SPOKANE, Wash. — Survive and advance. That is the secret in March Insanity.
No. 4 seed Auburn basketball had that in its sights in opposition to 13-seed Yale within the Spherical of 64 on Friday, up by six factors with 4 minutes remaining in Spokane Enviornment. However the Tigers, on account of some missed pictures and premature fouls, collapsed late to get upset by the Bulldogs, 78-76.
Yale junior John Poulakidas was unbelievable all through, however particularly with one large shot down the stretch. He related on a clutch 3-pointer to offer the Bulldogs (23-9) a lead with simply over two minutes remaining, and so they by no means appeared again.
‘HE’S THREE STEPS AHEAD’:How Mike Burgomaster has turn into Bruce Pearl’s offensive architect
JOHN WOODEN AND A GARMIN GPS:Why Hugh Freeze needs Auburn soccer to ‘work backwards’
FOLLOW THE MADNESS: NCAA event brackets, scores, schedules, groups and extra.
An early exit for Chad Baker-Mazara in Auburn vs Yale
Junior wing Chad Baker-Mazara is, in some ways, the chief of the Tigers (27-8). He is expressive, emotional and is not afraid to speak trash. He stated the day earlier than the sport that he did not thoughts enjoying the “villain” position.
However Baker-Mazara bit off greater than he may chew in opposition to Yale. He is no stranger to extracurricular actions − he is picked up a variety of technical fouls in his first season at Auburn − however the retaliatory elbow he threw lower than 4 minutes into the sport obtained him ejected.
Fast begin for Johni Broome
The primary possession of the sport featured Johni Broome taking the ball instantly into the chest of Yale heart Danny Wolf, who was whistled for a foul. It was emblematic of Broome’s aggressive efficiency, because the consensus All-American completed with 24 factors and 13 rebounds.
John Poulakidas could not appear to overlook, however Denver Jones solutions
Each Poulakidas 3-pointer felt like a physique shot to Auburn, along with his fifth make coming in the course of a 10-0 run that featured Yale briefly taking the lead early within the second half. He completed with a game-high 28 factors on 10-for-15 taking pictures.
What’s subsequent
The Tigers, who have been winners of six straight on the way in which to taking the SEC Event championship, bow out of the NCAA Event early. Pearl’s tenth season at Auburn is over.
Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat author for the Montgomery Advertiser. He may be reached through e-mail at rsilva@gannett.com or on X, previously often known as Twitter, @rich_silva18.