McCormick shines again
SALT LAKE CITY — J'Von McCormick had a feeling what was about to happen.
He'd heard Bruce Pearl tell the team New Mexico State struggled from the free-throw line. He knew the Aggies leading scorer Terrell Brown would have to make all three free throws to win the game outright. So McCormick, amid his most outstanding moment of the season, looked Brown dead in the eyes and gave him a choking sign as if to say: You can't make these free throws.
In poor taste? Maybe to some. But it foreshadowed the biggest moment of Auburn's season.
"I saw in his face he was pretty scared," McCormick said after the win.
McCormick's expectations turned out to be true.
Brown missed two of three, which helped Auburn hold onto a 78-77 advantage in the wild final seconds.
Of course, it was McCormick's day. He could do no wrong. The junior-college transfer was one of Auburn's two players brought to the postgame podium. That's a recognition saved for whoever is deemed one of the two best performers in the game.
Nobody deserved to be at the podium more than McCormick.
"Whenever Von’s number is called, Von is always ready," Austin Wiley said.
Auburn's basketball Twitter account posted a video that summed up the team's reaction to McCormick NCAA Tournament debut.
In the postgame locker room, Bruce Pearl spoke to the team about surviving and advancing, how there were playmaking moments even through the late-game frustrations. He pointed at McCormick and said: "How 'bout this sucker right here?" Bryce Brown stood up and gave McCormick a hug, thanking him for saving his senior season with his added production.
It was a moment McCormick said he'll never forget.
"It’s pretty nice, especially coming from BP. He’s always getting onto me the most," McCormick said, smiling wide. "It’s just good. I feel like I got a burden off my shoulders that he gave me some praise like that in front of the whole team."
He finished the game with a season-high 16 points. McCormick made 6-of-8 shots, all three of his free throws, his only 3-point attempt and closed the game out with Jared Harper fouled out. McCormick's lone 3-point make moved him 10-of-17 from deep this season, a shockingly high percentage for someone who has so few attempts.
Nobody inside the Auburn locker room was surprised by this performance.
"J’Von doesn’t really miss shots," Okeke said.
"He's really a starter coming of the bench," Malik Dunbar interjected during a McCormick interview.
"It’s just doing what he do. He just makes plays. He’s an elite driver when he gets downhill. He just makes shots," Harper added.
A year ago, McCormick was still in junior college, unsure what his next move would be. He re-iterated Thursday he never believed this kind of moment could happen for someone like him. But he also made it clear he didn't think a moment like this would've been possible for him without the rigorous obstacle of junior-college life.
He's dealt with his own challenges this season — having to play a complementary role for Harper or Brown, but especially handling Pearl's criticisms.
On Thursday, Pearl was short on content in that regard.
"The reason why I’m usually hard on guys because either: One, they’re afraid to fail, and I’d rather they be afraid of me than failing. The second thing is, I want more. I’ve been on J’Von all year long to be a more effective defender, to not be afraid to make plays, to stop being out there just logging minutes and worried about making mistakes. That’s what I get on him for," Pearl said. "I have not had to get on him for that in this tournament or in Nashville because he’s out there making plays and isn’t afraid to fail."
