Auburn Daily

Auburn's Chad Baker-Mazara is The Athletic's Most Intriguing Player

Mercurial guard/forward Chad Baker-Mazara could be the key for the Auburn Tigers NCAA Tournament run.

Terrance Biggs

Auburn Tigers guard Chad Baker-Mazara plays on the edge. He just can't cross over it again.
Auburn Tigers guard Chad Baker-Mazara plays on the edge. He just can't cross over it again. / Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
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If the Auburn Tigers are going to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, they’re going to need the best version of their mercurial guard Chad Baker-Mazara. Auburn cannot afford any more crash outs from one of their most consistent scorers. They need CBM to bring his A-game. 

Baker-Mazara Needs to Self-Discipline

Everyone with eyesight can see that Auburn forward Chad Baker-Mazara is crucial to their success. While he doesn't possess Johni Broome's level of dominance, the team still needs him. Moreover, the team needs him on the floor and without foul trouble or technical fouls hanging over his head.

Broome and the guards cannot finish the 2025 story on the right note without Baker-Mazara. His volatility became recent national news.

National Recognition

Baker-Mazara's antics caught the attention of The Athletic’s Brian Hamilton, who listed the Auburn senior as one of the most intriguing players in the tournament. 

"There is the version of the 6-7 senior who is the second-leading scorer on a team with national championship aspirations: an all-SEC talent whose shooting ability can be a lethal complement to Broome’s close-to-the-basket production,” wrote Hamilton on The Athletic. 

Basically, Auburn relies on Johni Broome to control the low block. Baker-Mazara and his .391 three-point percentage dissuades opposing defenses from completely collapsing down. If they do, Baker-Mazzara will confidently shoot and make the shot. 

The Other Side

For as much as positivity and energy as Baker-Mazara brings to the floor, a combustible quality exists. If the game becomes contentious or physical, the senior doesn't always conduct himself like a mature player. Instead, he angers easily, leading to a tough situation.

"There is also the version that is a total wild card: the one that was ejected from the Tigers’ first-round NCAA Tournament game last season for a flagrant foul — Auburn wound up being upset by Yale that day in Spokane, Wash. — and also ejected from this year’s regular-season finale against Alabama for the same infraction," Hamilton continued. 

Overview

Chad Baker-Mazara can flat shoot the ball with consistency and range. Make no mistake, he remains a vital cog in the Auburn machine. His issue is that he truly needs to control himself and play a disciplined brand of basketball. His passion is one of the things that make him so good on the floor. But he can’t let that passion boil over again.

This team is too talented to go home early, having their season upended by a 25-year-old man failing to control his emotions. If he can keep calm, Auburn can win the national title. 

If he doesn't, plain and simple, they will not.

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Terrance Biggs
TERRANCE BIGGS

Senior Editor/ Podcast Host, Full Press Coverage, Bleav, Member: Football Writers Association of America, United States Basketball Writers Association, and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, National Football Foundation Voter: FWAA All-American, Jim Thorpe, Davey O'Brien, Outland, and Biletnikoff Awards

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