Why was Chad Baker-Mazara ejected? Looking at Auburn guard's flagrant 2 against Yale

The Auburn Tigers want to stay alive in the NCAA Tournament and will have to do so without junior guard Chad Baker-Mazara in today's game. Before the first media timeout, Baker-Mazara threw an elbow on the Bulldogs player while running up the court on a rebound.

The referees reviewed the play and called a flagrant 2 foul on Chad Baker-Mazara, ejecting him for the remainder of the game.

Auburn coach Bruce Pearl felt a flagrant 2 call should not have been called:

"Obviously, we just saw the replay and what he did was wrong. I thought it should've bee a flagrant 1, not a 2, especially in a game after an entire season of work is something that's obviously going to disrupt us. He is one of our very best players. It was a retaliation. He had just got hit in the throat the play before and he shouldn't have retaliated."

Baker-Mazara has been impactful for the Auburn Tigers this season, playing in every game. He has been one of the team's best shooters with a 45.2 field goal percentage, 41.8 3-point percentage and 87.6 free-throw percentage. He is averaging 10.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.5 blocks.

The NCAA Tournament games tend to be tightly contested, this could be a massive loss for the program that could potentially end their season.

Can the Auburn Tigers defeat the Yale Bulldogs without Chad Baker-Mazara?

To keep it brief, the answer is yes. The Tigers are the fourth seed in the East Region and will take on the 13th seed Yale Bulldogs. However, the Tigers are favored by 13.5 points, as Auburn has the talent and skill advantage to win this game.

If they win, they will play the fifth-seed San Diego State Aztecs. And Chad Baker-Mazara would be able to play in that game.