Auburn found itself in a little trouble early in its first round tilt against Jacksonville State thanks to some hot shooting by the Gamecocks. But eventually, things settled down considerably and the Tigers were able to avoid the same fate that the Kentucky Wildcats suffered the night before, winning their 2/15 tilt by a decisive final score of 80-61.
As is usually the case when things go well for the Tigers this season, Jabari Smith had quite the afternoon. The presumed top-5 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft led the team with 20 points, 14 rebounds, and four assists while showing off the sweet shooting stroke that makes him such a compelling prospect — the 6’10 Smith knocked down four of his seven attempts from behind the three-point line.
It was one of those three misses, however, that gave Smith his best moment of the game. Smith missed a triple late in the game when things were already decided, but managed to get the rebound. He decided to instead put the ball on the deck and drive towards the rim, which led to him throwing down on Jacksonville State big man Brandon Huffman.
JABARI SMITH FOR THE LOVE OF ELEVATION pic.twitter.com/IXlERkfByy
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 18, 2022
Smith got fouled and hit the foul shot, so he did score three points on this possession after all.
