Auburn vs Missouri | 2021.1.26 | NCAAB Game

uh they're extremely motivated it doesn't matter who's in the lineup who's not this team comes ready to play and they're a handful bruce pearl outlined it to us earlier they didn't hang their heads there was no moping after the 0-4 lead start no complaining they just continued working with the understanding hey we're going to get our soon-to-be star sharif cooper at some point [Music] he's appointment television i don't know if i've mentioned that yet we weren't sure when we were on there we were off there on there so about repeated by same line sorry but you'll see it's working this kid two and white should play dean is not going crazy [Applause] well after the technical follow his assistant devin cambridge as you mentioned only gets the free throw and nothing else on the offensive end the ball is just going to be in two in white's hands seemingly all game is playing close to 35 minutes per game as well johnson with a wild three tillman lost it [Applause] a little surprised they didn't call that foul it looked like they ran into the shooter there i didn't think johnson flopped too much a three-point threat but can also pull it up from two comes off this curl and usually if you run into the shooter like that don't give them a good spot to land you'll get called for it but drew smith you heard the ire of the little south of 2000 in the building it's about 20 capacity at auburn arena this year that agreed with you bola picks up the dribble that's a long two cooper had the foot on the line pincing back into the game missouri off to a little slow start on this side of the floor and that shot blocked by williams cooper attacking excellent [Music] there's nobody in the sec i've seen that can drive the lane and draw two defenders better sharif cooper and then know what to do with it when you do have that opportunity such great quick instance remember this is just his sixth game pinson with the floater there's gonna have to make chicagos yeah he's been good he's got to keep getting to the basket try to get himself to the free-throw line and know that this is an auburn team that's one of the best shot blocking teams in the country so it's not going to come easy already a couple of blocks in the early minutes it's so good you just can't keep them out of the lane and it's too tempting to come over and help but if you're wilmore 32 you can't come help and pick it's got him you've got to resist that to stay on your man and then pinson with a beautiful floater and that's where they really need him at his best yes he shot the three well against tennessee but when he's attacking the rim north south getting to the free-throw line that's where xavier pence could be one of the best guards you blinked in all of a sudden bruce pearl has been at auburn for seven years three straight 25 win seasons the final four two years ago he's also the latest guest on the critically acclaimed big fallen podcast i'd ask you for what's your best bruce pearl story but i think i heard it what was this like gladiator russell pro s spectacle of baton rouge or junior year yeah yeah they said we want bradshaw at the end of the game and uh i was expendable so he said is this what you want walk me to the scorers table and uh and they cheered loudly so it transitioned to two-hand jordan wilmore has only played in four games this year as missouri back within two i think john brady gave that the thumbs down by the way yeah he did back in the day we weren't making a lot of people very happy we created a few enemies back there auburn 33 shooting from the field just one of six from deep but with the two-point advantage now cooper breaking down vinson flew by wilmore that was easy i know coach martin is trying to get will more some minutes but that's just not going to be a position that he's going to have success in as a big man trying to move his feet against the fastest player in the sec [Applause] in the corner chris moore that's good [Applause] moore nearly forced the turnover and missouri seems a little sped up and discombobulated [Applause] mitchell smith open mark smith found it but acting bola with another block now it's cooper aaron pass and got it back moore wants another [Applause] goodness even when he does a bad pass he gets it back and makes an assist on him missouri with his assists are for lobs dunks layups at the rim and you wonder why auburn's shooting such a good percentage from two that's it right there this man is creating easy buckets for others if you move when he has the ball the young man will find him hey that's not we you crunch the numbers well done there four assists already for cooper in eight minutes and he has it after the missouri miss tigers are cold 3-14 from deep and it's an 8-0 auburn run cooper baseline switches hands tip back in and more i think is going to get credit for it if so he's got eight points now mitchell smith not a great three-point shooter three of 20 on the year and the error compounded to foul on javon pickett his first i don't like it kevin i think you got to slow this game down if you're in missouri and kansa martin i'm sure is imploring his team look i've given you the freedom to play faster this year but we got to understand when it benefits the other team too take your time get the ball down low try to get it from two you see the work he's been able to put in at the university the east st louis native clearly has his best team at missouri they're 10-2 ranked 12th in the country this is the best iteration of mizzou tigers basketball in nearly a decade and they were winning big 12 championships been through some hard years martin's got them competitive again tonight down 12. not even nine minutes into the game down and out for jalen williams [Applause] this has not been missouri basketball in this first 10 minutes the most dangerous cons of martin team is an old veteran club and that's what he has right now but they're going to have to show it before they get too big of a hole no question this is true bugs seldom used off the bench he rarely shoots high off the glass drew smith misses [Applause] williams pushing cardwell is open and that's another foul on missouri that is the seventh team foul and damn bonus free throws for auburn for the remainder [Applause] just feels like on the offensive end auburn's able to get where they want to on the court they were to get mismatches they can reverse the ball they're beating missouri down in transition which is different from saturday when mizzou came out as the aggressor defeated the previously sixth ranked tennessee balls and they led wire to wire an impressive showing tonight the opposite sort of start [Music] buds leans in that's good zoo winners of four of the last five