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Auburn continues to dominate.

In their first game against a major opponent since the loss to Duke, the Tigers looked as good as ever, defeating Ohio State 91-53 in the annual Holiday Hoopsgiving event in Atlanta.

The game was never competitive, as Auburn quickly created a big lead and never seemed in danger of widening it. It was a chance for the Tigers to once again make their case for the No. 1 ranking after the loss to Duke.

Here are three takeaways from Auburn’s win:

Start quickly

As Auburn had done in many games this season, the Tigers gave a bit of a blitz on Ohio State to start the game.

They led the Buckeyes 25-8 at the second media timeout, a run led by five made 3-pointers and not allowing Ohio State’s guards to be effective from the perimeter.

It was also another case of Auburn’s best players showing up. Johni Broome had 11 points in that series, scoring in a variety of ways. Whether it was on the block, to the basket or from the three-point line, Auburn’s All-American big man was quickly able to open up the offense for everyone else, creating more space for Auburn’s shooters.

Ohio State weathered the initial storm, but never really got back into the game. Even with a nearly seven-minute scoreless drought, Auburn took a 28-point lead into halftime and never lost control.

3-point defense

Ohio State’s biggest strength this season is undoubtedly its three-point shootingespecially from his guards. Against Auburn, outside success was hard to come by.

Ohio State’s first goal didn’t come until the 1:29 mark of the first half, and the Buckeyes missed their first four attempts before that point. The Buckeyes finished the game with just six made three-pointers and had a season-low 16 attempts.

The defensive performance was similar to what Auburn did against Memphisa game in which Auburn held Memphis to nine three-point attempts. The combination of Auburn leading Ohio State from the three-point line and a hot shooting night in and of itself caused the game to get out of hand quickly.

Back to business

If there was any doubt about whether Auburn had a case to be the No. 1 team in the country after the game Duke lossthey were cleared on Saturday.

Auburn was dominant, but that’s nothing new. What is striking is the degree of dominance of the opponent. Ohio State isn’t at the level of teams like Duke, Iowa State or Houston, but the Buckeyes are still formidable.

They came into the game as the No. 28 team in KenPom’s efficiency rankings and have wins against Texas and Rutgers. However, Auburn treated the Buckeyes the same as teams like Richmond and North Alabama.

Auburn was No. 1 in KenPom when he came into the game and that is unlikely to change. What the voters decide will be determined on Monday and Auburn certainly gave them something to think about.

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn Sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X on @peter_rauterkus or email him [email protected]M