Brief thoughts and grades: No. 1 Auburn over Ole Miss

AUBURN -- When No. 1 Auburn won a relatively close game with Arkansas one week ago, and then followed that up with another relatively competitive win against Georgia, both games at home, people wondered aloud if the Tigers were coming back down to earth some. After all, these two wins were on the heels of Auburn going to Alabama and never trailing, building a double-digit lead for large portions of the game, and ultimately winning going away. It was one of the best wins of the college basketball season, so not blowing out bubble teams Arkansas and Georgia made people wonder if Auburn was hitting a wall of some sorts. Even Bruce Pearl recently said he wanted his team to find their "edge" again. But then, Arkansas turns around and knocks off No. 14 Missouri and Georgia knocks of No. 3 Florida. Now, those wins don't look so "pedestrian" by some people's standards. And to follow that up, Auburn beats a NCAA Tournament lock in Ole Miss by 30, hanging 106 points on the board against a Top 20 defense. As it turns out, the Tigers are still pretty special when they are locked in defensively, engaged with the game plan, and hitting a decent percentage from three. If not for a stretch at the end of the first half turning the ball over and allowing Ole Miss some transition buckets, Auburn might have won by 40.