that victory against tennessee it's third against the top 25 ranked team and a win that was particularly satisfying i would say for juan konzo martin very versatile freshman from anchorage alaska already with five drew smith one of the better defenders in the sec you can't get blown by by the freshman jt thor you're shorter smaller quicker can't let the big man take you off the bounce true bugs and he had to hit that one he had his man on the ground after the cross up but he missed everything just about tillman bats it away there you go that's good defense by missouri see if they can't turn into easy offense mark smith earns some free throws coach mark wants to see more effort on the defensive end and this is it jeremiah tillman doing a great job getting in front of the post entry pass and that's where you want to attack the basket play fast when you have numbers but when it's just a five on five no advantage disadvantage that's not what i think is best for missouri in a game against the auburn bruce pearl tigers [Applause] a senior from edwardsville illinois thanks for the 10-point game again [Applause] auburn has certainly been a better offensive team than on the defensive side this year tonight flexing its muscles defensively [Applause] nails another three he's really been playing well as of late really his last seven games he's about doubled his productivity from the first half of the season very impressive freshman class for a big reason why and he had nine points in the first half real tall lanky freshman tillman follows with a bucket he hasn't had too many touches on that end of the floor yet tonight [Applause] [Applause] allen flanagan works off the cardwell screen loads it up missed that's a foul on auburn that's cardwell's first j.t thor off to a hot start his second three of the game like i said he's expecting and he knows where to get the ball and i think that's led to two nice looking three-point shots for him it's within the offense nine early points and you see the freshman class that bruce pearl's been able to put together with powell who's still out this game with the concussion protocol but man he was a bright star early in this season top rated player out of kentucky [Applause] he had to fill in like a few other guards for the injured cooper or excuse me cooper uh being ineligible for the first 11. tillman has some free throws coming so that's the first on jalen williams tillman playing his best basketball with late game the numbers in the bottom left scoring close to 17 a game over his last five what is it gonzo martin was saying he's just at peace he's more disciplined not putting the pressure on himself like he did in his early years and all those things are correct but it's also about staying out of foul trouble and keeping your butt on the court i mean his minutes per game are the highest they've ever been and i think in large part because he's learned how to play smarter and stay on the court and give himself a chance to get in rhythm getting a routine during the game and i'm really happy for tillman because he's had a tough few years in terms of just roller coaster that's his first bucket and from guess who sharif cooper and that's the fifth law we've seen cooper attempt this game i think four of them have had success that's incredible gained eight assists on 11 made field goals already for auburn i'd say does this surprise you but knowing the auburn recent offensive firepower i don't think it is a 12-point lead or sharif cooper is on our tigers here clearly as well as a coach and continues to set the example for his players you put it well i mean he embraces these opportunities much more than just a coach you can tell every time you talk to him he feels like he has such a purpose in his life uh well beyond basketball he's talked about you know even after coaching and plans and how he wants to give back and be involved and can continue to do things off the court and i know every player that's played for congress martin is a better person because of it he was a voice who a lot of coaches reached out to particularly this summer they actually drove to montgomery from knoxville after their saturday win before continuing to auburn with montgomery the capital of alabama being just down the road even kanso said a lot of the players were speechless i was as well there was not much i could say after [Music] he said usually after you know a trip like that he'll bring the guys in and say hey what are your thoughts let's talk about it he said we're speechless and uh [Applause] but i'll tell you where he was speechless and that was during the timeout he's drawn up two nice looks from jeremiah tillman one was over the top they found him a little late on the long pass but he gathered himself here he is now getting to the free-throw line and you know it's funny once you start playing under control and you don't have the reputation of a fouler all of a sudden you start getting a little bit better whistle and i think jeremiah tillman's benefited from that he misses the potential for the three-point play so for mizzou offensively it's hey a little less settling for threes and get the ball inside a bit more get to the free-throw line cooper the dish to flanagan that one was swatted away but that's exactly what you have to have it's got to be a help the helper if you're going to come help and stop cooper then you better drop down and help that helper and that's exactly what missouri did see he makes a great dish there but then the backside help comes in to recover for the original helper [Applause] gooseball foul on auburn [Applause] that's the second on jalen williams [Music] [Applause] bruce pearl has watched a lot of defenders look helpless according sharif cooper you mentioned to us he's no question got the best instincts and vision he said he sees the floor three-dimensionally as many other college players only see it two-dimensionally well and he's not just the highlight pass he also knows how to hit the single and make the right pass in transition but more times than not it does end up on a highlight reel however right now i like the way missouri has responded in the past couple of minutes they've slowed the game down they've gotten it inside early on they had taken about half of their shots from three that's just not where their strength is they gotta quit taking the bait and they are doing what you are asking him to do now seven out of ten from the strike and we're down by 14 a few minutes ago on a six-nothing run and cooper ends that just a seamless transition into live competition the addition of cooper and he wasn't ineligible the ncaa just took until january 9th to sort out his eligibility for this year so he's only played five games but look at