Modified Lineup Shines in Huge Bounce Back Win for Auburn

Some people like going to Six Flags. Some people enjoy Dollywood. Some people like the slingshot ride at the beach. My favorite roller coaster to ride is Auburn Athletics. Just last Saturday, Auburn laid an egg against Kentucky with the entire country watching. We hosted College Gameday, had students camping out for 72 hours, and had a great opportunity to show everyone just how good our home court advantage is. Instead, Kentucky waltzed in and dominated us in our house. And the game wasn't even the worst loss we were faced with that day. Auburn lost a key piece in Jaylin Williams, and us as fans were left wondering whether or not we had just seen him play his last game in an Auburn jersey.

Fast forward just seven days, and we are back on top of the world. Auburn travelled to Georgia and picked up a 21-point road victory in a place where good teams have struggled this season. It's looking like we quickly got our swagger back, and it's also looking like we will soon get Jaylin Williams back. Bruce announced to the press today that Jaylin will be a "game-time decision" at Tennessee tomorrow. This is great news for Auburn. We will need everyone at their best if we want to make noise in March, and because of this, I'm hoping that Bruce sits Jaylin tomorrow as a precaution. I'd hate to rush him back before he's ready and end up losing him for good. Nonetheless, I'm super stoked that Jaylin is going to make a return.

Here are my thoughts from the win on Saturday...

-I thought the shake-up in the starting lineup was perfect. Aden seems to play better when he's starting, Chaney shined with his extra minutes, and CBM got an opportunity to show us what he's really got. I wouldn't be surprised to see some of these changes become permanent. The only thing that I expect will change is for Chaney to slide back to the bench when J-Will returns.

-My first point in my post last week was that Chaney Johnson would have a great opportunity to prove himself while Jaylin is out. 16 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal in 27 minutes of action. Man, I love being right. This kid is gaining confidence every game, and we got a sneak peek on Saturday of just how dangerous he can be. I love the potential I'm seeing, and if he can keep this up, he could be an x-factor for this team in the postseason.

-I may owe an apology to Aden Holloway. I say "may" because I want to see him perform like he did on Saturday on a more consistent basis. He had some good showings in non-conference play, but he has been very underwhelming in SEC play. If he can play like he played against Georgia for the remainder of the season, I can assure you that everyone will quickly forget his struggles. I see so much Jared Harper in him. He's a small, quick guard that can shoot it from anywhere on the court. If he has made it past the mental block, he too could make a huge impact in March.

-I really wasn't surprised to see Chad Baker-Mazara perform the way he did on Saturday. We've all seen what he can do. He just needed the opportunity to take control of the offense. I also thought it was pretty awesome that he dedicated his performance to his former high school coach that had passed away earlier in the week. He clearly had a chip on his shoulder on Saturday, and I think it's safe to say that his coach would be proud of what he's turned into as a player and as a leader.

-Any game officiated by Pat Adams or Doug Shows is going to turn into a ref show. If you see them on the list of officials for your favorite team's game, you better get comfortable in your seat. They will make sure that they extend the game as long as they can in order to get their screen time. Pat Adams called two double-tech's during the first half of Saturday's game. He hands them out like they're candy at Halloween. Nobody turns on a game to watch you blow your whistle Pat.

-I loved how we absorbed the blow from Georgia midway through the second half. They cut it to three at one point, and Auburn didn't panic. We continued to run our sets and get to our spots, and we quickly responded with a run of our own. It is important that you don't run your offense trying to "answer" another team's run. The flow of the game shouldn't dictate how you run your offense. Stick to what you know, stay calm, and get to your spots. I think that a lot of the time, teams want to respond to their opponent's run with a three to try and shift the momentum back in their favor. The problem with that is that if you miss one of these "answers," the momentum can exponentially swing in your opponent's favor. Don't panic trying to answer. Just run your offense and get to your spots. Auburn did just that on Saturday.

Auburn will have a huge test at Tennessee tomorrow. Auburn fans, don't get your hopes up. If our guards don't handle ball pressure better than they did against Kentucky, this one won't be pretty. Tennessee is ranked second nationally in defensive efficiency, so if we don't show up focused and ready to play, it could get nasty pretty quick. I don't expect to win, but I do expect a competitive game. The winner of this one will probably at least get a share of the SEC regular season title. Huge opportunity for both teams.