A GAME CALLED BASKETBALL: Alabama 68, Auburn 50

Hey everyone.

Tonight’s game is being televised by ESPNU. Please watch along if you’d like.

FINAL: Alabama 68, Auburn 50
• Tony Barbee on the loss: “At the end of the day, it came down to toughness. We got out-toughed. It was disappointing.”
• Varez Ward: “We got some tough calls that went against us,” Ward said. “Things just went downhill from there.”
• Auburn finished with 20 turnovers after committing just three against MSU last weekend.
• Barbee on the turnovers: “We got a little fatigued and got sloppy with the ball. It led to 20 turnovers and 26 points for them — and that’s the game.”
• Frankie Sullivan led Auburn with 21 points on 6-of-12 shooting.
• Ward wasn’t quite as good — 3 points on 1-of-5 shooting, 6 turnovers.
• Rob Chubb scored 8 points in the first four minutes. He didn’t score again.
• Ward on Chubb’s disappearance: “We should have gone back to Chubb now that I’m sitting here thinking about it.”
• Auburn was called for three technicals, including two for hanging on the rim.

SIXTH SEGMENT: Alabama leads, 50-35 @ 11:30, 2nd
• Auburn can’t hit free throws and it’s sloppy on offense overall. There haven’t been many good shots taken by the guys in white. Alabama is playing only a little better, but it created a nice margin in the first half and that’s enough for now. Really surprised to see the Tigers flatlining like this.

FIFTH SEGMENT: Alabama leads, 43-32 @ 17:56, 2nd
• Auburn has conceded on four consecutive possessions. Remember that this is a team that prided itself on defense for most of the season. The Tigers are 5-for-10 at the line. Rob Chubb has lost his mojo. He’s just not in the game at all … even when he’s on the floor. He picked up a third foul with 17 minutes remaining.

HALFTIME ENTERTAINMENT: Quick Change. Best entertainment show ever in the history of ever.

HALFTIME: Alabama leads, 35-24.
• Auburn was called for three technicals. Trevor Releford turned them into six points.
• Auburn is shooting 46%; Alabama 43%.
• Alabama is 10-of-12 at the line. Auburn is 3-for-6.
• JaMychal Green leads all scorers with 12 points. Chubb leads Auburn with eight.

FOURTH SEGMENT: Alabama leads, 23-21 @ 3:56, 1st
• Both teams are pressing the issue in the full court. Sloppy passing. Sloppy ball-handling. Neither team looks very good right now.

THIRD SEGMENT: Game tied at 17 @ 14:58, 1st
• That didn’t go well. Auburn’s shot selection, which was really strong early deteriorated during that segment. Varez Ward was the worst offender with a pair of off-balance, desperation heaves from 18 feet. I don’t understand it. Alabama knows how to beat this zone. We’ll see if they can keep it up.

SECOND SEGMENT: Auburn leads 14-7 @ 11:38, 1st
• Alabama knows how to beat this Auburn zone. They can pass well and, at one point during that segment, rolled the ball from side to side until they found an open pass inside. It yielded an easy bucket. Kenny Gabriel was called for a technical foul for hanging on the rim after a tip slam.

FIRST SEGMENT: Auburn leads 10-4 @ 14:58, 1st
• What a start for the Tigers. They open 5-for-5 from the floor. Rob Chubb has eight points already. I don’t watch a lot of Alabama, granted, but I doubt PF JaMychal Green is supposed to be shooting from 16 feet. That’s exactly what he’s done — twice. Alabama is 2-for-8.

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE FORUMS