Auburn didn’t intend to relive past mistakes on Friday. The Tigers defeated Jacksonville State 80-61 to advance to the next round of the NCAA Tournament where they’ll play either Miami or USC.
First Half Thoughts
For a little bit, it seemed as history would repeat itself.
Auburn started on a 5-0 run, but. Jacksonville State came back with a 8-0 run of its own. The Gamecocks lead for a good portion of the first half and at one point was dominating the three-ball by outshooting Auburn 22 percent from beyond the arc, but the Tigers managed to adjust and closed it out with an 11-0 run to end the first half up 39-27.
Auburn seemed to have fixed its shooting woes at the end of the first half, finishing 53.6 percent from the field and 50 percent from three. The Tigers also did a much better job getting rebounds on both sides of the ball, out-rebounding the Gamecocks 32-22.
Second Half Thoughts
Auburn wasn’t done once the second half started, though.
The Tigers went on a staggering 18-0 run to open up the second half, racking up even more points to add to the lead. Jacksonville State’s initial burst of aggression was quickly silenced by Auburn’s superior physicality and the Gamecocks’ own lack of length, and things were generally procedural for the Tigers until the buzzer when the Tigers’ 19-point victory was etched in stone.
Auburn finished a strong 44 percent from the floor and 37 percent from beyond the arc. The Tigers absolutely dominated on the defensive side of the ball, out-rebounding JSU 50-32 and blocking 10 shots to the Gamecocks’ one.
Next, we look at the three stars from the game.