Skip to main content
Join Now
Team Avatar
Auburn

Chad Baker-Mazara ejection: Dick Vitale hammers Auburn star following Flagrant 2

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•about 21 hours•

griffin_mcveigh

chad-baker-mazara-auburn-basketball
Chad Baker-Mazara (Photo by Matt Rudolph/Auburn Live)

Down five in the second half against Alabama, Auburn will be playing the final 11 minutes without one of their star players. Chad Baker-Mazara has been ejected from the game due to a Flagrant 2 foul called against him. Elbowing Chris Youngblood down low, the officials went to the monitor and determined Baker-Mazara should be disqualified.

Doug Shows made the announcement and Neville Arena immediately began to boo the decision. But ESPN’s Dick Vitale says the call was a no-doubter in his opinion. Vitale agreed with throwing Baker-Mazara out, saying his actions crossed the line.

“There’s no doubt about it,” Vitale said. “I know the home team doesn’t like it but reality, look at the video and look at the replay. No place in the game for that guys, none whatsoever. Play the game hard, play the game with passion, play the game with feeling. But no need for that at all.”

Going to the monitor has been frequent in this game, specifically in moments involving Baker-Mazara and Youngblood. The two have been battling hard throughout but had yet to cross the line. Youngblood is wearing a bandage around his left eye because of a shot from Baker-Mazara when the two were fighting for a loose ball. In that instance, a common foul was called.

Baker-Mazara leaves the court without his best stat line, dealing with foul trouble too. He finishes with seven points on two of seven shooting, missing both three-point attempts. Prior to the Flagrant 2 being called, Baker-Mazara had three personal fouls to his name.

“Just a total brain-dead flagrant 2 foul by Baker-Mazara,” college basketball analyst Seth Davis said after the incident. “Remember, he got ejected from the first-round loss to Yale. Can NOT do that, ever. Easy ejection that will cost Auburn down the stretch.”

If there is a silver lining for Auburn, it’s the depth Bruce Pearl has built. One of the reasons why the Tigers are viewed as favorites to win the national championship is due to a deep roster. Losing Baker-Mazara hurts but Auburn has more than enough firepower to put out there.

The next time we see Baker-Mazara on the court, the SEC Tournament in Nashville will be underway. Auburn has already locked up the one-seed, no matter the outcome of Saturday’s game. Tip-off from Bridgestone Arena is set for 1 p.m. ET as Auburn waits to see who their opponent will be.