the numbers already a pair of double doubles and points and assists mark smith he absorbs the contact and ah terrific defense going straight up [Applause] auburn scoring 12 more points a game with him in the lineup he's got a three short now pinch it [Applause] foul [Applause] [Music] nice job bob and that's where you want to take your opportunities push it up the court quiet so far in this game after having a call breakout because the whole sec already knew this guy's name but a bounce-back game for sure in knoxville where he was a huge reason why the missouri tigers led that one wire to wire and never let their foot off the gas and he's he's a real problem i mean he's hard to stay in front of he's so wiry gets in the lane and he has terrific hang time at the rim to where it's like he goes up at the rim and waits to see if you're going to foul him and if you don't he'll just kind of lay it up on the way down really nice body control [Applause] eight to two missouri run look at that feed thor couldn't finish it but the wrap around with the left hand [Applause] now [Applause] missouri was down 14 a few minutes ago got it back to single digits oh tillman he missed it as my coach used to tell me in those positions whether it's a layup or a teammate with a miss dunk i can't get you any closer than that tons of martin can't draw up a better play than this and you did all your work early you got deep post position tillman missed a couple dunks in the previous game he's got to just figure out a way to throw that thing down won't get an easier opportunity than that and so gosh daddy sold the injury yeah it's a technical on tillman because he hung on the rim i mean she should think how about some sympathy for me yeah i don't know i think you just let that one play you know get the ball and go the other way the damage is already done enough penalty off to this dunk [Applause] it's auburn by eight winners of three of their last four certainly the rising team in the sec missouri coming off of a great week wins against south carolina and previously sixth ranked tennessee we figured this would be a compelling one and a whistle on the drive in that may be an offensive foul on cooper that's big time defense by picking there cooper looked at that i mean he had the ball screen he weighed it off because he had the match-up he wanted and pick it man's up here ends up getting called up the hook with that wing coming out on cooper so nice job by picking stepping up on the opponent's best player so if there was a time for missouri to attack it's now because cooper is on the bench with three fouls off the pins and miss it's flanagan brings it up to the tigers yeah we haven't heard flanagan's name much but he's played a lot of point guard one of the most improved players in the sec nice look and he hits javon franklin it's contagious right on cue flame again does not flinch when they give the ball in his hands and say go one point [Applause] [Music] ten point lead for auburn [Applause] vincent got johnson in the air little separation nice kiss off the window off the bench not real happy about that because cooper goes out with his third foul but then pinson gets away with his own chicken wing no call there pinson just one of six from the field remember went for 27. that was terrific against tennessee on saturday franklin again right spot at the right time great hands i mean these are bullet passes in traffic but they're passes that the auburn big men are expecting down low and finishing at a high level [Applause] that's a foul on j von franklin so auburn back up by 10. this team dropping dimes everywhere well dane i think last week what bama was up by about 25 at this point yeah but history was made and there was a lot of three-point shooters in that game for alabama but jordan's right not that many three-point shooters from missouri and that's not the foundation or the identity of this missouri team just one for 10 from the three-point line right now but i think they're starting to chip away here they're getting themselves to the free-throw line getting it in down low but got to find a way to stop auburn on the other end and this is a really good missouri defense so it's no small task for auburn to be putting up the type of numbers they are so far well first off congrats to drew smith now one thousand point scorer but yeah you and jordan are right because three times over auburn's last five games they have scored north of 90 points and missouri change up the pace made sure not to miss that one high percentage looks got to finish those big fella more rebounds as well for tillman it's a six-point game again the closest missouri has been since the early minutes offensive rebound kick out johnson offline from three as well so an empty possession for auburn here's drew smith let's go puts it in and his first three and first points are timely ones it's a three-point game again and timeout auburn [Applause] jeremiah tillman was not winning most dependable for the missouri tigers but now he's a candidate i mean you know what you're going to get game in game out from the big fella and that's not something that coach martin his staff could rely on he didn't know if he was going to be in foul trouble or not from game to game and he just found a way to keep himself on the court be productive and you have to account for him now on the other end and that win against tennessee i saw tennessee throw four different matchups at him they tried three different guys they tried double teams that's not something you said about tillman a year ago it was just hey let's put one guy on him he's not much of a factor on the offensive end draw a few charges we'll get him on the bench in no time but a different player now for the missouri tigers can i ask you what your superlative was in your senior yearbook oh man uh most entrepreneurial what was it yeah i i don't know most likely to you know i was kind of like the uh the the green ribbon guy yeah like i was always getting like team before self awards and most improved and all that stuff it was always like hey you try really hard you're not that good but you try so hard i got a lot of those type trophies at home it sounds like you should have gotten the mr dependable award as well we've got some turnovers here and after the foul it's the sophomore from georgia jalen williams at the free throw line since uh sharif cooper dane has sat down with his third foul it's a nine to four missouri run they're back within four after trailing by 14. not so much of a surprise really i mean he's added what about 10 points per game to this auburn offense since he's come on board but i even before he got the fouls i thought tons of martin sent a message or whatever it was at the eight