What could have been NCAA tournament: Auburn tops Florida State to win South Region
No one expected Auburn in the Final Four last year. No one expected Auburn in the Final Four this year. The Tigers keep confounding the experts, their opponents and even, at times, themselves.
The fourth team to claim a spot in Atlanta was by far the most unlikely of the four, and it might actually have had the easiest time of it. Fifth-seeded Auburn jumped out to an early lead on second-seeded Florida State and cruised to an 89-68 win over the second-seeded Seminoles, cementing an improbable return to college basketball’s biggest stage for NCAA bete noire Bruce Pearl.
Auburn led for all but 31 seconds of the game, jumping ahead by as many as 22 late in the first half. Florida State got the lead down to 14 early in the second half, but that was as close as the Seminoles ever got.
Isaac Okoro led the Tigers with 22 points on 8-for-13 shooting while Samir Doughty added 14. Devin Vassell scored 15 and Trent Forrest 12 for Florida State.
Auburn faced a difficult path to the regional final, holding off popular upset pick Stephen F. Austin, Big Ten regular-season co-champion Wisconsin and top-seeded Baylor — in Houston — only to find the ACC regular-season champion waiting.
The Tigers only returned two starters from the team that lost to eventual national champion Virginia in the national semifinals a year ago and lost four of seven heading into the SEC tournament before hitting their stride and putting together another run through March. Okoro was the big star, averaging 20.3 points per game in the four NCAA games before being named the regional’s most outstanding player.
For the Seminoles, it was an abrupt end to a breakthrough season that saw them power past Duke and Louisville to claim the regular-season title before falling to eventual ACC champion N.C. State in the ACC tournament semifinals in Greensboro (the News & Observer used whatifsports.com to simulate both the ACC tournament and this NCAA tournament). Florida State won 30 games for the first time in school history but the ageless Leonard Hamilton was yet again denied his first trip to the Final Four.
5 AUBURN 89, 2 FLORIDA STATE 68
AUBURN — Isaac Okoro 22 points; Samir Doughty 14 points; J’Von McCormick 12 points, 7 assists; Anfernee McLemore 11 points; Austin Wiley 8 points, 10 rebounds.
FLORIDA STATE — Devin Vassell 15 points; Trent Forrest 12 points; M.J. Walker 9 points.
REGIONAL SEMIFINALS
AT HOUSTON
5 AUBURN 91, 1 BAYLOR 82
AUBURN — Samir Doughty 17 points, 6 assists; Isaac Okoro 16 points, 6 rebounds; Danjel Purifoy 13 points, 7 rebounds; Austin Wiley 13 points, 8 rebounds; J’Von McCormick 12 points.
BAYLOR — MaCio Teague 17 points; Jared Butler 16 points, 6 assists; Freddie Gillespie 12 points, 11 rebounds; Mark Vital 12 points, 6 rebounds; Devonte Bandoo 10 points.
GAME NOTES — Auburn started slow and didn’t take control until the last 10 minutes of the first half, when it outscored Baylor 31-19 to lead 49-37. Baylor outscored the Tigers by three points in the second half, but it wasn’t nearly enough. Auburn made 31 of 34 free throws to help them seal the victory.
AT HOUSTON
2 FLORIDA STATE 77, 6 PENN STATE 61
FLORIDA STATE — Devin Vassell 18 points, 9 rebounds; M.J. Walker 17 points.
PENN STATE — Lamar Stevens 14 points; Mike Watkins 10 points.
GAME NOTES — Florida State dominated this one from the opening tip, jumping out to a 10-2 lead. FSU outrebounded Penn State 44-30. The Seminoles made 18 of 21 free throws to make up for only sinking 5 of 20 3-pointers.
SECOND ROUND
AT ST. LOUIS
1 BAYLOR 70, 8 N.C. STATE 64
BAYLOR — Mark Vital 13 points; Jared Butler 12 points, 6 assists; Devonte Bandoo 12 points.
N.C. STATE — C.J. Bryce 12 points; DJ Funderburk 12 points.
GAME NOTES — N.C. State led 33-30 at halftime and still led 47-41 with 12:15 to play when Funderburk banked in a shot from the right side off a good pass by Markell Johnson, who finished with seven assists. But from there it was all Baylor, as the Bears outscored N.C. State 29-17.
AT OMAHA
5 AUBURN 82, 4 WISCONSIN 77
AUBURN — Isaac Okoro 22 points; Austin Wiley 16 points, 16 rebounds; J’Von McCormick 14 points, 6 rebounds; Danjel Purifoy 10 points, 6 rebounds.
WISCONSIN — D’Mitrik Trice 14 points, 6 rebounds; Brevin Pritzl 13 points; Micah Potter 11 points, 6 rebounds; Nate Reuvers 10 points.
GAME NOTES — Auburn controlled the boards, outrebounding Wisconsin 44-27. Wisconsin led 71-70 with 2:10 to play but was outscored 12-6 down the stretch.
AT ALBANY
6 PENN STATE 90, 14 HOFSTRA 78
PENN STATE — Lamar Stevens 27 points, 9 rebounds; Myreon Jones 16 points; Curtis Jones 12 points.
HOFSTRA — Eli Pemberton 21 points; Jalen Ray 20 points, 6 rebounds; Desure Buie 15 points.
GAME NOTES — Penn State dominated the final 10 minutes of the first half. With the score tied 19-19, the Nittany Lions outscored Hofstra 28-13 to lead 47-32 at halftime. Penn State maintained that lead throughout most of the second half.
AT TAMPA
2 FLORIDA STATE 72, 10 USC 59
FLORIDA STATE — Devin Vassell 19 points, 8 rebounds; Malik Osborne 11 points.
