In the first-ever meeting between the two programs, top-seeded Auburn led for nearly 40 minutes en route to a 75-69 victory over No. 2 Nevada in the quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tournament on Wednesday night at Neville Arena.
The win cemented the Tigers' fifth consecutive 20-win season and extended their nation-best non-conference home winning streak to 67 straight.
Additionally, the win advanced Auburn to the deepest it has ever gone in the NIT.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the game:
Auburn rides out early lead
Auburn struggled mightily in its first round game against South Alabama – but it may have been the wake-up call the Tigers needed.
Since then, Auburn has held a lead at the break in its last two games, including a double-digit lead against the Wolfpack on Wednesday night.
Filip Jovic poured in a dozen first-half points as Auburn owned the paint with 20 points down low. The Tigers’ stifling first-half defense held Nevada to a 2-of-13 (15%) mark from beyond the arc and a 36% clip from the field with 10 made baskets – this coming after Seattle U torched the Tigers in the second half of their last outing.
The Wolfpack merely outscored Auburn in the second stanza, 43-37, but the Tigers stretched their lead to 16 with nearly 10 minutes left, proving too much for Nevada to overcome.
With the Tigers’ lead at 15 with eight minutes to play, Nevada answered with a 14-5 run to trim its deficit to six points.
Auburn pushed its lead back to 12 with a 6-0 run in the closing minutes and cashed in on its last six field goals amid Nevada’s late surge.
Tigers’ 3-point defense folds in second half (again)
One constant knock on Auburn this season has been its 3-point defense.
In the last outing against Seattle U, Auburn held it to 4-of-10 from the field in the first half and allowed it to explode for 12 in the second half, setting a season-high with 16 made triples.
It nearly cost the Tigers the game in the end.
Again on Wednesday, Auburn allowed just two triples in the first stanza on 13 attempts. It gave up five in the second half, but on just seven attempts.
That’s an efficient 71% clip from deep.
Jovic too much for Nevada frontcourt
With KeShawn Murphy absent for the Tigers’ NIT run, someone needed to step up down low for Auburn.
On Wednesday, Jovic answered the bell.
The 6-foot-8 Serbian freshman tallied 18 points on a 9-of-12 mark from the field and was one rebound shy of his second career double-double.
His 18 points were the most since Auburn’s game against South Carolina on January 17, where he tallied a season-high 23 points.
Auburn does it without a 20-piece from KO
The Tigers have surely gotten used to Kevin Overton lighting it up from distance in the NIT, but that was not the case on Wednesday.
Coming into the contest averaging 22 points per game on a 53.8% clip from the floor, Overton tallied just seven points on a 3-of-9 mark from the floor with one triple. He scored just two points in the second half after scoring 37 of his 44 points in the first two affairs in the second half.
Jovic manhandled the Wolfpack’s frontcourt as Tahaad Pettiford (16), Elyjah Freeman (15) and Keyshawn Hall (14) each finished in double figures to help Auburn shoot 49% from the floor.
Auburn will face Illinois State on April 2 in the semifinals at the Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
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