BMatt’s Monday musings

AUBURN | Even Johni Broome, who was playing in a different league two years ago, took it personally.

That’s how motivated Bruce Pearl had Auburn going into Saturday afternoon’s game at Arkansas.

And it showed.

The Tigers didn’t play particularly well offensively in the first half but still led by seven points at the break.

It was a complete emasculation in the second half as Auburn outscored the Razorbacks 46-21 to deliver the worst loss in the 30-year history of Bud Walton Arena.

Pearl made sure to remind his team throughout the week of the court storming and shirtless fist pumping from Arkansas coach Eric Musselman after the Razorbacks knocked off No. 1 Auburn two years earlier.

The players took notice and sent a message to Arkansas and the rest of the league that this year’s Auburn team is not one to take lightly.

But it is just one game and there are plenty of tough opponents and tough venues to come. Pearl will have to make sure his players move on quickly.

An upset Texas A&M squad will be in Auburn tomorrow night coming off a 15-point loss to LSU at home. The Aggies have been a tough matchup for Pearl’s teams with wins in five of the last six games including a 16-point win at Neville Arena last year.

Then comes a Saturday home matchup with LSU that will also double as a Junior Day for the football program followed by a trip to always tough Vanderbilt and Ole Miss back at home Jan. 20, which will be a homecoming for Wes and Allen Flanigan.

That’s some very big games coming up and an opportunity for Auburn to make an even bigger statement in the conference race.

***

Chemistry is a word that's hard to define in a team but you know it when t you see it.

It's easy to see this year's men's basketball team has it.

I'm sure there's a lot of credit to go around but K.D. Johnson.deserves to be singled out.

His successful move to the bench and the energy and effort he brings the second unit on both ends of the floor is a crucial part of its success.

Johnson has been more productive this season playing less minutes. When a senior makes a a sacrifice like that for the betterment of the team, that builds chemistry.

And this Auburn team's got it in droves thanks in big part to K.D.

***

In today’s musical journey, we go back 32 years to the day a teen pop star began a highly successful stint on Broadway. On Jan. 7, 1992, Debbie Gibson made her Broadway debut as Eponine in Les Miserables. She also had appearances on Broadway as Belle in Beauty and the Beast from 1997-98 and as Sally Bowles in Cabaret in 2003. She also starred as Sandy in Grease during a West End production in London along with a number of Off-Broadway shows. Gibson became a pop star at the age of 16 with the release of her debut album, Out of the Blue in 1986. One of the songs from that album, “Foolish Beat,” rose to the top of the charts, making Gibson the youngest female artist to ever write, produce and sing a Billboard 100 No. 1 single. The achievement is recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records. Her debut album also included top five hits “Shake Your Love” and “Out of the Blue.” Her next album included another No. 1 single, 1989’s “Lost in Your Eyes.” She’s created a total of 11 albums and sold over 16 million worldwide. Gibson has also appeared in 18 movies and more than 50 T.V shows.

Deborah Ann Gibson was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1970 as the third of four sisters. She grew up playing piano and recorded her first song in 1983, winning $1,000 in a local contest that prompted her family to spend $10,000 to convert their garage into a recording studio. Over the next three years, she recorded a demo tape that led to her signing a developmental deal with Atlantic Records. She graduated from Calhoun High School as an honor student while also playing in promotional tours. Gibson released her first single, “Only in My Dream,” in 1986, which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 100. Her first video for “Shake Your Love” was choreographed by Paula Abdul. As her musical career waned going into the 1990’s, Gibson pivoted into more theatre, T.V. and movies. She did have a couple of later hits including 2017’s “I Am Paceman,” a duet with Sir Ivan that reached No. 26 on the Billboard Dance Club chart, and 2020’s “Girls Night Out,” which reached No. 4 on the Dance Club chart. She recently competed in season nine of T.V. show, The Masked Singer.