Auburn’s Friday night loss to Arizona came with a clear message: the Tigers could hang around, but the Wildcats still had the bigger gears when it mattered most. Arizona pulled away late for an 80-69 win at Neville Arena, snapping Auburn’s nation-best non-conference home streak and handing Steven Pearl’s team another double-digit loss to Tommy Lloyd’s group.
The game was tighter for longer than last year’s meeting, and Auburn did uncover a few things it can build on. Still, the closing stretch exposed the same gap in talent that showed up in the final minutes.
Huntsville native Caleb Holt led all scorers with 24 points to go with nine rebounds and five steals, while Ivan Kharchenkov added 19 points and eight boards. Motiejus Krivas chipped in a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, and that trio outscored any Tiger on the floor.
Even in defeat, there were a few bright spots for Auburn.
Thomas Dowd was one of them. He knocked down 5 of 8 shots overall and 4 of 5 from deep, and at times he had the Jungle buzzing. Dowd logged the most minutes and scored the most points for the Tigers, strengthening his case as a locked-in part of Pearl’s rotation.
Owen Freeman also gave Auburn something real to hold onto. With Narcisse Ngoy and Bukky Oboye dealing with foul trouble, Freeman stepped into a crucial middle stretch and handled the load. His work as a reliable minutes-eater could push Pearl to use him more at the 5 in the weeks ahead before SEC play begins.
George Kimble III added another encouraging note off the bench. He hit two of his three shots for seven points and also handed out three assists, with just one turnover. His +9 box-plus/minus led the team, marking his strongest outing yet in an Auburn uniform.
The rougher side of the ledger was just as obvious.
Ngoy’s night was derailed by fouls, and that kept Auburn from getting the kind of interior resistance it needed against Krivas. The six blocks stood out, but the rest of the line was hard to ignore: one point, 0 of 3 from the field, and 1 of 4 at the line.
Kevin Overton also ran into another cold shooting night. After struggling against Appalachian State on Monday, he followed that up by making just three of his last 19 attempts over the past two games.
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Auburns Mississippi State Trip Just Got Tougher Before Early Kickoff
Auburns Week 11 trip to Mississippi State has turned into a little more of a grind than planned, with the Tigers set to bus to Starkville because of a nationwide FAA ground stop that has disrupted flights. The original plan called for the team to fly out of Columbus and then continue by bus from Tupelo, but the travel change adds another wrinkle to a road game already built around an early start.
Coach Alex Golesh addressed the challenge of getting his team ready for an 11 a.m. kickoff after an early morning ride, and for Auburn the focus now shifts to keeping the routine as normal as possible on a day that will not feel normal at all. There have been no indications the game will be postponed or canceled, so the Tigers are simply adjusting and moving forward with a tougher-than-expected travel day. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Showed Real Promise But One Problem Will Follow This Team
Auburn left plenty to like in its 80-69 loss to No. 12 Arizona, even if the final score still sent the Tigers home with their first blemish of the season. The defense was active and disruptive, piling up 13 blocks and 12 steals, and the bench gave the team a real lift with 34 points, nearly half of Auburns total.
The problem was the kind that can undo good stretches against quality opponents: turnovers, fouls and missed free throws. Auburn showed it can defend and get production beyond the starters, but until the Tigers clean up the mistakes that kept giving Arizona extra chances, the margin for error against ranked teams will stay thin. [Read more 🡒]
Alex McPherson Keeps Giving Auburn Fans More Reasons To Trust Him
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For Auburn, the bigger story is the steady trust McPherson has built through consistency and poise. He owns the best career field goal success rate in school history at 87.7 percent, and he has spoken about his gratitude for representing Auburn while embracing the relationship he has with fans. In a program where every kick can swing a season, that kind of reliability carries real weight. [Read more 🡒]