No. 5 Clemson advances to first Sweet Sixteen since 1997
In what was a matchup of the Tigers, it is Clemson who is moving on to the Sweet Sixteen.
Clemson rode a stifling defense and some efficient scoring from the get-go on Sunday evening, dominating the opening half en route to a 43-19 halftime lead over Auburn. They did not let up in the closing 20 minutes, eventually winning by a 84-53 final.
After the game, coach Brad Brownell praised his team's performance: "I'm super proud of our team," he said. "Our focus and preparation, ever since the ACC tournament, has been really, really good."
In the opening half, Clemson shot 53% from the field and held Auburn to 18% shooting. It was a dominant first half performance in every aspect of the game. Leading the way in the first half for the Tigers was forward Elijah Thomas, who scored 11 points and grabbed three rebounds. He did not miss a field goal and used his length to block two shots as well. Starting guard Shelton Mitchell filled the stat sheet with seven points, six rebounds, and five assists.
Auburn's offense lacked any kind of flow or rhythm in the opening 20, and their defense was not much better. They were out-sized from the opening tip, starting only one player (Horace Spencer) who was over 6'5". Coach Bruce Pearl missed Anfernee McLemore's length quite a bit (the 6'7" sophomore suffered a season-ending leg injury a month ago). In the Clemson starting lineup was 6'10" Elijah Thomas and 6'7" Aamir Simms.
Auburn was forced mostly into ISO situations on offense, ending the half with only three assists. Clemson's length bothered them, especially around the rim. The final first-half totals? 18% from the field and 20% from three point range. Nobody on Bruce Pearl's team scored more than five points in the first half. Horace Spencer scored four points on 2-4 shooting, but early foul trouble forced him to only play 12 minutes.
In the first seven or so minutes, the game did not show any signs of getting out of hand. Auburn and Clemson were tied at 13 points apiece with 12:40 left. Over the final 12:40 of the first-half, though, Clemson outscored Auburn 30-6. Jared Harper's made jump shot with 10:34 to go in the first-half was the last field goal Auburn recorded before heading into the break. In the final 10:34, Auburn went 0-18 from the field.
"Our defensive pressure and intensity bottled them up," Clemson guard Gabe Devoe said.
Clemson held a commanding lead in the rebounding battle (26-16) as well as in assists (10-3).
Any hopes of an Auburn comeback were dashed quickly to open the second half. On the half's first possession, Aamir Simms dribbled to the top of the key, pulled up, and splashed a three-pointer to extend the lead to 27. A few Gabe DeVoe threes quickly followed, extending the lead to 32 just three minutes in. The latter of the DeVoe threes capped off a monstrous 41-9 run.
Clemson stretched the lead to as much as 41 in a dominating performance. Guard Gabe DeVoe caught fire for the most entertaining portion of the second half. The guard paced the Tigers offense in the second half, scoring 14 of his team's first 32 points.
"He was terrific, outstanding in the second half." Coach Brownell said. "He's a big strong guy, has range, and a quick trigger. He is a big part of our team, and in the second half he played unbelievable."
DeVoe ended up leading Clemson in scoring with 22 points. He shot 8/13 from the field overall and 6/9 from three. The senior also grabbed five rebounds and dished out five assists. Elijah Thomas recorded a double-double, scoring 18 points (7/10 shooting) with 11 rebounds. Marcquiese Reed was the only other Tiger in double-digits scoring, pouring in 16. Clemson ended the night shooting 48% from the field and outrebounded Auburn 55-36.
After the game, Reed called the performance a "statement game." He also said that he believed that Clemson's preparation is the best in the country.
For Auburn, an impressive season ended on a sour note. Prior to the season, the Tigers were picked to finish in the bottom half of the SEC. They ended up winning the conference's regular season title, and were selected to play in their first NCAA Tournament since 2003. Bryce Brown and Mustapha Heron led Auburn in scoring with 12 points apiece.
Auburn shot only 26% from the field and 22% from three in the contest.
The game's final two minutes featured perhaps the most applause of the night. With the outcome already decided, the walk-ons from both schools received loud ovations from the Viejas crowd.
With the victory, Clemson advances to their first Sweet Sixteen since 1997. They will face Kansas on March 23.
