No. 1 Auburn holds off No. 23 Ole Miss; Johni Broome scores 20 points in 92-82 victory
The Tigers win their 20th game of the season and stay undefeated in the SEC at 8-0
No. 1 Auburn will likely hold on to the top spot in the AP men's college basketball poll, but No. 23 Ole Miss made the Tigers fight for it on Saturday. Bruce Pearl's team escaped from Oxford with a 92-82 win, improving to 20-1 for the season and remaining undefeated in SEC play at 8-0.
Pearl called the victory "our best road win so far."
The Rebels closed the margin to 59-58 with eight minutes remaining in the second half. But Auburn went on a 12-4 run to create some distance, helped by a 3-pointer from Chad Baker-Mazara and steal by Denver Jones leading to a fast-break dunk by Tahaad Pettiford.
This sequence is a must watch🙌 pic.twitter.com/NoFTOBNVpW
— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) February 1, 2025
Johni Broome finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two blocks to lead Auburn. Baker-Mazara shot 4-of-6 on 3s and scored 18 points, followed by Jones with 16 points and four 3s of his own. The Tigers shot 50% on 3s (14-of-28) for the game. Miles Kelly added 15 points and Dylan Cardwell grabbed 13 rebounds.
"The difference in the game was that we had an answer to every run they made," Pearl told reporters afterward. "Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell were physically dominant."
Sean Pedulla scored a game-high 29 points for the Rebels with three steals, while Matthew Murrell added 17 points. With the defeat, Ole Miss fell to 16-6 overall and 5-4 in the SEC.
Since losing to No. 2 Duke in early December, its lone defeat of the season, Auburn has won 13 consecutive games. The Tigers have beaten top 25 teams in their past four games. They have been No. 1 in the AP Poll for three weeks, beginning on Jan. 6.
Up next for Auburn is a home matchup with Oklahoma (15-5, 2-5) on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET. Ole Miss will host another Top 25 SEC opponent in Kentucky (15-5, 4-3) at 7 p.m. ET.
