Denver Jones, One Key to Auburn’s Win Over Alabama

Tuscaloosa, Ala. - The Auburn Tigers saw major contributions from several key components in the victory over Alabama, with six players scoring double-digit points in the victory over the Crimson Tide.

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One key was Denver Jones, who had a strong performance offensively with 16 points on 5-9 shooting from the field and 3-5 from three-point range. Jones was also a primary defender of Mark Sears for the majority of the contest. Sears was held relatively in check, making just two three-point shots on 11 attempts and four shots from the field. Eight of Sears's 18 points came at the free throw stripe.

Jones's big night earned him praise from Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl after the 94-85 victory over Alabama.

"Denver Joens was sitting right here. I would appreciate you folks in the media - I don't know when the media is going to talk about him being one of the best defensive guards in college basketball. We'll do the research for you. If you look at his matchups, night in and night out - I mean Mark Sears is one of the best players in college basketball, period. He did a great job on Mark - made his catches though, and stayed down on him. How do you stay in front of Mark Sears? Hardly anybody can. Denver Jones did, and nobody talks about it," Pearl said following the win on Saturday.

"He doesn't have enough blocked shots, he doesn't have enough steals, but he's one of the best defenders in college basketball. He needs to be on the Naismith all-defensive team."

Wyatt Fulton is the TIde 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.