One win over Kentucky and reaching No. 1 in the poll for the first time has one Auburn sportswriter proclaiming the Tigers are now a basketball blueblood. (Vicky Graff Photo)
You know I thought I had put UK’s 80-71 road loss to Auburn behind me and was moving on to the rest of the season. After all, it was just a mid-season SEC game that was played in front of a packed house at Auburn against a then No. 2 ranked Tiger team that has played well this season.
Bruce Pearl’s squad happened to catch UK on a night when the unthinkable happened and the Cats lost both point guards to injuries for much of the game.
The rest of the team stepped up and tried to pull the game out but couldn’t get over the hump. It happens sometimes on the road in the SEC when the home team shoots 29 free throws and the visitors shoot 10. Like I said, the loss was behind me and I was moving on. There’s still a lot of basketball to be played.
But then, unfortunately, an article titled “Auburn hoops greatness lost on Kentucky coach” written by Joseph Goodman for AL.com came across my feed. (You can see the whole article at https://www.al.com/auburnbasketball/2022/01/auburn-hoops-greatness-lost-on-kentuckys-coach.html.“)
Goodman writes about the greatness of Auburn Basketball and how the win against Kentucky, minus two of its better players with one being an NBA Lottery pick, has propelled Auburn into the blueblood world of college basketball.
Goodman wrote, “You know Auburn has captured something unprecedented in college basketball when even Kentucky can’t seem to fully grasp the significance of it. Kentucky’s famous coach seems to be a little confused by what’s happening at Auburn. It’s that Kentucky, the old blue-blood standard of SEC basketball tradition, lacks something in culture and fandom to new-blood Auburn.
“What Auburn has, with all of this unique, deep-fried hysteria created by coach Bruce Pearl, not even Big Blue can match, or even really begin to understand. It’s why Pearl’s name is now being linked to Louisville, but it’s also why Pearl has to know that what’s happening at Auburn can’t be duplicated anywhere else.”
This comes from a sportswriter writing about a team that is ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll for the first time ever in college basketball history. First time ever. Kentucky has been ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll 125 times to Auburn’s 1. I know that’s bad but it gets worse.
Goodman went on to write that Auburn now has a tangible advantage over the likes of UK, Duke, North Carolina and Kansas because of its game day atmosphere. He said in the article how favorably Auburn compares to instate rivals Alabama and UAB and the rest of college basketball.
“Auburn, at this point, is far outpacing its instate rivals in recruiting. That’s why rankings matter in January, and that’s how the unmatched atmosphere and buzz of Auburn basketball becomes a tangible advantage against the likes of Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke, Kansas, and even new opportunities for elite high school prospects in the NBA’s G League,” Goodman wrote.
I know this all seems ludicrous for Kentucky fans who are used to the prosperity of being in big=time games all season long every season but it seems to be difficult to handle for Goodman when discussing Auburn’s current situation. It reminds me of a dirt poor individual who wins millions in the lottery and then doesn’t know what to do with all the money because they’ve never been there before and they ultimately lose it all. Auburn, if they are thinking like Goodman, might find themselves in that same boat.
It just seems crazy to me that a sportswriter believes that Auburn Basketball, which is currently ranked No 1 for the first time in the history of college basketball, is now in the same category as programs like Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, and UCLA. After all, Kentucky is the winningest program in college basketball history and has eight NCAA titles, second only to UCLA’s 11. Those other programs listed aren’t far behind but where is Auburn on that list?
Anton Chekhov, a 19th century playwright said, “Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into perspective.”
In this case, the knowledge that Auburn is currently No 1 in the AP Poll for the first tine ever pales in comparison to a program like Kentucky that has been ranked No. 1 for 125 weeks in the history of the poll. It seems like Joseph Goodman needs a little perspective to go with his knowledge.
10 Responses
Apparently this sport writer didn’t have nothing else to write about. Auburn not even close to be mention with likes of our cats ,Duke, and others top programs in the country.
What Goodman fails to discuss are all the issues that a University finds itself in when Pearl has been their coach. Pearl has been in trouble when he was at UT (unethical conduct and violations) and Auburn (violations). Yet they only put them on 4 years probation of only losing 2 scholarships. Not fair! I do not understand NCAA not holding coaches responsible for their program’s issues that are not legal. Coaches should not be able to coach for a certain number of years. Auburn’s basketball program is not in the same category as Kentucky, Duke, NC, etc. give me a break Goodman. Goodman must be an Auburn grad.
They wish they were blue bloods. Their football team sucks now so they are trying to act like a basketball power.
HOW MANY "RABID FANS" DID THEY DRAW FOR THEIR HOME GAME BEFORE UK?
UK SETS CAPACITY RECORD OF 14,000. LET’S SEE HOW MANY THEY DRAW AT
THEIR NEXT HOME GAIN:)
They sold out the game against Georgia last Wednesday. The fans didn’t come for kentucky, they came for AUBURN.
Yeah, why don’t you check that out those attendance numbers for future home games. Tune in and watch. UK wasn’t that special, you were just next. Sorry.
Nah, Pearl just knows how to punk Calipari.
Furthermore, the SEC office gave Auburn the easiest schedule possible this year. It’s hard to see them losing 2 games, much less 3 or 4. We will have to get some payback in the SEC tourney. Hopefully, Calipari will see the importance in doing that.
Auburn fan here. Goodman is a typical AL.com writer. All about the clicks. He’s a wanna be Finebaum. Playing to the masses mostly. Auburn fans hate him. I too hope we see you again in one or both tourneys. Settle it on the court. I like my tigers chances. We will never have the record and history UK has, but at this moment in time and for the foreseeable future we are eye to eye. Btw, Cal’s post game comments were disrespectful. Does you no favors down the road. Look out. WDE.
au93, first of all your tigers are good enough to make noises, but i like to play your guys at SEC tourney and it be a different story. You wont get the 29-10 ft advantage and plus all the flops your players got by with. Had we had our guards i really think we would have won.. So yes i want a rematch!!