Auburn hit more than 50 percent beyond the arc and dropped 15 points from 3 points, but 19 turns – which led to 27 points in Arkansas – were, in the end, much to overcome.
The Tigers dropped their SEC opening Wednesday night to the Razorbacks, 97-85, at the Auburn Arena. Devan Cambridge and Jamal Johnson hit 10 of 13 in the city center, but Justin Powell, Jaylin Williams and Allen Flanigan combined to commit 17 of the Tigers’ 19 twists, while Bruce Pearl’s team made at least 17 twists for the seventh time in nine games. this season.
“You score 85 points, shoot 52 percent for the game, 52 percent for 3, you make 15 3s, this is a game you should win,” said Pearl. “Unless you give up on 97, unless you turn the ball 19 times, unless you have difficulty ending your possessions.”
Auburn (6-3, 0-1 SEC) will return to the court on Saturday against Texas A&M. Here are the main findings of AL.com at the SEC’s opening Wednesday:
Turnover remains an issue for a young Auburn team
Auburn’s 19 comebacks against Arkansas were not a season record for the Tigers, but they weren’t far off. Auburn made 22 turns in his defeat at the start of the season to UCF a month ago, but Wednesday’s total marked the Tigers’ second major turn in a game this season, as Pearl’s young team continues to have trouble caring of the ball.
Seven of those turns came from Powell, who also had nine assists in a night in which he fought offensively, shooting just 1 out of 8 from the field and 0 out of 3 from the bottom. Flanigan (who had a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds) and Williams (13 points) turned the ball five times each in 30 minutes of action. All three had an alarming turnover rate compared to Arkansas, with Powell surrendering 36% of his possessions, Flanigan with 32% of his and Williams with 40% of his.
But with 12 of those turns coming from the owner’s spot, where Powell and Flanigan are still being asked to play out of position, it was difficult for Auburn.
“I’m not hating them and I’m not mad at them,” said Pearl. “I think JP and Al are doing as good a job as they can. I would say that we can move forward, pass the ball a little more, lift the ground, remove from their hand, attack pressure a little so that they don’t have to lift the ball all the time against pressure; could we put it on, put it on the ground just before the pressure of the ball takes over? Possibly.”
Twelve of Auburn’s turns came in the second half, leading to 20 points in Arkansas, with seven of those turns in the final 6:30 of the game, when the Razorbacks turned a two-point lead into an easy double-digit win in the final stretch.
Devan Cambridge needed this game
It was a difficult start to the season for Devan Cambridge on the offensive side, but the second year came out of his funk against Arkansas.
Cambridge set the season’s record of 15 points out of 5 out of 6 shots, with all six attempts coming from a 3-point streak, and added four rebounds and none of the 21-minute turn on Wednesday night. It was the best offensive performance of the year at Cambridge, and his best overall game since a double-double (13 points and 10 rebounds) against Saint Joseph’s at the opening of the season.
It was the kind of night Cambridge needed, at least from a film standpoint. He entered the game by shooting only 28.1% in the season, including just 22.2% beyond the hoop. He dropped several points in three of Auburn’s first eight games, with two each against Gonzaga and Troy, and a 4 of 11 attempt against South Alabama. Wednesday, however, looked more like one of those flashes that Cambridge showed as a freshman last year when he had 3-point explosions against South Carolina and LSU.
Cambridge still needs to show that it can have that kind of shooting night away from Auburn Arena, but Wednesday’s showing against Arkansas was a step in the right direction for sophomore year at that end of the court.
“With every game, I know Devan is going to hit two or three big 3’s, you know,” said Johnson. “I wouldn’t say that he was fighting; I mean, he missed some shots, but he comes to train every day with a positive attitude. He walks into the locker room with a positive attitude, so I know his time is coming. He will keep shooting. He has a lot of confidence in his shot. I have a lot of confidence in him for him, so I knew it was coming. He will continue to build this game for the rest of the season. “
Jamal Johnson’s career night
For the second game in a row, Jamal Johnson managed to leave the bench for Auburn. The red shirt of the second year marked his career record with 21 points against Arkansas, hitting 7 out of 11 overall and 5 out of 7 beyond the hoop.
Although Flanigan’s double-double was great, Johnson’s career night was arguably the brightest point for Auburn against Arkansas, adding three steals and committing zero turnovers in 23 minutes off the bench. It was the fourth game this season in which Johnson scored double digits, including the second in a row after a 14-point performance against Appalachian State.
“The career break was great and all, but I want to win,” said Johnson. “I want our team to win. Our main goal is to win the SEC regular season championship. That is our main objective here this year. The numbers and everything, all right, but I want to win. Our entire team wants to win and our coaching staff – everyone wants to win. I mean, okay, but we all want to win, so
Tom Green is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.