Following their victory over Kentucky on Saturday, the No. 1 Auburn Tigers celebrated winning the SEC regular season championship. However, Denver Jones, the starting point guard, abandoned the game after just eight minutes due to an injury, making the victory costly.
Following Saturday’s game, head coach Bruce Pearl stated that there would be no break and expressed his hope that Jones wouldn’t be sidelined for a long time.
Nevertheless, Jones missed Auburn’s 83-72 road loss to the Texas A&M Aggies on Tuesday night, proving that two days of rest was insufficient. It wasn’t shocking that there was some disappointment following Saturday’s victory, nor was it shocking that Jones wasn’t present. With more important games coming up, there was no reason to hurry him back.
Pearl asserted that he wasn’t preventing Jones from moving forward. He was on the verge of playing again against the Aggies but was eventually unable to do so.
After the game, Pearl remarked of Jones, “We really missed his defense and missed his leadership.” “And he was unable to leave. He won’t be saved by us. He was going to play if he could have. The decision was made during the game. Because he doesn’t have a break or a bone bruise, I was hopeful he could play despite the pain.
It hurts and is a soft tissue problem. He just didn’t feel like he could push off the floor. I therefore hope he feels better.
Jones would be more impacted than many players by pushing off the floor and his lateral speed. His contributions are akin to a cornerback in football. His ability to shift direction is one of his best qualities as a defensive stopper.
“I feel like he’s the best defensive guard in our league,” stated Pearl. “A&M had 22 points at halftime at our location last year; Wade Taylor had a hard time scoring. Denver is my greatest one-on-one cover man. It is clear that missing Denver played a role.
However, that wasn’t the cause. Following the game, Pearl acknowledged that A&M “physically dominated us.” Jones’ defense creates more rebounding opportunities and forces more poor shots. But the Tigers suffered an unusually heavy beating on the glass.
The Aggies scored 29 second-chance points because they had almost as many offensive rebounds (24) as the Tigers had overall (25). Those effort statistics demonstrated Auburn’s lack of its typical energy, but Pearl wouldn’t use it as an excuse.
The game versus the Alabama Crimson Tide shouldn’t have the same lack of urgency as Tuesday’s, even though the season finale on Saturday won’t technically have any bearing on tournament placement. For the first time since 2010, Auburn has a chance to defeat the Tide for the third consecutive game.
On Saturday at 1:30 CT in Auburn, Bruce Pearl and the Auburn family want to be doing it with a healthy Denver Jones.