Basketball at Auburn is playing excellently as it gets closer to the NCAA Tournament.
Fans knew what to anticipate from Jaylin Williams and Johni Broome going into the 2023–24 Auburn basketball season, but they were curious about what the rest of the team would have to provide.
It was obvious that a non-forward would need to step up and assist Auburn in scoring points, and JUCO transfer Chad Baker-Mazara was the man who had accomplished that.
Baker-Mazara is averaging 10.4 points, three rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game this season. This season, he is shooting 43.9% from outside the arc and 45.7% from the field. The Auburn rookie has averaging 15.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game over the last five games. What’s most impressive about this is that Baker-Mazara has a whopping 64 percent of his shots from deep, going 9-14 in these five games.
Before the team’s game against Missouri, head coach Bruce Pearl said this about his group: Pearl remarked, “I like where they’re at.” “There are a few reasons why I enjoy where we are at the moment. I believe that we are capable of communicating, defending ourselves, and making things tough for our opponents. I believe that we have mostly guarded well each night. One of my best defensive squads to date is this one.”
Prior to the game against Missouri, Coach Pearl spoke extensively on defense, and Baker-Mazara is a guy who puts in a lot of effort on that end of the court. For the first time since the Final Four run, the Auburn Tigers will go deep into the NCAA Tournament if the 6’7 guard/wing can continue to play this well.