SPOKANE, Wash. | Before a game, Chad Baker-Mazara likes to try and get the referees on his side, knowing that he might need it later on when the action gets a bit chippy.

"Usually I go to them and say a little joke to them like, 'I promise I won't be a headache today,'" he said on Thursday before Auburn's practice session. "Something like that. Something funny."

The JUCO transfer has gladly accepted his role as the villain on a team that loves nothing more than getting under the skin of their opponents. If Auburn fans thought K.D. Johnson was good at playing that role the previous two seasons, Baker-Mazara has taken it to another level in his first season with the Tigers.

And, going into Friday's matchup against Yale, he doesn't mind being that guy for Bruce Pearl's squad.

"Yes. I love it," Baker-Mazara said. "That's me. I'm the first villain on the team. They know this. I'm the one guy -- if I have to be the bad guy for us to win, then I'll take that role."

He's also appreciative the opportunity to be in the NCAA Tournament. Baker-Mazara started his college career at San Diego State but had some academic issues that forced him to transfer to Northwest Florida State College only to see the Aztecs make a run to the national title game last season.

To his credit, he has been everything Pearl and his staff have wanted and more.

"He's met my high expectations," Pearl said. "I got to tell you, the coach at San Diego State had nothing but great things to say about him as a competitor, as a young man. We know how passionate he is and that went a long way to our wanting to take him because he's got a great heart."

That passion has turned him into a menace for other teams (and their fans) in the SEC this season. But why does it seem like he's always the guy in the middle of it? Baker-Mazara has a simple reason.

"Just people don't like me," he said. "People tend to try me for some reason. Whenever they try to try me, I just return the favor. Then they'll get mad at me somehow, so I end up being the villain anyway. So, I just ended up just playing basketball and having fun out there."

As for who his partner-in-crime on the court is, there was a clear answer: K.D.

"That's my evil twin," Baker-Mazara said while laughing.