Key Takeaways After Auburn Tigers Dominate Jackson State

Auburn got a bounce-back win over Jackson State with plenty of Tigers shining.

Auburn forward Filip Jovic headlined the Tigers' depth with 18 points in 22 minutes off the bench. | John Reed-Imagn Images

Wednesday night, the Auburn Tigers got what it was looking for in its matchup with Jackson State: a statement win.

Auburn rolled right over the opposing Tigers, doubling their opponent’s score for the majority of the game. When the final whistle sounded, Auburn emerged victorious, 112-66.

This type of game is known as a “tune-up” for a reason; the Tigers need to figure out what works well and make sure they keep it going throughout the season. Let’s take a look at a few key positive takeaways that Tiger fans can keep an eye on throughout the season.

No Keyshawn, No Problem

Many Tiger fans speculated that this year’s team would struggle in the wake of Keyshawn Hall’s injury, but Steven Pearl seems to have the Tigers in “next man up” mode, as many Tigers made the effort to make up for Hall’s production.

The Tigers had five players with over 10 points throughout the game, three of whom scored 15 or more.

KeShawn Murphy stepped up in a big way, leading the Tigers in points with 19 and rebounds with seven. Elyjah Freeman also had a standout day for the Tigers, missing just one of his six shots, scoring a total of 14 points, all while pulling in six rebounds. 

Auburn forward KeShawn Murphy led the Tigers with 19 points. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Kaden Magwood’s day was also quite impressive, though it doesn’t quite show up in the points column. Magwood shot 3-for-6 for six total points, but he also led the Tigers in assists with eight.

Against Houston, Auburn struggled to turn turnovers into offensive points. Against their opposing Tigers on Wednesday, though, that didn’t seem to be an issue. The Tigers managed 39 points off turnovers, including 27 on fast breaks.

If the Tigers can keep this momentum going, both on offense and defense, they’ll be able to emulate the 2024 Tigers, who were also forced to play a few games without their top scorer in Johni Broome.

Depth isn’t Dead

The 2024 Auburn Final Four team made waves throughout SEC basketball largely due to the immense depth of its roster. It seemed like every time a player was substituted out of the game, an equal or better player took their place, and Steven Pearl has decided to make that quality a norm.

52 of 112 of Auburn points came from the bench, with players like Simon Walker and Filip Jović headlining the Tigers’ bench production. This is an especially impressive feat for a Tiger team that’s returning just one scholarship player in guard Tahaad Pettiford. 

Auburn Tigers guard Simon Walker went 5-for-5 from deep in only seven minutes. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

If the Tigers can keep this level of bench production consistent throughout the season, they’ll be a difficult force to stop. 

The Future is Bright

A big concern coming into this season is that the Tigers would struggle since the team had a much younger roster than in previous years. Wednesday night, the young squad proved that their collegiate inexperience paled in comparison to their talent.

Simon Walker didn’t miss a shot the entire game. He shot five three-point shots and drained all of them, and never attempted a shot from inside the arc. 

Walker managed 15 points in just seven minutes on the court, Filip Jović was second in points for the Tigers, and Kaden Magwood led the Tigers in assists, proving that the latest Auburn recruiting class has the team in good hands.

Sophomore Elyjah Freeman, fresh off a SportsCenter top play of the week, missed just a single shot en route to a 14-point performance, but Tahaad Pettiford had a cold night, scoring just six. 

If the Tigers can keep up this level of performance from its young talent, the team is likely to set themselves up well not just for this season, but for potentially he next three years. 

Auburn will look to keep this forward momentum going this coming Monday, when they’ll travel to Oregon to face the Ducks.