Freeman’s putback sends sharp comeback to NCAA tournament committee: Don’t count Auburn out yet

 

 

AUBURN, Ala. — The basket seemed about as tiny as a shot glass to Auburn Saturday night against Kentucky but the rear exit of Neville Arena and a loathsome invitation to the NIT (The Nobodies Invitational Tournament) was about to be kicked wide open.

The Tigers missed 14 three-pointers and 17 layups and were perilously close to falling down the stairs and missing the NCAA tournament, a minimum requirement for any Auburn coach, even if Steven Pearl hasn’t yet proved he is at least a reasonable facsimile of his dad, the father of Tigers basketball.

But just when Auburn seemed to be in the midst of another gag reflex in a close game and on the verge of a sixth straight loss, the shot glass widened into a canyon for Keshawn Murphy and Elyjah Freeman, both of whom slashed through The Jungle with two huge machete blows that might have saved the Tigers’ season.

Murphy wrung out a three-pointer from the top of the lane with 1:44 to go — his only one of the game — to put Auburn ahead 71-68.

UK recovered to lead 74-73 and had possession with 14 seconds left but Collin Chandler was called for an offensive foul for pushing off Tahaad Pettiford on an inbounds play to give the Tigers a final chance.

Murphy, who had just made the 22-foot three-pointer, missed a point-blank putback after Kevin Overton’s drive was blocked. But with 1.2 seconds left, the unruffled Freeman retrieved the loose ball as it skittered off the rim — his only offensive rebound of the game — and gently dropped it into the basket as if he were tucking a baby into a bassinet to give Auburn a 75-74 victory. The outburst from the 9,121 fans in Neville Arena could have awakened every infant in town had the doors been open, front or rear.

“It’s a big win for our team,” Pearl said after the Tigers (15-12, 6-8 SEC) fought to avoid popping their NCAA tournament bubble. “That was one we had to get. Our guys did a good job of battling the highs and the lows in that game because there was a bunch of them.”

Murphy scored a career-high 25 points to go with 10 rebounds and Freeman added 11 points off the bench. There were 11 lead changes and 10 ties, with Auburn rallying from a nine-point deficit early in the second half to tie it, then throwing hands with the Wildcats the rest of the way.

“If every foul was called on both ends, both teams would have shot 50 free throws,” Pearl said. “It was a lot of physicality on both ends.”

 

Pope pops off

 

There were 33 fouls called, none more important than the one Chandler committed on the inbounds play with 14 seconds left. Afterward, UK coach Mark Pope said he couldn’t comment on the officiating, then politely, without saying so, indicated he would never buy such blind, deaf and unscrupulous people a drink, although he might buy them some tickets to Siberia.

“I’m not allowed to comment on them,” said Pope, who then commented: “You guys saw it and I think sometimes it’s just super personal.”

Moments later — aware of the ire of the fans back home who are displeased that Kentucky (17-10, 8-6) is not itself and Pope is not a reasonable facsimile of Rick Pitino, his former coach — he issued a not-so-polite broadside as he exited stage right and reached the hallway behind the interview room, smoke billowing in his wake:

“If those mother ******* try to fine me, screw them,” he said. “I didn’t say a word about how they cheated us.”

In another missive just before that, Pope jabbed his critics.

“We refuse to give control to people that are outside of our program,” he said, “regardless of how disgraceful things are, regardless of how embarrassing, personal, awful and unacceptable things are.”

Pearl could have been the target of such vitriol if the Tigers had lost their sixth straight game for the first time in 10 seasons, although he would not have been the first Pearl who dug himself a trench that deep and tried to keep folks from shoveling dirt on top of him.

Bruce Pearl lost seven in a row in his second season on the Plains in the process of elevating Auburn among the national basketball aristocracy. In his first season following his father, Steven Pearl has not claimed he is up to his adenoids in a similar rebuilding project, although the talent on this team isn’t anywhere close to any of his dad’s best teams.

He’s getting a pass this season but failing to make the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2021 — one year after his father took the Tigers to their second Final Four — would boost doubts that the son is ready for this job. Even so, Auburn is a commendable 5-10 in Quad 1 games (the most in the country), No. 33 in the KenPom ratings and No. 1 in strength of schedule nationally.

 

Winning with

less than their best

 

The Tigers didn’t play their best but still won despite getting only 10 points from leading scorer Keyshawn Hall, who made up for it with nine rebounds and seven assists; Pettiford scoring just 9 after 20-plus points in four straight games; and doing what they seem to do best — getting to the free-throw line, making 20 of 24, after missing 17 of 26 layups.

Auburn also blunted the Wildcats’ three-point offense, the best in the SEC, holding it to 6-of-23 shooting, although Otega Oweh had 29 points — including a three, a driving layup and a dunk in the final 2½ minutes that staggered the Tigers.

Pearl said it was refreshing not to make average shooters appear to be the offspring of Stephen Curry.

“We can’t not be in gaps because teams would be getting to the rim and finishing through contact,” he said. “I think we were a little more connected. I think we did a better job of communicating our switches and we did a good job communicating our ball screen coverages. We did a better job with our framing. We didn’t get backdoored as much. Our bigs had great ball pressure on their bigs, which made it really difficult for them to see open guys. And we got a little fortunate. They missed some open ones. … Finally, we had one go our way.”

 

Clutch plays

 

Murphy and Freeman also had it their way when Auburn needed it most.

Pope said UK dared Murphy to try the unobstructed three. “He made the biggest shot of the night — and we challenged him to make it — and he made it,” Pope said.

Murphy could not ignore the fact that Kentucky left him open up top.

“I was just real confident,” said Murphy, who had an ice pack strapped to his left shoulder after the game. “I’ve made that shot before and I practice it so much, so it felt like another rep. When I’m that open, I’d probably shoot it again.”

It almost didn’t matter when he couldn’t get his putback off Overton’s blocked shot to go down.

“I don’t know why I missed that,” he said. “It really should have been a dunk. But E Free on the glass, man, you saved me, bro.”

Freeman might have been the most unlikely of players on the floor to make that shot.

“My mindset was go to the glass and whatever comes off, make a play,” Freeman said.

Pearl loved Freeman’s more aggressive approach.

“That was about as physical I’ve seen him play offensively probably in a while,” Pearl said. “To be a plus-10 in a one-point win really speaks to his contribution. That’s the Elyjah we need every game in order for us to beat the best teams on our schedule.”

Auburn can enhance its seeding in the NCAA tournament with a road win at Oklahoma and winnable home games with Ole Miss and LSU but Pearl doesn’t feel the Tigers are in safe harbor.

“We kind of played our way into a bubble situation,” he said. “It was a huge win for us but it means nothing if we don’t prepare for Oklahoma with the same desperation that we prepared tonight.”