Auburn wing Chad Baker-Mazara was ejected minutes into the Tigers' NCAA Tournament game loss to Yale on Friday, and he dealt with it by hopping on social media and posting through it.
Baker-Mazara was ejected three minutes into Friday’s game for elbowing Yale’s August Mahoney in the chest on a non-basketball play. The Auburn wing was given a flagrant-2 foul for a violent non-basketball play, which resulted in an automatic ejection.
Auburn starter Chad Baker-Mazara was ejected three minutes into the game vs Yale due to a flagrant 2 foul.
Rules analyst Gene Steratore supported the ruling: "Excessive in nature, completely unnecessary, not a basketball play… I think it's a good decision by the officials."… pic.twitter.com/At8t0ewIBe
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 22, 2024
Baker-Mazara’s reaction to his ejection was apparently to head to the locker room and grab his phone. He — or at least someone using his X account — posted a flippant reaction that has since been deleted, then followed it up by saying he was confident that his teammates would get the job done in his absence.
Auburn player tweeting not even 10 minutes after being ejected, the NCAA Tournament is simply the greatest pic.twitter.com/jAckY60Pzq
— Will Warren (@statsbywill) March 22, 2024
I believe in my boys they got em!!
— Chad Baker-Mazara (@ChadBaker2700) March 22, 2024
Baker-Mazara also reposted a video that showed him getting hit in the chest by Mahoney one possession prior to the flagrant foul. That incident did not result in any call.
This trust fund baby hit CBM in the throat the possession before CBM’s retaliatory elbow got him ejected.
Right in front of the same ref. pic.twitter.com/u6zgBCX4pk
— pablo escobarner (blue check) (@PabloEscoburner) March 22, 2024
Obviously, Baker-Mazara believes that Mahoney should have faced the same consequences that he did. However, Mahoney’s move was a lot less blatant, and the referees were never going to give Baker-Mazara a pass for retaliating.
Auburn was certainly hurt by the ejection, as Baker-Mazara is one of the team’s top defenders and a skilled shooter. The 13-seed Bulldogs upset the 4-seed Tigers, 78-76. And the game went down to the wire.
Bruce Pearl will not be happy with his reaction, nor will he be pleased with his player apparently venting frustration on social media just minutes after being ejected, but this is apparently something of a trend at Auburn.
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