minute mark and they got their ball with a nice look into tillman inside they started playing their style of basketball and it's been the missouri tigers ever since tillman was rescued by smith i don't think that hit the rim and well didn't matter because pickett beat the timer anyway two-point game [Applause] auburn's once 14-point lead is dwindled down to two [Music] thor has been lethal from deep today smith dives and he gets whistled for the foul slid right underneath alan flanagan this starts off with good defense by pick it in there's no way if you're a missouri player and that ball's in front of the bench in front of condo martin and you're not diving i mean you could you could hear gonzo martin screaming for that dive and mitchell smith knew what to do and you'll live with that even if it leads to a couple points at the free-throw line if that's the type of hustle you're gonna play with [Applause] [Music] [Applause] this missouri team embodies that toughness that martin pleads for they've got an old soul it's an experienced team the oldest in the sec looking to stretch its win streak to four straight tonight and stay near the top of the sec pick it on the turnaround thor rips it away from smith shot clock is off pick it charted away pinson two on one keeps it himself can't lay it in 15 seconds until half [Applause] [Music] [Applause] this is flanagan [Applause] cardwell sets the screen two to shoot flanagan step back three auburn with a four-point lead at the break and with sharif cooper sitting down for the final five minutes all things considered that runny where the momentum was seized back missouri ended that half on a 19-9 run yeah you saw the the banner of course on the outside of auburn arena the tigers get to say they were a final four participant two years ago [Applause] by the way dane just a moment ago you saw it sharif cooper on the sideline getting stretched down still and that is the marksman mark smith himself who drills his first three this is a big problem with cooper on the bench there maybe he's a little tight i don't know but uh javon pickett from missouri may have had the play of the game in the first half just with his defense drawing the charge on cooper that got him to the bench this is a guy right now auburn is plus nine with him in the game you can see what the score is without him so he's the most valuable player on the court for both sides auburn was once up by 14. about midway through the first half and now missouri back within one tillman and realizes i can go up with it battling for the loose basketball might have traveled and he did even then good patience by tillman down low he's not lowering his shoulder getting the charge they trust when the ball goes into him in the paint tillman has yet to pick up a personal foul he's blocked three shots now four of seven from the field so with no cooper a second auburn turnover on its two second half possessions pins it on the pull-up rebound to cambridge [Applause] and so dain it's planning to runs the point look out for devon cambridge [Applause] very familiar with the starting roll so he gets the nod here in the second half played well coming off the bench when cooper was inserted in the lineup but plenty of experience for 35 and white johnson williams flanagan thor and cambridge the five for the tigers no cooper and mark smith with two baskets to start the second half he's such an x factor for missouri offensively got off to a really hot start to start the season a little sluggish afterwards but if you can get going on a consistent basis they go from a good offensive team to an almost great i won't put a lot high in the category but they got a lot of weapons on the court boy armored had a cutter open on that prior possession and another turnover [Applause] so three for the auburn tigers in the first two minutes of the second half [Applause] auburn's trying to keep rising it's won three of four after an owen four lead start smith watches that one bounce through first lead for missouri since it was one to nothing auburn on its heels trying to change momentum and williams got that one partially blocked the zoo on the move [Applause] to tillman back with the right hand scores it [Applause] from four down four up in a matter of minutes no sharif cooper and all sorts of problems dane uh ten to two run for missouri right out the chute yeah how about that first win that's just another word for really good wins and the more q1 wins you have the higher your seed will be in the ncaa tournament you see the wins against oregon illinois arkansas and wichita state this would be its sixth it would tie missouri with gonzaga for the most of the country but dean here is sharif cooper back on the floor missouri has gone on a 21-9 run since cooper sat down with three fouls with five minutes to go in the first and a wild shot is another miss for the tigers that's not to take anything away because i think it's been as much about what missouri has done as it has been cooper on the bench but auburn just is not going to be able to compete with this missouri team without their star point guard in the lineup he's made such a difference for them all season long wow mitchell smith has made a very nice difference in today's game redshirt senior from van buren arkansas with five points look at the offense the difference in production with the five-star superstar on the floor during the first 11 games when he was not eligible to play just yet and we know the effect but you got to hope if you're bruce pearl that hey you can withstand him being infalchable for a few minutes but this auburn team just was not able to handle that adversity with the point guard going out and other guys are going to have to step up and don't forget this is an auburn team that yes they've done a nice job of winning on the road but they thrive at home this is one of the best home environments so without a capacity crowd which bruce pearl says they're the crowd's worth about 10 points to us and you don't have your star point guard on the court due to foul trouble against a really really good missouri team you see what happens that was a great point you asked him about it he was very honest with this crowd this place usually filled you get 10 extra points they could use it they're down five by the way you just saw a moment ago cooper immediately making the difference he's set up cardwell and he gets two free throws might not get the assist there but cardwell was put in a nice spot [Applause] missouri beat auburn a year ago out in columbia missouri hinson and drew smith combined for 56 points they were excellent it's pins it again five to shoot pins it no two on one and flanigan can get it to cardwell sharif trying to bounce it off of drew becomes