SAN DIEGO, Ca. (EETV) - Coming off a rough performance against College of Charleston, No. 4 Auburn loses big to No. 5 Clemson 84-53 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Auburn held its own early against Clemson, tying the game at 13 with 12:40 left in the first half. But it went all downhill from there for Auburn.
Clemson would go on a 20-0 run over the course of 10 minutes to go up 35-15 with just over 2 minutes left in the half. Clemson's defense would continue to hold the struggling Tigers to just 4 more points in the first half. Clemson would go into the half up 43-19.
Auburn basketball alum Charles Barkley joked on the CBS halftime report that the game was over for Auburn at the half. Some would think hearing these words from Barkley would change something for Auburn, however, the second half went from bad to worse.
I feel like just because Barkley said "love my guys but this one is over," something really weird is about to happen.
— Maria Martin (@Ria_Martin) March 19, 2018
Clemson would continue to dominate and at one point in the second half would lead by as many as 41 points, the largest lead by any team in this year's tournament.
Offense was once again a problem for Auburn throughout the game. Auburn would go 17-66 from the field (25.8%) and 7-32 from behind the arc (21.9%). Mustapha Heron and Bryce Brown led Auburn in scoring with 12 points apiece.
Clemson, on the other hand, had the hot hand and the confidence flowing all night. Clemson would go 26-91 from the field (47.5%) and 10-26 from behind the arc (38.5%).
Gabe DeVoe would lead the way for the Clemson offense with a game-high 22 points and 5 assists.
With the loss to Clemson, Auburn is officially out of the NCAA Tournament following a historic season. Auburn would win the SEC regular season title for the third time in program history.
