Auburn's Bruce Pearl Goes to Bat for Underrated Denver Jones

Senior guard Denver Jones came up big in Auburn's win over Alabama, but it's nothing new for Bruce Pearl's squad.

Auburn's Denver Jones helped hold Alabama's Mark Sears to just 4 of 17 shooting from the Field in Auburn's 94-85 win in Tuscaloosa. | Zach Bland/Auburn Tigers

The No. 1 Auburn Tigers defeated the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide 94-85 behind a player of the year performance from forward Johni Broome on Saturday night.

Broome led both teams in scoring (19), rebounds (14), and assists (6), but clearly this Tigers team is much more than just Broome.

Head coach Bruce Pearl lauded the efforts of senior guard Denver Jones following the game. Jones was matched up with Alabama All-American candidate Mark Sears, and Pearl praised his defensive efforts.

"I'm just saying this; Denver Jones was sitting right here," Pearl pointed to the empty chair next to him in the post-game press conference. "I don't know when somebody in the media's going to talk about him being one of the best defensive players in college basketball. We'll do the research for you. If you look at his matchups night in and night out.

"I mean Mark Sears is one of the best players in college basketball period. Not that he did it by himself, but he did a great job on Mark. He made his catches tough. Stay down, stay between him and the basket. How do you stay in front of Mark Sears? Hardly anybody can.

"Denver Jones did."

Sears led Alabama with 18 points, but he was only 4 of 17 from the floor. His 23.5% shooting was well off his season average of 39.7%. Maybe more importantly, Jones helped limits Sears's ability to distribute. He had just two assists, and he's averaging 4.8 on the season.

"Nobody talks about it," Pearl continued. "He doesn't have enough block shots (0.2 per game) or he doesn't have enough steals (0.8 per game). He's one of the best defenders in college basketball."

The senior from New Market, Ala. came up big in the Tigers' biggest game of the season to date. He had three steals and a blocked shot, and he was Auburn's second-leading scorer with 16. Jones scored his 16 on just nine shots.

Jones finished with one rebound and one block. He has drained 100 three-pointers in his Auburn career. It was his 78th career game in double figures including 16 this season. He scored 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting including 3-of-4 3-pointers and 2-of-2 from the foul line in the second half.

With team success comes individual recognition. It's working for Johni Broome, and Pearl wants it to work for Jones.

"He needs to be on the Naismith All-Defensive team," Pearl concluded emphatically.