smith got it in the foul [Applause] when you got three bad passes in a row on a fast break that's probably going to lead and denied what would have been probably a lengthy trip in the ncaa tournament back in march drew smith at the line after making a layup he was foul trying to complete the and one he was terrific this past week in the wins against south carolina and tennessee the sec player of the week he is not disappointed he certainly exceeded my expectations when conzo martin talked about hey this evansville transfer is going to be so good he's going to be a difference maker in our program and all players look good kind of in their sit-out year and they're on the practice squad and they got the green light and then when they get eligible it's like oh you know what they they weren't quite as good as i thought uh not the case for drew smith better than advertised and konza martin was on to something when he preached just how good this evidence-filled transfer was they really did strike gold in the transfer market two years at evansville he's got his degrees finishing up his final year of college he wants to be a financial advisor another foul on missouri [Applause] so three fouls on pinson missouri once down 14 up by seven and continues to lengthen the lead cooper on the drive tillman slapped and with the shot clock at two there's a foul inside so auburn gets bailed out by the whistle they're doing a good job right now because they're forcing cooper into the paint but they have the help coming without leaving a wide open teammate for cooper i mean cooper is driving his head is at the rim but he's also looking for his teammates and if i'm the opponent i want cooper in there trying to finish amongst the trees instead of dishing amongst the trees for an easy two here's thor lines it up knocks it down that's his third triple back to a four point game same look that he made a three on early in the first half just that screener step back a staple of bruce pearl's offense easy offensive foul call on mark smith and the second one of the game for cooper really good job playing aggressive defensively knowing you have three fouls can't put those hands down for a hand check showing your chest gets the call a freshman from down the road in powder springs georgia seven points make it nine five assists tonight auburn back within two drive and kick tillman lost it well i've challenged him to finish amongst the trees and he can do it all man this little guy you can't keep him out of the lane crossover over one of the best defenders and then go up against one of your top rim protectors and just lay it off off the glass and it's just night and day what this auburn team looks like with and without sharif it's incredible you missed the first 11 games the ncaa ruled him eligible to play on january 9th what does he do his first game in the the auburn jersey 26 points against alabama nearly topples the crimson tide that day you know we asked him earlier today how in the world were you ready to seamlessly jump back in he didn't have much of an answer he was i don't really know how i've done it i just feel very fortunate that i was able to stay really steady and mentally strong having to be away from the team not being allowed to practice and he's looking like forget about just freshmen of the year looking like a player of the year candidate in the sec the more honest answer would have been i'm just better than everybody but the humble freshman took the high road 7-0 auburn run smith can't respond here he comes that's almost a wise foul not really though it's the 16th foul on missouri pickett delays maybe the inevitable of what could be coming here so they'll inbound it on the baseline or make it on the sideline part remember the big 12 sec challenge is this saturday excellent matchups a couple of top 25 battles one is kansas and tennessee at six a rematch of last year's meeting and then immediately afterward fifth ranked texas and kentucky both are looking to avenge some losses tonight alabama and oklahoma another top 25 battle that's at noon on saturday uh missouri needed that pickett gives the tigers a two-point advantage again cooper knew he was in no man's land and just starts screaming for the help he literally surrendered on defense and said come help come help but it didn't come quick enough with the left hand almost was able to scoop it in check this out i guess you give him a pass for this they're going to get the post-century on cooper and he realizes he's in trouble he just says come help come help i'm done i'm done that's about as safe as you can play it for cooper and pick it with the heady play and help could not come soon enough yeah he gave up about half a foot there on that [Applause] does matchup take him long to make up for him though does he i mean what he gives up the two and five six seconds later he's at the free throw line getting it back he'll live to fight another day probably a smart move by the high iq freshman [Applause] that's the ninth auburn block bruce smith says i'll take it from a few steps back this time that's a foul on auburn missouri will keep it they have made it a purpose to try to post up sharif cooper knowing he's in foul trouble and also knowing there's a size advantage there but the help has been there akibola as you mentioned with the swath this is an auburn team that blocks 15 of the shots opponents take they are long they're aggressive they don't necessarily get the steals that bruce pearl teams of the past get that lead to transition but they've got rim protectors throughout taller team compared to the recent iterations of tigers basketball the last few years pickett on the up and under and that's a clear goaltend i don't know if that one was going to even reach the rim and akibola got a little or make it jalen williams a little over zealous and the respect cons of martin has for sharif cooper is that they're going at them javon pickett is not a primary option for the missouri tigers but if cooper's guarding them they're going to say you know what i don't care who our best offensive weapon is you got it you take it let's see if we can't get another foul [Music] reaching [Applause] third foul on the junior from belleville illinois such a reliable guard off the bench the unsung hero makes a lot of hustle plays cooper back at the line where he is seven of nine he's got one more [Applause] so so who does he remind you of the just the impact that he makes the playmaking abilities of cooper as just a freshman it's not the exact same but given his size and stature it reminds me a little bit of tyler euless at kentucky where he just always seemed to make the right decision could score on you could facilitate i think cooper's a little flashier