AUBURN | On a night when the seniors became the winningest class in Auburn history, it was a freshman that shined the brightest.
Isaac Okoro led the 5th-ranked Tigers with a career-high 23 points in an 83-79 win over Vanderbilt.
“I told Matt Norlander from CBS, we don't have five seniors, we have six. He plays like a senior,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “He knows how to defend, knows how to communicate, is not afraid of the moment and makes big plays.
“Obviously, he's so much fun to play-call for because he can do things inside and out. Every time he puts the ball on the floor and takes it to the basket, he scores or gets fouled. He shot 14 free throws tonight, but he's really hard to keep out there on the perimeter.”
One of those plays came midway through the second half when Okoro drove past Aaron Nesmith and then finished with a tomahawk dunk over Ejike Obinna.
“We thought getting more size downhill would be better,” Pearl said. “(Assistant coaches) Mike Burgomaster and Chad Prewett put that in my head and it was an easy call. We started to put Isaac downhill to attack the rim or throw out of stuff they were doing that bothered us.
“Vanderbilt’s defense was different than anybody that’s going to play us. They play that way all the time, so they’re good at it. What Isaac Okoro did was the way to beat it.”
Okoro shot 6 of 9 from the floor and 10 of 14 from the free throw line. He also made his only 3-point attempt and added six rebounds, three assists and one steal.
“I just knew I had to be aggressive in the game and get to the free throw line and get their bigs in foul trouble. So that’s what I decided to do,” Okoro said.
“I’ve always been a physical player growing up, so just going to the rim, drawing contact and getting and-ones is a key part to my game.”
Okoro, who has been named SEC Freshman of the Week twice this season, is second on the team averaging 13.6 points per game. He’s third on the team in rebounds (4.9), assists (26), steals (13) and blocks (12).
“He’s a beast, man. He’s not a freshman in our eyes. He plays like a man. That’s what we expect from him,” said senior Danjel Purifoy.
Auburn hosts Georgia Saturday at 5 p.m. CT on ESPN.
