Things get really quick for Auburn in early January as SEC play begins with as tough a test as it gets. And No. 25 Auburn went into Bud Walton Arena and completely silenced the raucous Arkansas crowd as it defeated the Razorbacks 83-51.
Head coach Bruce Pearl's team (12-2, 1-0 SEC) has now won seven games in a row.
This was the largest win by a visitor in Bud Walton Arena history.
This was as big of a statement win as Auburn has had in its young season. Winning at Bud Walton Arena is already difficult. Did Arkansas fans call for exits with more than four minutes left? That doesn't happen often, especially after Arkansas beat No. 14 Duke at the Razorbacks' home stadium earlier this season.
Auburn may have as much momentum as any team in the SEC right now. Here are three takeaways from the win.
Chad and Baker and also Mazara
It's hard to say that Chad Baker-Mazara has never played an SEC game. No, really, he didn't. Baker-Mazara transferred to Auburn in the offseason from Northwest Florida State College – a junior college.
And as Auburn's starters went 4-for-17 overall in the first half, it was Baker-Mazara who gave Auburn the spark in the first half.
Overall, the Tigers didn't shoot well early in the game. But with 14 first-half points from Baker-Mazara, Auburn was able to build a seven-point halftime lead and generally calm the boisterous crowd at Bud Walton Arena.
Baker-Mazara and KD Johnson have been Auburn's go-to guys when it needs a spark, especially this week with Baker-Mazara having the same impact in the second half against Penn on Tuesday. To do this again for Auburn in an environment like the one in Fayetteville is a testament to the energy he brings to this team.
Baker-Mazara led Auburn with 16 total points.
When Auburn needed its stars, Johni Broome showed up
Johni Broome didn't score in the first half. And while Baker-Mazara made up for it, it was hard to imagine Auburn winning without Broome at Bud Walton Arena.
On Thursday, Pearl said Auburn wouldn't win many games in the SEC without its best players. Because as deep as Auburn is, and it is pretty deep, stars have to be stars in games like this.
Broome was a star in the second half.
Broome scored a total of 14 points on 7-9 shooting in the second half. He added another five rebounds.
On both ends, Broome provided one of Auburn's best defensive performances in the second half of the season. Auburn stressed the importance of improving its defense in the second half. It's more difficult, Pearl said, because Auburn is farther from its bench.
And in one of the loudest arenas in the SEC, Auburn held Arkansas to 21 points.
Auburn's trip to Appalachian State was actually worth it
Auburn came under a lot of pressure after its loss at Appalachian State. People wondered why Auburn would bother playing this game since it looked like Auburn had far more to lose than it could gain.
And Auburn lost. Despite only having one Quad 2 loss at this point in the year, Appalachian State is clearly the relative blot on Auburn's NCAA Tournament resume.
But Auburn won a lot more than it seemed.
Pearl knows his team was unsettled by the crowd at Appalachian State. Although there is a great atmosphere in Boone, North Carolina, there are few that beat the atmosphere at Bud Walton Arena.
The difference is that Auburn is now entering a very difficult road game with that experience already in hand. This experience certainly helped Auburn a lot.
This team mastered one of the best SEC atmospheres with ease. The defense in the second half was as good as it has been all season.
That's why Auburn went to App State.
Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X below @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at [email protected]