Allowing 52 points over 40 minutes isn't supposed to happen in modern basketball.

Last season, Auburn had an elite defense led by Walker Kessler and Jabari Smith and only accomplished that feat twice.

Auburn did that in its first game against a potential NCAA Tournament team.

Here's a deeper look into how Auburn's defense dominated George Mason:

High IQ

Auburn has a smart defensive team; a credit to both coaches and players.

A lot of defense at the college and pro level is simply effort-based and knowing where to be.

Auburn showed both of those traits on Monday

This play puts Auburn's high effort levels on display.

George Mason's guard beat the trap and found an open man. This forced Jaylin Williams to help off of his guy leaving an open man on the arc.

George Mason has an advantage as it has forced Auburn into rotation, but Auburn's defenders were on a string with their rotations.

Wendell Green rotates to Williams' man, Chris Moore went to Green's and Williams closed on Moore's.

Simply put, Auburn's high effort on its rotations mitigated a potential advantage and forced a contested shot.

Allen Flanigan is beaten on the drive, so Yohan Traore sees this and rotates over to force a miss.

Excellent timing and recognition by the freshman who has the ability to be an elite defender due to his size, length and athleticism.

This is just tenacious on-ball defense.

It starts with Flanigan stonewalling his defender and forcing a pass out to reset.

Ball-handler tries to drive on K.D. Johnson but is also stonewalled.

This leads to a pick and George Mason is able to get the switch, but Broome doesn't let the guard go anywhere and Johnson is fronting his man down low not allowing a post entry.

Turnover.

Defense to offense

Auburn shot only 34 percent from the field on Monday yet still put up 70 points.

A big part of that was its defense creating break opportunities.

Auburn didn't get out much in transition last season, but that script will flip this season.

Here's K.D. being K.D.

A lazy lob pass from GMU's defender is easily picked off by the ultra-aggressive Johnson who starts a 2-on-1 with Green immediately after.

Auburn has an aggressive, locked-in defense that will burn teams for lazy plays like this.

Auburn crashes down low and forces the steal and immediately looks to run.

Green drives as soon as he's down the court which doesn't allow GMU to ever get comfortably set.

Green finds Moore, who has a smaller guy on him and he converts an and-one.

The mismatches are created in transition. That doesn't happen if the ball is walked up the floor.

Allen Flanigan

Flanigan gets his own section because he is Auburn's best perimeter defender.

The 6-foot-6 senior can lock up 1-3 and even guard some 4's. He will be defending the opposition's best perimeter scorer in crunch time.

He's the most important non-center for this Auburn defense.

This is Flan in a nutshell.

He sticks with his guy off the dribble hand-off, locks up the drive forcing the pick up of the dribble and then doesn't fall for the pump fakes and swats away a forced shot.

That's just who he is and that's what he does.

Big fellas

The two most important players to Auburn's defense are the rim protectors - Broome and Dylan Cardwell.

On Monday, the two combined for nine blocks and scared away a lot of drives.

Broome isn't going to consistently guard the perimeter, but he can do it when need be.

He has to recover to the perimeter and does a nice job of not falling for a fake and is able to immediately plant and defend the drive.

From there, the ball handler picks up his dribble and tries a variety of moves to no avail and eventually panics and travels.

That's going to happen a lot to opposing teams.

This is a play that I'm not sure Cardwell makes last season.

Johnson is taken out by the screen forcing Cardwell to pick up Victor Bailey mid-court.

He sticks with Bailey's drive and is able to immediately stop and not fall for Bailey's fake attempt.

From here, this is a guard vs. a center in a post-match-up, and Bailey panics and travels.

It doesn't show up in the box score, but this is elite rim protection.

Just a smart rotation by Cardwell.

Zep Jasper doesn't have a chance down low, so Cardwell is waiting for the right moment to go up and contest.

Cardwell times everything perfectly and is able to sky for the block.