Seth Greenberg, Jay Williams hammer 'Achilles heel' Chad Baker-Mazara, call on Bruce Pearl to take action

For the second consecutive March, Chad Baker-Mazara was ejected from a game due to a Flagrant 2 foul. Saturday against Alabama was the latest after elbowing Chris Youngblood in the head area away from the ball. Baker-Mazara did not play in most of the second half as Auburn fell on Senior Day in Neville Arena.

Auburn now enters the postseason with a great chance of winning a national championship but Baker-Mazara’s antics are stealing headlines. It’s gotten to the point where ESPN’s Seth Greenberg believes Baker-Mazra is the “Achilles heel” for the Tigers.

“Auburn’s got 16 Quad 1 wins,” Pearl said. “They’ve been the most dominant team in college basketball (for a) good portion of this season. They’re poised to go to Final Four and compete for a national championship. They have one Achilles’ heel, and that’s Chad Baker-Mazara. He’s the Draymond Green of college basketball, and all he has to do is play the game. He’s an elite, special talent. He can defend, he can knock down the three. You can run offense through him. He has a great feel of making plays for others.

“He’s got to grow up. Because last year in the NCAA Tournament, flagrant two, they lost to Yale. In a huge game against Alabama, had a chance to sweep Alabama, at home? He gets a senseless flagrant — I don’t care if it’s retaliation. You know what’s at stake. You know the cameras are all around you. He is the Achilles’ heel.”

As Greenberg mentioned, there are plenty of positives when it comes to Baker-Mazara. He is Auburn’s second leading scorer at nearly 13 points per game while shooting 38.7% from three. His 90% free throw percentage makes him nearly automatic from the line — something needed when making NCAA Tournament runs.

Two Flagrant 2 fouls are hanging over his head, though. Baker-Mazara is usually in the mix of any kind of monitor reviews from the officials due to non-basketball moments. Greenberg says it’s not what teams making Final Four and national championship runs need.

“He could be the hero,” Williams said. “He could be their best player, but until he grows up, until Bruce Pearl says, ‘You know what? Maybe you don’t play in the SEC tournament, alright? We’re going to take something away from you, because we need you in the NCAA Tournament, and we need you locked in and making good decisions to help us win a national championship.'”

Jay Williams got in on the conversation too and shared the opinion of his ESPN colleague. Wondering if there could be any kind of change before getting back on the court, Williams thinks Baker-Mazara is who he is.

“You cost your team the NCAA Tournament last year,” Williams said. “What makes you think he’s going to grow up now? It was the NCAA Tournament. You know, now all of a sudden, we’re going to — this is who he is.”

Before the NCAA Tournament, there is work to be done in Nashville. Auburn is the one-seed in the SEC Tournament and will debut on Friday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET. Their opponent is not yet known, having three possible outcomes.

Baker-Mazara will be in the spotlight for how he conducts himself on the court. Greenberg and Williams can see it costing Auburn at some point in a crucial moment.