler[/autotag] to the association as first-round picks in 2022. The next Auburn-made NBA product could be forward Jaylin Williams.

Williams had an impressive Auburn career which saw him average 10-plus points per game in four of his five seasons on the Plains. Now, he is ready to take the next step in his career by joining the NBA ranks.

Ahead of next week’s NBA draft, [autotag]Jaylin Williams[/autotag] ranks No. 78 in On3’s top 100 prospects list. NBA Scouting Live feels that Williams could be a threat on both sides of the basketball.

Auburn’s Jaylin Williams is a versatile scorer that can make plays on both sides of the ball. He has a variety of skills but can tend to fade into the background too much at times, but he is a skilled forward that could end up being a second round pick in the 2024 draft.

Williams ends his collegiate career as Auburn’s all-time winningest player with over 110 wins. In five seasons at Auburn, Williams averaged 9.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game over 141 games. He looks to join the likes of [autotag]Isaac Okoro[/autotag] and [autotag]JT Thor[/autotag] by becoming another former Tiger on an active NBA roster.

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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.

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.

NBA Rising Stars 2024: Bennedict Mathurin unanimously named MVP to lead Team Jalen to title

Pacers sophomore Bennedict Mathurin was unanimously named MVP of the 2024 NBA Rising Stars game to lead Team Jalen to the championship.

Indiana Pacers sophomore Bennedict Mathurin on Friday was unanimously named MVP of the 2024 NBA Rising Stars game to lead Team Jalen to the championship in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Mathurin produced 18 points in the opening game as Team Jalen defeated Team Tamika. He had four points, two assists and one steal in a 26-13 win in the final over Team Detlef, which consisted of seven of the top players in the G League.

While Mathurin did the bulk of the scoring in the semifinal round, Dereck Lively II had six points and Jordan Hawkins and Jalen Williams each chipped in five points in the final. Williams drained the game-winning 3-pointer to end it for Team Jalen.

The event featured four seven-player teams competing in a three-game tournament for the third straight year. The two semifinal games were played to a target score of 40, and the championship game was played to a target score of 25.

The pool of players for the game consisted of 11 rookies, 10 second-year players and seven players from the G League. The players from the NBA were selected by assistant coaches and the players from the G League were selected by the league office.

The four teams were coached by Hall of Famer Pau Gasol, Indiana Fever legend Tamika Catchings and former Pacers standouts Jalen Rose and Detlef Schrempf, who led the G League team.

Here is how the teams performed in the event.

NBA Rising Stars 2024: Full rosters revealed in draft announcement

The NBA on Tuesday unveiled the four seven-player teams for the 2024 NBA Rising Stars game.

The NBA on Tuesday unveiled the four seven-player teams for the 2024 NBA Rising Stars game on Feb. 16 as part of All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The event will feature four seven-player teams competing in a three-game tournament for the third straight year. The two semifinal games will be played to a target score of 40. The championship game will be played to a target score of 25.

The pool of players for the game consists of 11 rookies, 10 second-year players and seven players from the G League. The 21 players in the NBA will be drafted onto three teams. The seven players in the G League will comprise the fourth team.

The players from the NBA were selected by assistant coaches. The players from the G League were selected by the league office. Each team submitted a rookie ballot and a sophomore ballot featuring four frontcourt players, four guards and two additional players of any position.

Hall of Famer Pau Gasol will return as one of the four honorary head coaches for the event. Joining Gasol are Indiana Fever legend Tamika Catchings and former Indiana Pacers standouts Jalen Rose and Detlef Schrempf, who will lead the G League team.

Here are the rosters drafted by Gasol, Catchings and Rose.

Jabari Smith Jr. and Walker Kessler to take part in Rising Stars game

Two former Tiger teammates are taking part in the NBA Rising Stars game

Former teammates turned young and budding NBA stars [autotag]Jabari Smith Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Walker Kessler[/autotag] have accepted their invitations to play in the NBA Rising Stars game to kick off the 2024 All-Star Weekend.

It’s the second straight year the former Tiger teammates will be participating in the event. This year’s version takes place on Friday, February 16 at 8 PM CST.

Smith comes into the All-Star break amid a breakout sophomore season for the Houston Rockets. The former second-overall pick has parlayed an outstanding Summer League and preseason into a 14-points-per-game and 9-rebounds-per-game campaign. He also averages nearly a block per contest.

As for Kessler, the 22-year-old has slightly regressed in terms of production this season for the Utah Jazz. The 7-foot center from Atlanta, Georgia is averaging 8 points and 7 rebounds this season after 9-point and 8-rebound averages in his rookie year.

Smith and Kessler make up a player poll of 28 rookies, sophomores, and G League players who will be drafted into four teams to compete in a single elimination tournament.

Other notable players in the poll rookies Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, Scoot Henderson, and Alabama alumni Brandon Miller. Former Kentucky center Oscar Tshibwe is one of seven players in the G League poll.

The Panini Rising Stars Challenge can be seen on TNT and HBO Max at 8 PM CST on February 16. NBATV will also be televising practice in the morning, starting at 10 AM CST.

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