but euless could defend you 94 feet had the speed i just love seeing some of these smaller guards be the best player on the court and there he is with a third drawn charge of the game making former tiger jared harper proud cooper getting all in there true or false you have fallen asleep in bruce pearl film sessions before no i sit in a friend i can't uh uh false all right there you have it not only a good point guard but an honest one and a good student of the game thanks cherise spoken like someone who has fallen asleep in one of those film studies back in knoxville back in the day now cooper knows uh the secret you got to sit in the front row right next to bruce so his volume keeps you up he can have some long sessions in that dark film room man and uh you know cooper hasn't been eligible too long so that doesn't mean his time is not coming to doze off a little bit uh fun kid i i laughed you know what as he said isaac akuro the number five draft pick was was his robin so he's respectfully extremely confident i don't blame him with that type of game wildly poised as well tillman has some free throws coming well he is a big reason why auburn once down by seven earlier in this half has things knotted up again i dane how would you describe his impact on this game in particular well when you want somebody on the court that makes people around him better there's been no better example i've seen in the sec even in a short amount of time than sharif cooper he gets his team easy buckets he's a pest defensively he's taking more pride on that end and he is plus 13 in this game when he's on the court auburn is up 13 points so that right there shows you all you need to know i will say this missouri has been better when they come out of timeouts and they say we're going to get that ball into jeremiah tillman a good look there for concept mark one point leading in for the visiting tigers tillman may get credit for his fifth block and i like it i think you've got to stay attached to the post um teammate if you're missouri i would rather see sharif cooper make tough twos all day as opposed to dishing out easy two [Applause] missed opportunity for missouri cambridge bounces hawking bulma blocking foul the sophomore from nigeria has some free throws wild sequence here yeah no question drew smith does his part gets it off the glass and pick it who's played a nice game misses the bunny there a little bit out of control for auburn but get themselves to the free-throw line regardless good job by chris moore freshman number five has a season high eight points in nine minutes kind of an unsung hero of this game if you will because the other guys are struggling when you look at johnson and flanagan they're combined one for 13. those are scores you typically rely on so as much credit as we give sharif cooper chris moore the role player has stepped up under the radar you know dave it feels like missouri getting some of it similar looks at the rim just struggling converting shooting 37 from the field [Applause] and getting a battle [Applause] from the auburn tigers mark smith rebound to williams cooper lobbing up cambridge you run with him he's got to get the ball through and reward you [Applause] [Music] that's a foul on auburn after the kobe brown miss and you can see drew smith is the defender from missouri knows his company he's like do i stop the ball do i stop the oop and cooper's like i'm not going to throw it till you come at me and when you get an athlete like cambridge where you can throw it late and he's still going to get it with ease as a highlight every time drew smith kicks out pick it full head of steam we're tied [Applause] halfway mark to the second half missouri after rising to 12th in the country trying to stretch its win streak to four looking for its fifth road win here at auburn chris moore got another three call that the hammer pass when he drives baseline gets to that corner he's gonna be looking for you in a left-hand pass there this pace is starting to favor auburn yes javon pickett's gonna get a nice highlight here i mean he's played a really really solid game for missouri a reliable veteran guard that's about as easy as the two as you're going to get but finishes with authority and then with the left baseline drift chris moore we're just complimenting the way he's stepped up tonight knocks down a big corner that's his third triple a career-high 11. when auburn has needed someone to step up dan you mentioned this earlier jamal johnson alan flanagan have struggled to score and moore providing a huge boost well above his season average [Applause] one-point game auburn has yet to knock off a ranked team this year everything seems to be aligning right now for the tigers at this point this season a lot of momentum and with a three-point lead cooper wow what do you do you take away the pass he's that quick he just lays it up one-handed off the glass against the biggest defender you got 15 points seven assists he's nearing his third double-double in six games now tillman pick it difficult shot hardwell with the board [Applause] here he goes again that time good deflection right at the rim smith head fake and drive smart move but another block it's the 11th auburn block and it's jt four this time [Applause] look who's open thor moore trying to keep it alive that would have been assist number eight for sharif cooper here's drew smith for three boy they needed that one i mean missouri was really struggling offensively and they can win a game that i mean that's their dna keep these games under 70. they've had 19 straight games where they've held opponents under 80. and they've got to keep it that way if they want to win this one on the road [Applause] they said he's got like a quarterback we just try to block and give him space to go make a play and that's what they do to get cooper in a position to be successful let him go sights on the end zone rolls through this gets put on a show [Applause] tillman working on cardwell turnaround that's through exciting one inside auburn arena cambridge two free throws coming sharif cooper 19 points imagine what the jungle would be rocking like right now if you could have full capacity i mean we missed seeing these crowds and cooper bruce pearl talked about the crowd being a plus 10 for him and uh if cooper's playing like this they might be a plus 20 with the way the crowd would be on their feet after this performance i was just going to say i don't know if missouri would be this close about all those stars kate cunningham jarrod butler moses that's a big deal and the challenge you know was all about the big 12. and then the sec became more and more competitive to where now they've split the last 40 games be curious to see a lot of toss-up