AUBURN | If Wednesday's game against UConn was any indication of how this Auburn team will fight and battle even when things look bleak, well, this is going to be a fun team. In a matchup that made you recheck your calendar once or twice to make sure it wasn't March, the Tigers and Huskies exchanged blows like heavyweight champions.

After coming out and posting a 21-10 lead, the Tigers got punched back continually by the Huskies, trailing by as many as 15 points in the second half. For a team still gelling and learning to play alongside each other, it'd been easy to lay down. But, K.D. Johnson and Jabari Smith, both newcomers, weren't going to let that happen.

After a rough first 30 minutes, Smith took it upon himself to bring Auburn back with 12 points, five rebounds, and, importantly, good defense on Adama Sanogo to help the comeback. With 2:39 left, the freshman hit a three-pointer to give the Tigers their first lead since it was 24-23.

Johnson, the Georgia transfer, kept coming up with play-after-play on both sides of the ball, leading the Tigers with 15 points in the final half.

Even down four with 22 seconds left in the first overtime, absolutely no one gave up, especially Johnson. He drove to the basket and got fouled, making both free throws and then, in a moment that made this game officially crazy, he grabbed the loose ball on a UConn turnover, paving his way to the basket and making a game-tying shot with three seconds left. It was insanity at its best.

"I was just trying to do anything to get a W," the guard said.

In the end, UConn proved too much on the offensive boards and the shots in the second extra period stopped falling for the Tigers. The Huskies claimed a nine-point lead with under a minute to go and, despite another valiant comeback attempt by Auburn, the team tired, and it never came to fruition. There was no answer for Sanogo, who finished with 30 points and never fouled out despite having four fouls for all of the two overtimes.

Bruce Pearl wanted to see how his young team handled it when getting knocked around and facing a reality test. But, even after coming up on the losing end, the Auburn coach should be happy. His team showed against a formidable opponent a grit and will that you can't teach. It's an excellent sign for things to come.

"You go to tournaments to play in games like this," Pearl said. "This is like March."