In the first five minutes of gameplay, Auburn had just three points and was struggling mightily offensively.

Enter K.D. Johnson and Chad Baker-Mazara.

Baker-Mazara gave Auburn the early lead that it never relinquished on an and-one elbow shot.

On the night, Baker-Mazara finished with 12 points and six rebounds on a blazing 73.17 percent true shooting.

"I'm one of Chad Baker's biggest fans and one of his biggest critics," said head coach Bruce Pearl. "He has real ability, but he has to do it on both ends of the floor."

After Baker-Mazara got Auburn in the lead, it was K.D. Johnson's turn to make an impact.

In a span of 40 seconds, Johnson went on a personal 6-0 run by hitting an and-one put back, forcing a steal and hitting a three on the ensuing possession.

"I thought KD was terrific," Pearl said. "I thought KD played one of his better games. I thought he was really locked in, got downhill, shot the 3-ball."

Overall, Johnson finished with 13 points on an efficient 63 percent true shooting. He also added three assists, two rebounds and two steals.

"Y'all know K.D., he's going to be him at all times," said Jaylin Williams. "He's going to bring a lot of energy every game. He might talk a little trash to the other team, but that's him and we feed off of that and we need that every game from K.D."

Overall, Pearl liked what he saw from his two energizer bunnies, and he knows that they can do even more as the season moves along.

"I’ve got a great relationship with both KD and Chad, and those two guys are both really talented," Pearl said. "I believe in asking more from the guys who are capable of giving more. I don’t ask more from everybody. That’s the way, KD’s capable of playing like that and then some, and then Chad Baker’s capable of playing better."