USC — Onyeka Okongwu 15 points, 10 rebounds; Nick Rakocevic 11 points, 6 rebounds.
GAME NOTES — The teams combined for an abysmal 9 of 42 from 3-point range, including 3 of 19 by USC. Florida State’s biggest leads were nine points in the first half, and 15 points with 2:27 to play. Dominik Olejniczak blocked three shots for FSU.
FIRST ROUND
AT ST. LOUIS
1 BAYLOR 76, 16 NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL 54
BAYLOR — MaCio Teague 16 points; Davion Mitchell 14 points; Jared Butler 12 points; Freddie Gillespie 10 points, 13 rebounds.
NC CENTRAL — Jibri Blount 23 points, 10 rebounds.
GAME NOTES — Although Blount had a huge game for the Eagles, he didn’t get much support, as no other NC Central player made double figures in scoring. Baylor jumped out fast and led 45-28 at halftime. Baylor enjoyed a big size advantage and outrebounded NC Central 50-34.
AT ST. LOUIS
8 NC STATE 82, 9 PROVIDENCE 64
NC STATE — C.J. Bryce 18 points, 8 rebounds; Devon Daniels 18 points, 7 rebounds; Jericole Hellems 11 points.
PROVIDENCE — Alpha Diallo 11 points; Luwane Pipkins 10 points, 7 rebounds.
GAME NOTES — N.C. State’s defense held Providence to 34.3 percent (23 of 67) shooting. The Wolfpack rushed out to a 21-6 lead to start the game. The final score equaled N.C. State’s biggest lead of the game.
AT OMAHA
5 AUBURN 94, 12 STEPHEN F. AUSTIN 71
AUBURN — Isaac Okoro 21 points, 6 rebounds; J’Von McCormick 14 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists; Danjel Purifoy 12 points; Austin Wiley 12 points, 9 rebounds; Anfernee McLemore 12 points; Samir Doughty 10 points.
SFA — Kevon Harris 15 points; Gavin Kensmil 13 points; John Comeaux 13 points.
GAME NOTES — Auburn was not only burning hot from the perimeter, sinking 11 of 21 3-pointers, but the Tigers also controlled the boards, outrebounding Stephen F. Austin 43-26.
AT OMAHA
4 WISCONSIN 79, 13 AKRON 66
WISCONSIN — Aleem Ford 17 points, 8 rebounds; Brad Davison 12 points; Nate Reuvers 12 points; Brevin Pritzl 11 points.
AKRON — Tyler Cheese 23 points; Xeyrius Williams 15 points, 9 rebounds.
GAME NOTES — Micah Potter hit a 3-pointer from the right corner at the buzzer to give Wisconsin a 41-39 halftime lead. The Badgers quickly expanded that lead in the second half, pulling ahead 64-51 with 11:22 to play.
AT ALBANY
6 PENN STATE 94, 11 UTAH STATE 91
PENN STATE — Lamar Stevens 17 points, 6 rebounds; Myreon Jones 16 points; Myles Dread 16 points; Mike Watkins 10 points, 10 rebounds.
UTAH STATE — Sam Merrill 31 points; Neemias Queta 17 points, 11 rebounds; Brock Miller 12 points; Justin Bean 10 points, 12 rebounds.
GAME NOTES — Wisconsin was outplayed in the first half, trailing 42-36 at halftime. But the Badgers exploded for 58 points in the second half to earn the victory.
AT ALBANY
14 HOFSTRA 98, 3 SETON HALL 93
HOFSTRA — Desure Buie 34 points; Jalen Ray 24 points; Isaac Kante 14 points.
SETON HALL — Myles Cale 27 points; Jared Rhoden 17 points, 9 rebounds; Myles Powell 14 points; Quincy McKnight 12 points, 9 assists.
GAME NOTES — Buie and Ray combined for 58 points to lead the Hofstra upset. The Pride led by as many as 10 points in the second half.
AT TAMPA
10 USC 68, MICHIGAN 55
USC — Onyeka Okongwu 17 points, 15 rebounds; Elijah Weaver 16 points; Jonah Mathews 13 points.
MICHIGAN — Isaiah Livers 13 points; Zavier Simpson 10 points, 6 assists.
GAME NOTES — USC’s full-court defense was fierce, holding Michigan to 32.3 percent (20 of 62) from the field, including 16.7 percent (4 of 24) from 3-point range. USC led 68-55 at halftime.
AT TAMPA
2 FLORIDA STATE 88, WINTHROP 79
FLORIDA STATE — Devin Vassell 19 points; Patrick Williams 18 points, 6 rebounds; Anthony Polite 11 points, 7 rebounds; Raiquan Gray 10 points.
WINTHROP — D.J. Burns 24 points, 6 rebounds; Hunter Hale 15 points; Josh Ferguson 12 points; Charles Falden 10 points.
GAME NOTES — The game was tied 34-34 at halftime. Florida State shot well, especially in the second half. For the game the Seminoles made 30 of 61 shots, including 8 of 17 from 3-point range.
FIRST FOUR
AT DAYTON
16 NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL 77, 16 PRAIRIE VIEW A&M 68
NC CENTRAL — Nicolas Fennell 17 points; Jibri Blount 16 points, 14 rebounds; C.J. Keyser 14 points.
PRAIRIE VIEW A&M — Gerard Andrus 17 points; Darius Williams 14 points; Antione Lister 12 points; Devonte Patterson 11 points, 6 rebounds.
GAME NOTES — NC Central never trailed in the second half. The Eagles pulled away over the final 12 minutes. Neither team shot well from long range. Prairie View made just 3 of 14 3-pointers, while the Eagles were just 4 of 17 from long range. Jibri Blount’s big game earned him player of the game honors.