It wasn’t the ending that anyone thought was coming. The No. 2 seeded Auburn Tigers saw their season come to an end with their sixth loss of the season. After a quick exit in the SEC Quarterfinals against Texas A&M, warts from that game reared their ugly head once again.
Outside shooting was a problem, just shooting, in general, was an issue as the Tigers fell to the Miami Hurricanes in the Round of 32 matchup. For some of the team, it was likely their last game at the collegiate level. Former North Carolina Tar Heel Walker Kessler is likely heading to the NBA draft as a first-round prospect.
Kessler scored just two points with two rebounds against Miami. He played just 14 minutes in the game, his worst performance of the season. The other forward that likely is done playing for Auburn is Jabari Smith. He was recently projected as a top-two selection in the upcoming draft.
When asked about his decision to come to The Plains, Smith was adamant that he would do it again.
“I feel like if I had to make this decision 1,000 more times, I would choose Auburn,” Smith said via Tom Green of AL.com. Green also tweeted that the standout freshman is unsure of his decision in regards to foregoing any remaining eligibility and entering the NBA draft.
The answer didn’t come as much of a shock given the team had just lost to Miami, 79-61. However, I would fully expect that he will eventually make the jump to the next level. If he doesn’t then Auburn would be in great shape to make another run at the NCAA Tournament championship in the 2022-23 season.
[mm-video type=video id=01fy7mjfdqxh9cv83jd1 playlist_id=01eqbyzb4ahnasj2m3 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fy7mjfdqxh9cv83jd1/01fy7mjfdqxh9cv83jd1-07758c7d854eb73f47a7e6702fc036b3.jpg]
[vertical-gallery id=44171]
[listicle id=44175]
Contact/Follow us @AuburnWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions.
Follow Patrick on Twitter: @PatrickConnCFB