matchups coming your way saturday here he comes again no look to cardwell and it's a blocking foul before the shot auburn though is in the double bonus and so the freshman from augusta dylan cardwell is at the stripe 6 29 to go on thursday remember big women's hoops game it's a top 25 battle fourth ranked south carolina and 21st ranked mississippi state thursday at seven on espn our good friends courtney lyle and carolyn peck giving us the intel aliyah boston the sec player of the year candidate for usc a big top 25 battle on thursday six ties two lead changes this half and missouri down six once more torrence watson has barely played today puts one up it's another empty position [Applause] cooper's fingerprints all over this game gets another whistle dane he's going to take his 12th and 13th free throws pinson fouled out yeah i mean this has been a problem for missouri is is the consistency of xavier pinson he's public enemy number one when we talked to bruce pearl about missouri guards he said they've just given us such problems we could not keep pinson out of paint he gets himself to the free-throw line he destroyed tennessee the other night in their road win but he certainly had the attention of the auburn tigers scouting report in which they were able to hold him to just two for 11. and just four trips to the free-throw line so missouri's leading scorer on the bench for the last 6-0-1 can i challenge you to try to answer this question with any other answer besides sharif cooper how has auburn made up a seven-point deficit lead by eight at this point well they're also getting stopped look they're holding missouri to 36 percent field goal shooting 25 from three-point range so missouri's gonna have to throw the ball in the dang ocean because right now if they comes in if they get themselves further behind i'm not sure they have the firepower to score quicker so if you're kanto bart you got to say guys look there's a lot of time left in this game we do not have to press and shoot quick shots do what we do get the ball inside get to the free throw line where they got there 14 times in the first half just five in the second so far slowed this game down tillman 205 with the stripe one more gets it back to a two possession game with pinson on the bench it's drew and mark smith drew bugs javon pickett and mitchell smith auburn led by 14 around the midway mark of the first half fell behind early in the second but a made up ground in a big way that's consecutive possessions cooper has gotten that call he's got two more free throws coming trying to how do you keep them in front of you and you know maybe a touch foul there with a little bump but without coach martin i start to look back at what arkansas did in the second half against auburn where they just sent a double team at cooper every time the ball's in his hands make him give it up yes bruce pro and auburn have prepared for that now that they've seen it but still what else do you have to lose try playing four on three let the other auburn guys beat you and throw that double team at cooper and see if that can change things it's been a long time since missouri's been able to get consecutive stops 23 points for sharif cooper 13 of those from the free throw line tillman close range and a rebound down to the freshman star [Applause] see i send a double team that's what arkansas did just leave your man and go get him make him give the ball up [Applause] kick to thor for three there's the stop mizzou needed [Applause] smith into the paint floats it up fouled heading to the line and that's the fourth on sharif cooper now big play he's done a brilliant job of playing smart on a defensive end not getting any charges but that time drew smith returns the favor again i don't really agree with either call against drew smith or cooper but they're calling it both ways with the small chest bomb cooper's saying you know what else can i do i'm playing with my hands off open chest smith the unflappable senior now seven of seven from the stripe he leads all missouri tigers scores with 18. you mentioned it jordan cornett said it before that 80-point mark [Applause] it feels like an important number the closer auburn gets to it it feels as if it may be an insurmountable number for missouri and if you're not within you saying excuse me you might be saying why take cooper out i know he's got four but we can't afford to have him the media timeout's coming up on the under four so can auburn just hold this lead give cooper a breather buy a little bit of time get yourself to that final media timeout [Applause] cardwell nearly turned it over and that's what offense looks like with cooper on the pitch oh my goodness [Applause] smith pump fake squeezes through two and he scores it five-point game [Music] really good response by missouri but this is where 22 and white flannigan has not had much of an impact on this game but one of the most improved sophomores in the sec has got to make a play for this auburn team so they aren't so dependent on cooper stay in attack mode [Applause] auburn trying to rank off its first ranked opponent this year [Applause] cardwell foolish foul tillman with free throws when we come back dane three possession lead for auburn reigning sec player of the week plus minus that auburn is plus 21 when he's been on the court i mean that is such a huge number and what is an otherwise close game and so missouri number one's got to find a way to get the ball out of his hands on the other end and if you're lucky find a way to draw that fifth foul on him as soon as possible [Applause] missouri with its sixth miss at the free-throw line cooper has got to find someone and just barely beat the ten count smith jars it away up ahead to pick it timely steal and bucket drew smith just all over the place just bailing missouri out on the offensive end and the first on the floor every single time defensively 21 points and two steals for drew smith he's guarding sharif cooper that shot wiped away by tillman well not so fast says missouri chance to get it back to a two or a three-point game mark smith for three down and out it's a good look good shooter cambridge flanagan blocking foul and that is the fifth on mark smith he becomes the second missouri starter to foul out cooper was just a little bit sloppy to start this whole possession and drew smith nobody's gonna out hustle him does the rest so that's one way to get out of his hands and really back-to-back possessions of good defense from missouri as they swallowed the alley-oop attempt away just unfortunately smith unable to get that open three-point look to go and then a foul on the other end what could turn out to be a five-point swing [Applause] smith and pinson have both fouled out two