Bruce Pearl sent Allen Flanigan a text Tuesday night.

The Auburn coach had an inkling, and he wanted to share it with his senior wing. Pearl had a gut feeling that Flanigan was going to come through big for No. 25 Auburn in its rematch against Georgia at Neville Arena.

“You’re going to have a bunch of points,” Pearl told Flanigan. “You’re going to have a bunch of rebounds. You’re going to play great defense, and you’re not going to turn the ball over.”

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Pearl’s premonition wasn’t spot-on — not quite, but it largely came to fruition during the Tigers’ 94-73 flattening of the Bulldogs on Wednesday night.

Flanigan scored a season- and game-high 22 points against Georgia, and while he grabbed only one rebound, he committed zero turnovers and played strong defense, coming up with two of the team’s eight steals in a must-have game for Auburn.

“I love it when I’m right,” Pearl said.

While Pearl went 3-of-4 on his predictions for Flanigan, the 6-foot-6 senior was even more efficient than that when it came to his scoring. He finished 8-of-10 from the floor, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, and he didn’t miss a shot attempt after halftime, going 5-of-5 from the field, 2-of-2 from deep and 1-of-1 from the free-throw line in the second half.

Along with his proficient shooting from 3-point range—which matched Wendell Green Jr.’s clip from deep against Georgia — Flanigan’s explosive athleticism was on display. He threw down three dunks on the night, including an alley-oop from Green off a steal early in the first half and another lob from Green with 6:43 left in the game to put Auburn ahead by 26.

Not only was it a season high for Flanigan, eclipsing the 18 he scored against South Florida in nonconference action and against Arkansas last month, but it was his highest-scoring performance since he dropped 22 against Mississippi State in the final game of his sophomore campaign during the 2020-21 season. It was also two off his career high of 24, which he had against South Carolina as a sophomore.

In other words, it was Flanigan’s best offensive night since the Achilles injury he sustained in the preseason heading into his junior year.

Wednesday was Flanigan’s second straight game in double figures, and it continued a relatively consistent stretch of play for the senior since the calendar flipped to 2023—beginning with Auburn’s trip to Georgia on Jan. 4. During that nine-game stretch, Flanigan has averaged 11.3 points per game on 50.6 percent shooting, including 37.5 percent from beyond the arc. He has also pulled down 5.4 rebounds per game while being one of Auburn’s best defensive rebounders.

More than just returning to form after that Achilles injury derailed most of his junior campaign, Flanigan has reemerged as a crucial piece for an Auburn team that finds strength in its depth. Flanigan isn’t quite in double figures for the season — averaging 9.4 points per game — but he has been able to provide another scoring punch behind the Tigers’ trio of double-figure scorers: Green (13.8), Johni Broome (13.6) and Jaylin Williams (10.8). He has also settled into the starting role at the three after being inserted into the lineup following Chris Moore’s shoulder injury last month.

“When Al plays with that kind of rhythm and tempo, right? And plays without a turnover, and he does things inside and out and defensively, (he can be a factor),” Pearl said.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.