Auburn Falls to Ole Miss 69-59

Auburn got T.J. Dunans back for the first time since December 23rd, but he wasn't enough to lift the Tigers over Ole Miss Saturday night.

Dunans entered the game early in the first half after Auburn opened the game on a 7-0 run that featured a defensive stretch with four blocks by Horace Spencer before the first media timeout. The Rebels fought back, though, and Auburn had little to no answer for Stefan Moody or the Rebels' defense. It seemed like Auburn used up most of the 10 seconds before crossing half court on each possession and then were left with having to scramble to take shots. That's something that should be all too familiar for Tiger fans.

The Rebels went into the half with a seven point lead, and that's about where it stayed for most of the second half. It did get up to twelve points and down to four points, but it seems like the majority of the half was stuck at seven until the final minutes. Whenever Auburn would hit a big shot or have a good defensive play, the Rebels would answer.

Auburn had to play most of the second half without Tyler Harris, who was leading the team in scoring before he went out having taken an elbow to the face on a rebound effort. On the replay you could see him buckle immediately and he hit the court like a rag doll. No foul was called on the play.

Auburn may not have come away with the win, but they at least were in contention for the whole game. A few more breaks and things could have been different. Dunans was obviously rusty, and his tendency to make some questionable passes showed at times, as well. Auburn turned the ball over much more than Ole Miss, which is something this team just can't do with the depth issues they have right now.

The Tigers will return to action Wednesday night in Auburn Arena against the Georgia Bulldogs.

Other Thoughts.

Horace Spencer had four blocks before the first media timeout!?!? That's spectacular. Of course, he only tallied one more for the remained of the game, but still. That's partially due to how quickly he reached four fouls (again).

I think Auburn still has at least one more upset in them. Maybe more. This was Dunans' first game back, so he needs some time. Ole Miss isn't a bad team, though, and the Tigers played them well the whole night even with the turnovers and bad shooting. On nights when this team gets their act together (like against Arkansas last week), they're capable of surprising people.

The SEC Network announcers are just bad. I know, I know, turn it off and listen to Rod and Sonny. It's hard to do that when you're having to watch the game on the iPad, already. Matching multiple internet streams is just really annoying. This crew sounded like they wanted to do unspeakable things with Stefan Moody with how they were fawning over him the whole night. Yes, he was impressive, but the constant talk gets annoying.