starters two double figures scores pickett tillman and drew smith all with three the only players in foul trouble for auburn sharif cooper and dylan cardwell each have four but it's now a three possession lead again for auburn 225 to go drew smith has another block oh back-to-back rejections wow devin cambridge comes out of nowhere drew smith harassing cooper frustration 13 blocks by auburn tonight one of the best teams in the country in terms of blocks and you get one here and just when you think you have a bunny cambridge just with the quick hops i mean that's just a he didn't have a run and jump or anything feet set just a straight vertical on jeremiah tillman that could end up being the biggest defensive play of the game if auburn can hold on you've referenced missouri's ability to attack the paint get close-range looks and get to the free-throw line the block not just sharif cooper a major factor for auburn's nine-point lead 13 rejections tonight for robert count it and tillman is a chance for one more that's a good start for the comeback get the and one easy bucket inside knock down your free throw and you know i was just about to say with missouri down nine there i think they're gonna have to basically put up a shutout on the defensive end i'm not sure they have more than nine points in them with two minutes to go but a chance to knock three of those out of the way here with this another miss seven misses at the stripe from missouri what a challenge tonight it has gotten the eruption at the rim oh man is that not all for basketball just when you say kind of go in prevent mode prevent mode it's like now let's just let's stay stay aggressive pick it hits the three okay alan flanagan take it away yeah i mean you're sitting there saying pull it out pulled out by clock and playing against like no i fix sharif cooper has been a wizard again for auburn 25.7 assists his tigers are a minute and 34 away of knocking off their first ranked opponent this year trending in the right direction he was ruled eligible by the ncaa on january ninth auburn three and two since looking to make it four out of six with a victory tonight against a typically stout missouri team on the defensive side what another impressive evening for cooper six to shoot drives hesitates lost williams has to let it go rebound tillman and that may be a foul it is john williams jeremiah tillman has free throws you just can't compound one mistake with another you got to get that hand out of there don't reach in the cookie jar cooper goes in the lane he gets the defense in the air and williams thought he was going to shoot it whereas cooper was trying to spoon feed it to him cut off guard just a sloppy finish to that possession leading to two free throws where tillman is struggling so far tonight [Applause] i mean jeremiah tillman he can make those we've seen him get hot from the free-throw line but when you miss a couple it starts to get mental and i don't think there's any question that's had a big influence on his performance from the strike dean missouri has missed its last six free throws [Applause] bruce pearl told us this team started league play 0 and 4. no complaining [Applause] they knew sharif cooper was coming eventually and they may close out their fourth win over their last five in about 48 seconds though they need to a little better defense than that that basket makes it a five-point game finding his teammates or scoring himself and he does it in such an unselfish way it's not as if he's going for the home run every single time it's just when the ball's in his hands you're going to get an open shot plus he scored 25. his fourth 20-point game as jalen williams heading to the line just a 50 free throw shooter and missouri hoping that he keeps the door open just a jar yeah that's one area where sharif cooper is gonna have to learn i know you're trapped in that corner but when you get that ball split the trap make them foul you as good as he's been at the free throw line don't be so quick to give it up to a 50 percent shooter but williams answering the challenge on that one williams nails on both three possession lead and missouri needs a quick score maybe a hoist watson that one blocked incredible performance jt thor four blocks 13 as a team for the tigers he's been steady all game offensively hit threes early on to get auburn in a rhythm and defensively several blocks in this game and that one that's just a wingspan for you right there at thor it's auburn inches closer to the upset victory of a really good missouri team with arguably the best resume in the essex you know 25 less or whatever it is you can't teach or scout this type of speed and so you got to have an elite one-on-one defender and certainly have a game plan where you've got to help the helper because whoever's guarding cooper is going to need help so you better help that guy you seconds were put back on the clock it continues to roll inside of 30 seconds a blocking foul on drew smith and sharif cooper 15 of 17 at the strike heading back to the line less than 29 seconds to go it only feels as if it's inevitable at this point [Applause] good effort there by smith and that's close drew smith as good as anybody is drawing those charges he fouls out of the game but drew smith one of my favorite players in the league because this guy gives you his all the evansville transfer has been such a difference maker for this missouri program gives them everything you want as a leader on the offensive end the defensive end the locker room and this missouri team's not going anywhere this is just one loss for them but this is every bit of a top 15 program right now auburn 34 of 42 at the stripe tonight eight point lead bugs to watson someone has to put it up brown the stuff [Applause] you don't want to have to foul him he's been automatic at the line 16 of 17 from the strike 26 points eight rebounds seven assists that expression has remained unchanged excuse me no the way he employs nature yeah and the way he was able to control this game while avoiding that fourth foul for so long he got it a little bit under the five-minute mark and has obviously been able to withstand getting a fifth foul but for him to play as aggressive as he did as smart as he did and not have to go to the bench was the difference in the game [Applause] another record for the freshman 18 free throws made is an auburn program record for a single game tillman with the stuff it's just a footnote now sharif cooper the real deal leads auburn to the upset win tonight over missouri the tigers with their first win pardon against a ranked foe this season

Channel: The Draftmatic

Views: 6,473

Keywords:

Id: 4jXD8ZErpxc

Length: 74min 48sec (4488 seconds)

Published: Tue Jan 26 2021