GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Freshman Jabari Smith had 20 points and 14 rebounds as second-seeded Auburn pulled away from Jacksonville State late in the first half to win its 10th straight NCAA Tournament opener 80-61 Friday.
Walker Kessler, Smith's partner in the paint, finished a block shy of a triple-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds and nine blocks.
e either seventh-seeded Southern California or 10th-seeded Miami on Sunday for a spot in the Sweet 16.
If Smith, the potential high NBA lottery pick, plays like he did Friday, Auburn will be hard to slow down.
Smith had four 3-pointers, a couple from far behind the line. He ended his first tournament game with an emphatic, right-handed slam with just over a minute to go as teammate Wendell Green Jr. covered his face in disbelief.
Auburn was on target from the outside. K.D. Johnson ended his shooting slump — he was 0-14 in the Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinal loss to Texas A&M — and had 10 points and a couple of 3s during a 17-3 that put the Tigers in control in the first half.
Jalen Gibbs, Division I's fifth-leading 3-point shooter coming in, hit his third long-range shot of the half to put the Gamecocks up 24-22 about six minutes before the break. That's when the Tigers got going.
Jaylin Williams had two 3-pointers and Johnson added another as Auburn moved in front. Johnson followed with a sweet inside pass to Kessler, who jammed it home to the cheers of the pro-Auburn crowd.
Kessler followed with a three-point play and Johnson capped it with a second 3 for a 39-27 lead. He ran downcourt screaming, jumping and pointing toward his bench after hitting the shot.
Jacksonville State cut a 24-point deficit in half at 67-55 with less than seven minutes left but got no closer.
Kessler's pursuit of the NCAA Tournament's 10th triple-double may have been hurt when he banged into teammate Jaylin Williams' teeth in the second half and missed several minutes as trainers treated a cut on his elbow.
Williams got the worst of it, though, with two chipped teeth.
Smith finished with his sixth double-double of the season while the Tigers added to their first-round success. Only Kansas, with 14 straight opening wins, and Gonzaga, with 13, are ahead of Auburn.
Gibbs hit four 3s and led the Gamecocks (21-11) with 20 points.
THE BIG PICTURE
Jacksonville State: The Gamecocks took the Atlantic Sun's automatic bid despite losing the league tournament final to Bellarmine, which is transitioning to Division I and ineligible for the tournament. Their attitude was to make the most of the opportunity and for much of the opening half they did. The team has eight upperclassmen, and most will be back next season.
Auburn: The Tigers reached the Final Four in their previous NCAA trip three years ago before a drama-filled defeat to Virginia in the semifinals. Auburn played like it expects to be playing on the final weekend. Don't bet against it with the Smith and Kessler leading the way inside and Williams and Johnson making outside shots.
UP NEXT
Auburn looks to reach the Sweet 16 when it faces seventh-seeded Southern Cal or 10th-seeded Miami here Sunday.
___
More AP coverage of March Madness: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness and https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
