This is an opinion column.

_____________________

There was a bloody scratch across the nose of Auburn’s Dylan Cardwell after the Tigers’ 82-70 victory against Creighton.

Perhaps it will leave a scar — evidence left over from the biggest victory of his storied college career.

Hopefully Auburn’s under-appreciated big man still has a few more in him.

Cardwell doesn’t get enough credit for the success of the greatest team in the history of Auburn basketball. Without him, though, I’m not sure Auburn would have made it past a quality Creighton team in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

“You could feel it in the air that today was a lot different,” Auburn’s Denver Jones said.

It was Cardwell who set that mood and got Auburn back on track.

Cardwell is the locker room leader who galvanized the Tigers after their sloppy first-round victory against Alabama State. He challenged his teammates, and they responded.

“We needed a fresh win, for real,” Cardwell said. “I hope it gives us one of those moments where we just get hot and it propels us to a nice run.”

It’s easy to follow a leader like Cardwell. He doesn’t want any of the credit, but all he does is win.

In fact, Cardwell has won more games than any other player in the history of Auburn basketball.

Finally, after 118 career victories, the fifth-year senior will get a chance to win his first game in the Sweet 16.

“I thought we had a Final Four team my sophomore year with Jabari Walker and we fell short,” Cardwell said. “We didn’t get past the first weekend, so this was a long time coming. But the job is not over. It’s just getting started.”

Auburn is back in the regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since that 2019 run to the Final Four. Next up is Texas A&M in the Sweet 16, and the SEC showdown is going to feel like a heavyweight fight.

Good thing for Auburn coach Bruce Pearl, he has a bruiser down on the block.

Against Creighton, Cardwell’s stat sheet was easy to ignore (six points and four rebounds). But consider this. Cardwell played less than 21 minutes, and yet when he was on the court, Auburn outscored Creighton by a stunning margin of 24 points.

That’s my kinda hoops hero. More crash than flash. More grit than gold.

Someone’s gotta do the dirty work.

Someone’s gotta pave the road and chop the wood and shovel the coal.

It takes big shots to win in March, but it takes big hearts, too. Every national championship contender needs some muscle. That’s Cardwell, and before this traveling circus arrives in Atlanta for the Sweet 16, we need to shower the Tigers’ toughest player with love.

Johni Broome is the national player of the year candidate. Chad Baker-Mazara is the Tigers’ colorful character. Denver Jones is the defensive mazen up top and Tahaad Pettiford is the freshman sensation with more confidence than a Las Vegas convention for death-defying daredevils.

Everyone has a role. Cardwell is Mr. Auburn.

“I pride myself on being the glue guy for the team,” Cardwell said. “I know I’m not going to score much. I just guard people. It’s all the glory to God because I’m not out there scoring or nothing.”

Cardwell is the immovable rock that gives this team its sturdy foundation.

Creighton made nine 3-pointers in the first half, but only led by two points. Credit Cardwell’s presence inside for keeping it close. Creighton had to make all of its shots outside because Cardwell had the paint locked down.

Then, when it was time for someone to speak up at halftime, Cardwell stepped to the mic.

“Being here for five years and having the highest highs and lowest lows, I can kind of coach these guys with my experience,” Cardwell said. “Like today. I told the team, [Creighton] wasn’t shooting anymore 3s.”

Never mind the 3s. For a long stretch there in the second half, Creighton couldn’t make a bucket. They went six whole minutes without scoring a single point.

You could feel Auburn’s big run coming, too. It was inevitable. There was nothing easy for the Tigers on Saturday here at Rupp Arena, but the No.1 overall seed of this tournament played like one and put to rest any notion that it would be crashing out early.

Give Creighton credit for making things interesting, but Auburn was just too rugged.

There were predictions of Auburn’s demise. Wrong. It felt more like an awakening than anything else. After a sleepy first round, Auburn made a statement in the Round of 32.

The hottest team in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament was Creighton, but the Blue Jays were outclassed by these Auburn Tigers.

BE HEARD

Got a question for Joe? Want to get something off your chest? Send Joe an email about what’s on your mind. Let your voice be heard. Ask him anything.

Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of the book “We Want Bama: A Season of Hope and the Making of Nick Saban’s Ultimate Team.”