The North Carolina basketball team lost again, this time to the Auburn Tigers
3 takeaways from Auburn’s Maui Invitational semifinal against North Carolina
The start of the 2024-2025 season was full of tests. So far, Auburn boys’ basketball has passed every test.
Just one day after beating No. 5 Iowa State by 18 points, Auburn returned to Lahaina Civic Center to beat North Carolina 85-72 on Tuesday night.
It was the third win of the season for the Tigers, who will face Memphis in the Maui Invitational on Wednesday afternoon.
Here are three highlights from the game:
The Johnny Bloom Show
Johni Broome is slowly building his case for a Naismith Award, and Tuesday night’s performance might have been his best yet.
He finished the first half with 18 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double and finished with 23 points and 19 rebounds, both game highs. Blum’s 19 rebounds were a career high.
Bloom’s presence is vital to Auburn. The Tigers looked like a completely different team when he wasn’t on the court, and North Carolina outscored them 10-2 in the first half with Blum on the bench for four minutes.
His impact was not just as simple as being a scorer, as he was flat in the second half. Bloom’s presence on defense and rebounding has been a boon for Auburn, finishing with six offensive rebounds and three blocks.
Speed up sometimes
Both Auburn and North Carolina played at a near-frenetic pace Tuesday night, something Auburn hasn’t had to do this season.
That favored the Tigers for parts of the game, but it also led to some rushing plays that seemed to favor North Carolina. Auburn’s shooting was decent, but at times his shot selection was questionable, especially in the first half.
Auburn made a lot of transition 3-pointers, some open and some forced, with more than 20 seconds left.
Despite the fast pace, one thing Auburn does well is take care of the ball. The Tigers committed eight turnovers and forced 10, but were outscored 15-6 in points off turnovers.
Anyone can hurt you
Tuesday’s win was in large part due to Auburn’s depth.
Regulars like Broome, Myles Kelly and Chad Baker-Mazzara all played well, but the substitutes Tahad Pettiford and Chaney Johnson also had a big impact on the game.
Auburn had six players score in double figures in the game, which is growing into an expectation for this team. Even with Blum’s lackluster second half, Auburn’s offense never really slowed down.
While Blum scored quietly in the paint, Johnson stepped up and scored nine points in the second half. All of Auburn’s guards shot the ball well, which allowed Auburn to play inside and out throughout the game.
It takes depth to beat teams like Iowa State and UNC on consecutive days. Auburn did just that and will now have a chance to win the Maui Invitational.