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USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

Auburn basketball defeated USC with ease in their home game. Official Bowl Bruce Pearl’s Auburn Tigers had a busy weekend preparing for their afternoon match against the USC Trojans in front of a lively Neville Arena crowd. Sir Charles, Savannah James, and Kyle Korver (the assistant general manager of the Atlanta Hawks and a former NBA player) attended the game. The Tigers took an early lead and kept it throughout the game, encouraged by the boisterous crowd.

Despite Bronny James and his team receiving much of the national attention, Auburn basketball demonstrated their strength with a 91-75 triumph. Recently, Bronny’s appearances have caused USC to be the target of hatred and jealousy, with many players taking jabs at them on social media. Jabari Smith Jr. is one such player.

Bronny James’ team trouble

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In their first away game of the season, USC men’s basketball suffered a loss to Auburn, despite Boogie Ellis’ impressive 22-point performance. Isaiah Collier, who unfortunately fouled out after 18 minutes, contributed 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting and dished out three assists. Oziyah Sellers also made an impact off the bench, scoring 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

Collier’s consecutive baskets gave the Trojans (5-5) an early 9-6 lead. However, the Tigers (8-2) swiftly responded with a dominant 24-7 run, effectively sealing the first half. Auburn had a strong shooting performance, with a 52.9 percent field goal percentage, leaving USC struggling to find answers.

Despite a brief 11-3 run by the Trojans in the second half, Auburn’s lead was never truly threatened. With 9:38 remaining, the Tigers held a 23-point advantage and maintained control, preventing USC from closing the gap to single digits.

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Jabari Smith Jr. of the Houston Rockets trolled USC by praising Auburn, as he wrote on X, “War Eagle! Hard to come in that jungle and win,” mentioning the battle cry of Auburn Tigers. Though Auburn’s mascot is a tiger, the cry signifies eagle.

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The tale of ” War Eagle”

Aurea, a real golden eagle known as “War Eagle VIII,” represents the school’s sports war cry, “War Eagle.” There are several legends regarding the origin of the “War Eagle” cry. The story that has been told the most is the one from 1892, when the Tigers defeated Georgia.

There was reportedly a Civil War soldier there at the game with his eagle among the gathering of onlookers. The eagle eventually got loose and flew around the stadium. That’s when the Tigers took the victory.

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The eagle, however, did not make it through the moment. Abruptly, it crashed into the earth and was destroyed. Nevertheless, its legacy endures. And it lives on through stories such as these.