Auburn took their first loss of the season 84-78 against Duke basketball on the road.
Auburn basketball looked to do what no team from the SEC has done since 1981, win at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Based on the way the game started for the Tigers it seemed like they had a chance to do so when they began the game red hot and held a 13-2 lead early.
However, this lead didn’t hold as Auburn fell behind the Blue Devils and despite many attempts to find its way back into the game didn’t regain the lead.
“We’re disappointed,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “We played okay, but to beat Duke in here, you’ve got to play better than that. I give them all the credit. Our defense let us down. Duke was brilliant offensively.”
Takeaway #1: Taahad Pettiford
The freshman point guard has been a spark plug in big games for the Tigers this season and has been given credit for the team’s victory over Houston.
In 19 minutes of action off the bench,h the freshman scored 20 points and made four 3-point shots.
“One of the reasons our team has played well so far this year is Johni (Broome), who has been a tremendously consistent player. He’s clearly a player of the year candidate,” Pearl said. “Tahaad has gotten off to a great start as a freshman. You can see his talent and ability to score, his courage.”
The talented freshman continues to show his offensive capabilities and has shown he isn’t afraid of the moment.
Takeaway #2: Questionable defense
After holding Houston to 69 points earlier in the season the Tigers have been shaky on the defensive end. The Blue Devils 43 point first half was reminiscent of when Iowa State dropped 49 in the first half on Auburn in the Maui Invitational.
“We learned that we can compete against anyone in the country in any environment,” associate head coach Steven Pearl said, “but we’ve also got to do a better job of playing Auburn basketball, turning teams over, getting back in transition and not letting our offense affect our defense.”
Duke shot 50% from the field and 40.3% on 3-point attempts but it was the Tigers’ lack of ability to defend without fouling with Duke shooting 15 more free throws than Auburn.
While it isn’t time to sound the alarm just yet the defense will be something to monitor moving forward.
Takeaway #3: Duke’s top-rated defense continued to shine
The Ken Pom No. 1 defense in the country for a reason and has yet to allow any opponent to surpass the 80-point mark despite Auburn coming close.
The Blue Devils forced eight turnovers and recorded seven steals and four blocks.
Duke has found the recipe on defense and will be a problem for any offense they face.
Next up for Auburn (7-1): vs. Richmond (4-4) – Dec. 8 at Noon EST
Next up for Duke (6-2): vs. Louisville (5-3) – Dec. 8 at 6 p.m. EST