Seth Davis rips Chad Baker-Mazara for 'brain-dead' Flagrant 2, warns Auburn

Auburn suffered a gut-wrenching loss to Alabama Saturday, losing at home for just the second time this season. They did so without Chad Baker-Mazara for most of the second half after he was ejected for a Flagrant 2 foul. Baker-Mazara elbowed the head of Chris Youngblood away from the ball and after a review, officials determined it was enough for a Flagrant 2.

This led for college basketball analyst Seth Davis to rip into Baker-Mazara for the decision. He pointed to last season’s NCAA Tournament game against Yale where Baker-Mazara was also ejected. Auburn went on to be upset in the first round.

Davis sent a warning out, saying this is something Auburn will have to be careful of down the stretch. Keeping a composed head in big-time matchups could wind up being massive.

“Just a total brain-dead flagrant 2 foul by Baker-Mazara,” Davis said via X. “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.”

Officials were at the monitor a ton during the game. Mostly due to moments away from the ball involving Baker-Mazara and Youngblood. Multiple reviews went without a foul being upgraded but Baker-Mazara did not get away with this one.

He leaves the court without his best stat line, dealing with foul trouble too. The fifth-year senior 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.

Neville Arena was not too happy with the decision made against a true fan favorite. But in the moment, ESPN’s Dick Vitale was quick to agree with the decision to eject Baker-Mazara. Vitale loves guys who play with passion, as Baker-Mazara can, but believes the line was crossed.

“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.”

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, even with the loss to Alabama. Tip-off from Bridgestone Arena is set for 1 p.m. ET as Auburn waits to see who their opponent will be.