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Walker Kessler makes rare SEC history with monster performance against Texas A&M

SimonGibbs_UserImageby:Simon Gibbs•02/12/22•

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Wesley Hitt/Getty Images.

Auburn center Walker Kessler joined rarefied air on Saturday.

Kessler finished Saturday’s win over Texas A&M with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, along with 11 rebounds and 12 blocks, giving him his second triple-double at Auburn. In the process, Kessler became just the fifth player in SEC history to record multiple triple-doubles, joining former LSU big man Shaquille O’Neal (six), former Alabama forward Roy Rogers (two), former Florida forward Nick Calathes (two) and former Mississippi State center Jarvis Varnado (two).

Kessler’s last triple-double came on Dec. 29, in a 70-55 win over then-No. 16 LSU, as he put up 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting, along with 10 rebounds and 11 blocks.

Auburn, just one game after an upset loss in overtime at Arkansas, bounced back with a vengeance on in its win over Texas A&M. The Tigers routed the Aggies by a 75-58 final, improving their overall record to 22-2.

Kessler, a transfer from North Carolina, is averaging 11.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per contest, while holding a 62.8% field-goal percentage, and he’s shown his ability to compete on both ends, too. On defense, Kessler averages 4.3 blocks and 1.1 steals per game, as he’s routinely disrupting opposing offenses.

Kessler is enjoying a breakout sophomore campaign at Auburn, just one year after he was used sporadically, at best, by North Carolina. With the Tar Heels, Kessler played just 8.8 minutes per contest, and he averaged 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per contest.

The 7-foot-1, 245-pound center from Newnan, GA came into Saturday’s contest riding a hot streak, too. In Auburn’s 80-76 overtime loss to Arkansas, Kessler had 16 points on 6-of-11 from the field, along with 19 rbounds and seven blocks. That came just one game removed from a 10-point, nine-rebound, four-block performance against Georgia, which of course succeeded a 14-point, 12-rebound, eight-block performance in Auburn’s 100-84 win over Alabama.

Following Saturday’s blowout win over Texas A&M, Kessler and the Auburn Tigers have four days off before returning to play at home. The Tigers host Vanderbilt at 9:00 p.m. ET on Feb. 16.

Bruce Pearl responds to criticism of Auburn mid-court dance routine

Prior to Auburn’s mid-week loss against Arkansas, the Tigers came under criticism for dancing on the mid-court logo in Bud Walton Arena. However, head coach Bruce Pearl defended the season-long tradition of mid-court dance routines despite the ire of Eric Musselman and Arkansas fans alike.

On ESPN’s College GameDay, which is hosted live from Auburn this week, Pearl joined the panel to defend his players as they continued the tradition on their own floor Saturday.

“Look at our guys dancing,” Bruce Pearl said as the broadcast showed his players dancing at mid-court. “Oh, by the way, at Auburn, we dance. We do. I want the kids to have fun, and I want our student body to have fun. We’ve got a tough game tonight. We’re taking Texas A&M very seriously.”

Auburn looks to bounce back from its second loss of the season on Saturday, hosting Texas A&M at Auburn Arena. The game is scheduled to tip-off at noon E.T. on ESPN, directly following the conclusion of College GameDay on the sideline. The Tigers enter the game as heavy favorites over a struggling Texas A&M which has lost each of its last five games.