Auburn’s Chad Baker-Mazara shoots 1-word reaction to post detailing his confrontation with Mississippi State’s Cameron Matthews

Chad Baker-Mazara was the star of top-ranked Auburn's 88-66 victory over Mississippi State on Tuesday. On social media after the win, the Tigers guard responded to a breakdown of his confrontation with the Bulldogs' Cameron Matthews.

Matthews attempted to get in Baker-Mazara's face during the game, but Baker-Mazara laughed it off.

Baker-Mazara shared a post by Justin Hokanson of Auburn Live on X (formerly Twitter) that highlighted the confrontation.

"Growth," Baker-Mazara wrote.

Auburn was the first without star player Johni Broome, who was sidelined due to an ankle injury. Chad Baker-Mazara finished with a team-high 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting and added a steal and a block. His performance outshone Matthews, who finished with only four points on 2-of-10 shooting.

Baker-Mazara is in his second season with Auburn, starting all 17 games and averaging 12.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. He also leads the SEC with a 93.7% clip from the free-throw line.

Bruce Pearl praises Chad Baker-Mazara for the senior's impact on Auburn

While all eyes remain on Johni Broome, who is a national player of the year candidate, Auburn senior Chad Baker-Mazara has stepped up for the Tigers. His performance did not go unnoticed by the Tigers coach Bruce Pearl, who praised the guard for his versatile impact.

In the then second-ranked Auburn's 87-69 win over Purdue on Dec. 21, 2024, Baker-Mazara scored eight points, with six assists, four steals and two blocks.

“Chad Baker-Mazara is instinctively one of the best players in our league,” Pearl said after the game, per Peter Rauterkus of AL.com. “He flat-out is. He affects the game in so many ways. Over the last two games, I believe he has 12 assists and just two turnovers.

"When everybody is challenged, when you play the best teams on your schedule, then your best players have to respond. And I know Chad will.”

The 6-foot-7 guard is averaging the fifth-most minutes on the team while averaging the second-most points only behind Broome. Meanwhile, Auburn (16-1, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) will focus on its next game on the road against No. 23 Georgia, where the Tigers are expected to continue their stellar run on Saturday.