The No. 4 seed Auburn Tigers took on the No. 13 seed Yale Bulldogs in the first round of the NCAA Tournament this afternoon at Spokane Arena in Spokane, Wash., and the Tigers fell 78-76.
The game was back and forth the whole way, but the Tigers were unable to get it done when it mattered and their season came to an end as a result.
What are the biggest takeaways from the game?
Auburn was unable to get it done without Chad Baker-Mazara
Auburn lost one of its star forwards and SEC All-Tournament team members after only a few minutes of play due to a flagrant two foul being called on him for elbowing a Yale player.
Depth has been Auburn's biggest strength all season long, but that did not make a difference in this game.
Denver Jones stepped up
When Auburn needed someone to step up in Baker-Mazara's absence, Jones answered the call.
Jones was Auburn's second-highest scorer with 17 points, following Johni Broome who had 22. Jones shot 5-7 from the field, 3-5 from 3-point range and 4-5 from the free-throw line.
Auburn fouled too much
Auburn was called for 22 fouls while Yale was called for only 15.
Auburn did take advantage of its opportunities at the line, shooting 81.3% at the line while Yale only shot 64%, but the Bulldogs did make three more foul shots than the Tigers.
Foul trouble got Auburn in trouble and it saw its season come to an end as a result.
John Poilakidas made life difficult for Auburn
Poilakidas led all scorers with 28 points. He shot 10-15 from the field and 6-9 from 3-point range. He also grabbed two rebounds and three assists.
Yale needed someone to step up and lead it in this game and Poilakidas showed that he was capable of doing so.
The free-throw line made a difference
While Auburn had a better percentage at the free-throw line, Yale made more foul shots, shooting 16-25 to Auburn's 13-16.
Free-throw shooting in clutch situations was also a big factor as Yale went 9-10 in the final three minutes while Auburn shot 2-6.
With this loss, Auburn’s season has come to an end. The Tigers' final record in 2023-24 was 27-8 overall and 13-5 in SEC play.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email daniel.locke@1819news.com.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
