NCAA Basketball: Best games from 2019-20 season – Auburn vs. LSU

Auburn and LSU met up in an SEC matchup that really delivered; let’s take a look at what went down.

We’ve already taken a look at a number of games from the past season, proof that despite the national pandemic that there were some incredible moments last year. Our look at the top 40 games from the 2019-20 NCAA Basketball season continues with a pair of top 25 SEC teams that met up and put on quite a show.

20. #11 Auburn 91, #18 LSU 90, OT

February 8, 2020, Auburn Arena in Auburn, AL

In recent years, the rise of competitiveness in the SEC has certainly been a story. We’ve seen success from Kentucky and Florida for quite some time, but a few other teams are starting to share the spotlight. South Carolina was recently in the Final Four while Tennessee has played much better ball these last few seasons. Our focus today is on two more of those teams.

While they lost plenty of their talent, this Auburn team had just made a surprise run to the Final Four last season. This season had gotten off to a 15-0 start and the Tigers were still playing great ball into February. In their last three games, they had won road overtime thrillers while also taking care of Kentucky at home a week earlier. A date with LSU represented another opportunity to shine on the national stage.

LSU had been expected to contend at the top of the SEC again, with freshman Trendon Watford and senior Skylar Mays already playing a role in the team’s success. There had been a few iffy losses, including three days earlier at Vanderbilt, but this LSU team had just strung 10 wins together and were in solid shape at 8-1 in SEC play.

Both teams were chucking 3-pointers to start the game, giving us an early 3-3 tie, but then the offenses started to settle in. Seven minutes in, J’Von McCormick was fouled shooting from long range, and his three free throws gave Auburn a 4-point lead. Unfortunately for Auburn, LSU would score the game’s next 15 points, with most of it coming from Darius Days and Skylar Mays.

Samir Doughty hit a 3-pointer to help stop the building, but LSU wasn’t done building their lead. A pair of free throws from Javonte Smart built up LSU’s lead to 15 points, though Auburn wasn’t ready to roll over. Auburn scored 11 points in a hurry, with Devan Cambridge hitting a pair of big 3-pointers. Unfortunately for the home team, LSU went on a 10-0 spurt and secured a 12-point lead at the end of the half.

Auburn began the second half in a major hole, and digging out of it was no easy feat. Cambridge ended a significant offensive drought with another 3-pointer, but the lead was still double digits halfway through the second period. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Isaac Okoro and Cambridge sliced the lead down to seven, but Skylar Mays gave LSU a boost with his own pair of baskets. A few minutes later, a 3-pointer from Marlon Taylor gave LSU their 11-point lead with just over seven minutes left.

But Auburn didn’t panic and they slowly chipped away at LSU’s lead in the final minutes. They pulled to within 4 before a pair of shots by Trendon Watford extended the lead again. Still down eight late, it was J’Von McCormick who came up clutch for Auburn, hitting three straight 3-pointers in a thirty-second period. After solid defense, Auburn got the ball back and tied the game on a clutch shot by Doughty, though McCormick had the assist.

Auburn got off to the hot start in overtime, hitting 3-pointers on their first three possessions to build a 7-point lead. LSU had the answers offensively, but couldn’t quite get over the hump in the early stretch. However, a layup from Mays made this a 1-point game, and Mays got the steal that led to an easy dunk for the road team. McCormick, who had been heroic to force overtime, got the last laugh, hitting the floater with less than a second left that won the game for the home team.

This was an offensive showcase, with both teams heavily depending on the long-range shot. Mays led the way with 30 points for LSU, but they didn’t do enough in the second half, watching Auburn whittle away their large lead. Auburn got great efforts from Doughty  (26 points), McCormick (23 points), and Cambridge (21 points), as the three combined to go 17 for 31 from the 3-point stripe. They needed every single point in making that late comeback.

Auburn finished in 2nd place in the SEC, though they would lose a couple of disappointing games to Missouri and Georgia in the coming weeks. They still clearly had a lot of offensive firepower on this team. They might not have had the talent of last year’s squad, but this still would have been a dangerous NCAA Tournament team.

LSU may have lost this tight battle, but they ended up tied in the standings with Auburn, settling for the 3 seed in an SEC Tournament that never happened. They weren’t exactly playing the hottest ball by season’s end, but this LSU team showed their potency throughout the season. They might not have been back in the Sweet Sixteen again, but there was a lot of talent and the opportunity for another postseason run.